Behind Our Work is a Team of Diverse Co-Creators

Equity Designer for Black Diaspora, Women's Rights, "Survivors" of Gun Violence

Design Ally for Youth, LGBTQIA+ Rights, People with Different Ability Statuses

View Bio

Antionette D. Carroll is a serial social entrepreneur having founded Creative Reaction Lab (CRXLAB) and the Institute of Equitable Design and Justice (Institute) and co-founded Design + Diversity LLC and &Design LLC. As the President and CEO of CRXLAB and the Institute, she’s pioneered the groundbreaking and award-winning problem solving framework Equity-Centered Community Design™ (ECCD™)(recognized as a Fast Company World Changing Idea Finalist in Urban Design and General Excellence) and a new leadership model called Redesigner for Justice™. Through this capacity, Antionette has received several recognitions and awards, including being named a PepsiCo and Doritos Solid Black Changemaker, Aspen Institute Civil Society Fellow, Roddenberry Fellow, Echoing Green Global Fellow, TED Fellow, ADCOLOR Innovator, SXSW Community Service Honoree, Camelback Ventures Fellow, Essence Magazine Woke 100 and more.

Through her volunteer leadership, she was a former AIGA National Board Director, St. Louis Chapter President, and Founding Chair of the national Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. During her tenure, she founded and launched several initiatives, including the Design Census Program with Google, Racial Justice by Design Initiative, Diversity and Inclusion Residency, and National Design for Inclusivity Summit with Microsoft. Additionally, She was a founding member of Adobe's Design Circle, providing youth mentorship support and consulting for their international inclusive design scholarship program.

In 2011, Antionette was named the inaugural Katherine Dunham Fellow at the Regional Arts Commission. (The Katherine Dunham Fellowship provides a career pipeline for African American youth interested in working within the arts administration and creative nonprofit fields.) In a full circle moment, a decade later, Antionette was named the director of the Katherine Dunham Fellowship, hosted within Creative Reaction Lab, to continue the legacy of the program.

Lastly, Antionette is a civic design and equity coach for city governments through the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University.

Her trailblazing work has been featured on several news outlets, including NPR, Fast Company, Bloomberg, BET, and in several publications including Empathy for Change (2020) by Amy J. Wilson, Fast Company Innovation by Design: Creative Ideas That Transform the Way We Live and Work (2021) by Stephanie Mehta, Beloved Economies: Transforming How We Work (2022) by Jess Rimington and Joanna L. Cea, and the upcoming An Anthology of Blackness: The State of Black Design (2023) by Terresa Moses and Omari Souza. Antionette is also the executive producer, director and host of the Reimagining and Redesigning with Antionette D. Carroll podcast.

Chief Operating Officer
She/Her/Ella

Equity Designer for Chicana & Latina/ae/o/e/x communities, Disability Rights, Survivors of Childhood Violence and Survivors of Workplace Trauma & Racism

Design Ally for Black, Indigenous, People of Color & People of the Global Majority, LGTBQIA+, Undocumented Families and Survivors of Family Violence

View Bio

Irina grew up in South Texas and is the bisnieta (great-granddaughter) of Mexican immigrants who moved to Juarez, Texas and eventually Brownsville so their children could have greater opportunities. Irina is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and proud Tía to 12 nieces and nephews. She has one son, Tristan, and two fur babies, Chole & Frankie . Irina has a Master’s in Public Administration and is a Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional. She is passionate about centering belonging, creating equitable & holistic spaces, and moving towards transformative justice. She believes strongly in the co-creation of equitable, inclusive, accessible and accountable workplaces that honor wellbeing, mutual care, & reconciliation and is excited to bring this commitment to CRXLAB.

Most recently, Irina participated in the Rockwood Leadership Institute’s - Art of Leadership program, AORTA’s Headwater Facilitator Skill Up Intensive and was selected as a Futures Without Violence - Creating Workplaces Without Violence Fellowship. Prior to joining the Creative Reaction Lab team, Irina served as Chief of Staff at Mission Capital in Austin, Texas, where she led Human Resources, Operations and was a Race Equity facilitator. She also served as the Deputy Regional Director at the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services where she oversaw executive and administrative HR operations for over 800 employees/26 offices. Irina has more than 19 years of leadership & program experience including developing high performing teams with an emphasis on wellbeing, relationship building, accountability and centering equity. In her free time, Irina enjoys DIY projects, papercrafts, watching reality tv and spending time with her husband, son, and fur babies.

Equity Designer Black Diaspora, Immigrant and Undocumented communities, Survivors of Sexual Violence, Youth

Design Ally for LGBTQIA+ Rights, Indigenous and Latina/ae/o/e/x communities

View Bio

Ugochi graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Public Health from Emory University, with a certificate in the Socio-Contextual Determinants of Health. She is passionate about exploring socio-historical and contemporary injustices through storytelling and pinpointing narratives of power, oppression, and exclusion within the Black diaspora. Ugochi is a proud East Baltimore native and a second-generation Nigerian immigrant. She is a proud dog mom and an active auntie who loves spending time with her niece and nephew.

Equity Designer for Black Women, Mental Health, and Survivors of Sexual Violence

Design Ally for LGBTQIA rights, Survivors of Gun Violence, Immigrant and Undocumented citizens

View Bio

Aleece Jones graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience. Her studies in traumatic brain injuries and dementia informed her passion in Mental Health awareness and discussions, especially in the black community.

Working in the corporate sector, she has seen first hand how systems were designed to keep those in power the status quo, while other marginalized groups are left unheard.She plans to use this position to help support the mission of the organization in whatever way possible to further disrupt and dismantle the current power structure.

She has worked in the Operations field for over ten years and brings that expertise to CRXLab with an excitement to help shape the foundation of systems within the company for efficiency and expedience.

Equity Designer for Mental Health, Youth

Design Ally for LGBTQIA+ Rights, Black, and Latino/a/x/e Communities

View Bio

Angela graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Towson University, Maryland, where she gained design knowledge including but not limited to, branding, package design, web design, typography, and illustration. She is passionate about designing for a cause to inform and reframe ideas across digital and printed media. She believes in utilizing social media for good, in the pursuit of racial and gender equity.

Her personal experience with mental health has motivated her to be an advocate for the normalization of open conversations, and providing accessible resources for those in need.

Since 2021 she has run her own small business, Angmadeart, where she illustrates and conceptualizes designs to promote and sell through social media engagement and content creation. In addition to her business, Angela also enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and spending time with her cat.

Director of Learning Innovation and Design
He/Him

Equity Designer for Black men, LGBTQIA+ Rights, Youth, Mental Health

Design Ally for Black women, Latina/ae/o/e/x communities, Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Abuse

View Bio

Since 2011, Thomas has been on a sublime journey within the realm of K-12 education, spearheading innovative approaches for both youth and adult learners alike. A licensed educator, his extensive career spans roles such as classroom teacher, intervention specialist, school health liaison, community outreach director, and leader in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) across public, charter, and independent school settings.

Equipped with a Bachelor of Science in Middle Grades Education from the College of Charleston and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Charleston Southern University, Thomas' approach to the unique intersection of education and organizational development goes beyond the conventional. His educational arsenal also includes a Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, showcasing a commitment to cutting-edge methodologies.

Thomas' impact has reverberated on the state, national, and international levels. From Rookie Teacher of the Year (Rollings Middle School of the Arts, 2012) to earning accolades like the Eddie Ganaway Distinguished Alumni Award (College of Charleston, 2012) and being recognized for Best Learning Center (CBUS Top Picks, 2023), his influence knows no bounds. Thomas' thought leadership has graced prestigious stages, from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital DISCOVERYx speaker series (2018) to TEDxColumbusSalon (2019) and the National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP) Conference (2020).

To Thomas, leadership isn't a position but an ongoing process, with today's youth as the architects of the future. As a passionate advocate for youth development and enrichment, he relentlessly pushes boundaries to design learning environments and opportunities that nurture growth and healing. Thomas' mission is crystal clear: molding young learners into potent agents for change, envisioning a future where education transcends systems and becomes a catalyst for positive global impact.

Equity Designer for Black Women and Mental Health Healing

Design Ally for Gun Violence survivors and Sexual Abuse survivors

View Bio

Tepra Wells was born and raised in St. Louis, but has always had a big world mindset. Being a part of a community like Creative Reaction Lab will fuel the passion Tepra has for human interaction, creativity, and equity amongst different groups of people. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State with a degree in Psychology and Spanish. One of Tepra’s favorite things to do is to travel the world and learn about other cultures!

Equity Designer for Latina/ae/o/e/x communities, LGBTQIA+ Rights, and Youth

Design Ally for Black, Indigenous, Undocumented Families and Survivors of Family Violence

View Bio

Amos graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Missouri and a Masters of Education from the University of Oklahoma. Currently, Amos is working on his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Missouri- Kansas City. He is passionate about diversity, inclusion, equity, education, financial wellness, LGBTQ issues, student agency, and the overall upward mobility of marginalized communities. Amos has a background in working within the higher education system and the nonprofit sector. He also has years of experience facilitating conversations around diversity and equity for campus partners.

Amos is interested in the historical analysis of student activism and how to use that history to empower current students. During his Masters of Education program, he focused on historical student activism at three different colleges. You can check this out at his website here. Amos is interested in bettering his facilitation skills around equity centered conversations.

On his journey at Creative Reaction Lab, Amos hopes to aid in co-creating an inclusive, innovative, fun and equitable work culture! He is an Equity Designer for Latina/ae/o/e/x communities, LGBTQIA+ Rights, and Youth. Also, he is a Design Ally for Black, Indigenous, Undocumented Families and Survivors of Family Violence.

Seeds of Power Fellow
She/Her/Hers

Equity Designer for Latina/ae/o/e/x communities, survivors of sexual violence, and undocumented families

Design Ally for LGBTQIA+ rights, black and Indigenous families

View Bio

Michel Mora Peñaloza is a dedicated community health worker based in Chicago, leveraging a background in education and mentorship to uplift underserved communities. With experience as both a teacher assistant and youth mentor, Michel brings compassion and empathy to his work, striving to improve the health and well-being of those around her.

A graduate of Knox College, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Latin American Studies, Michel is passionate about addressing social determinants of health and advocating for equitable access to healthcare resources.