Ogonnaya Dotson Newman

Ogonnaya Dotson Newman (she/her) is a creative entrepreneur, joy/grief doula, advocate, and grantmaker with over 20 years of experience. As a creative entrepreneur and consultant she supports organizations working at the intersections to better achieve their missions through somatic decision making, careful exploration of data, and organizational culture making. This practice allows her to support individuals and groups to reflect, release, rejoice, and flow with the shifting tapestries of life. She has led and collaborated in developing and implementing practical rituals and facilitated gatherings and retreats. 

All of her work is deeply guided by principles of Kujichagulia (self-determination) and Ujima (collective work and responsibility).  Her career embodies the interconnectedness of environmental health, social justice, and community empowerment, making her a powerful force for positive change. Most recently, she worked with an organization to align their internal policies and procedures for more measured impact. Prior to this engagement, Ogonnaya was a senior program officer in the Environment program at The JPB Foundation (now the Freedom Together Foundation) where she led a portfolio focused on detoxifying natural systems and the built environment by eliminating indoor and outdoor pollutants. 

Ogonnaya came to philanthropy with years of experience in community-based participatory research, partnership and collaboration for organizing around complex environmental issues, and environmental justice. Ogonnaya holds a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on Environmental Health and a certificate in Health Geoinformatics. In addition to her EGA board commitment, she currently serves on the board of the Strozzi Institute for Somatics and is an advisory board member for Counterstream, an integrated media organization that focuses on stories at the intersection of environment, health, and justice.