Our Team

DeAngela Cooks headshot for Voice and Vision Co.

DeAngela Cooks, LMFT

Founder + President

I’m DeAngela (She/Her), Founder and President of Voice & Vision, and previous Co-Founder of the international DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility) firm, Momentum Collaborative. For the past decade, I have immersed myself in the DEIA landscape, appreciating its transformative power and magic. However, my extensive work with clients worldwide exposed the challenges in this field. DEIA became a buzzword for some, an insufficient response to deep-seated oppression for others, and indifference prevailed for many. As someone entrenched in anti-racism efforts before DEIA became an acronym, I perpetually witnessed burnout without a safety net. I knew there had to be a better way to facilitate this crucial work and go beyond its limitations. So what did I do? I returned back to my roots…

  • Returning to my roots, reminded me of how I found solace and purpose on stage, at podiums and in the pulpit. From these platforms, I wielded my voice as a powerful tool, inspiring and evoking laughter to help my audience digest the gravity of the content. Even in my early years, my mother noticed a transformation; she called me "awkward" and "reserved" in everyday situations, yet witnessed my confidence shine when I was speaking or making people laugh. Since I was a child, I dedicated years to honing my passion for observing social interactions, and teaching others how to use their voices thoughtfully, especially in the most challenging conversations. These formative experiences laid the foundation for my journey, which ultimately led to the birth of Voice & Vision.

    I was raised in Southern California in a Black multi-generational, matriarchal household that deeply influenced my intersectional identities as Black and queer and later shaped my work as a parent, Marriage & Family therapist, minister and stand-up comic. My Voice in the world serves as a catalyst, giving people permission to unearth the depths of their unique narratives through thought provoking curiosity, levity, and lively storytelling. Together we will locate their message in critical conversations and ensure equity is centered. My ultimate Vision is to cultivate a community where individual voices and collective visions seamlessly align, anchored by the cornerstone of radical accountability. Together, we build a pragmatic yet uplifting community, where ageless ancient wisdom and practices shape our path. Voice & Vision is our safety net.

    Some of my previous and current clients include Cal State University Chico, California Academy of Sciences, Canvas Worldwide, Community Solutions, Eleven, Facing History and Ourselves, International Rescue Committee, National City of Transportation Officials, Save The Bay, Smarter Balanced, The Infatuation, Plus Company and UC Berkeley to name a few. To learn more about me, follow me on LinkedIn.

Glorivette Rodriguez headshot for Voice and Vision Co.

Glorivette (GLo) Rodriguez

V&V Consultant

I’m Glorivette (Glo) Rodriguez (She/They). I was raised in Brooklyn, NY in a Nuyorican household as the eldest of seven children. My upbringing in certain spaces encouraged the use of my voice, and in other spaces (particularly institutions that upheld dominant, coercive and violent ideology and practices) not so much. I slowly learned that it was safer to be quiet, especially given the historically excluded identity markers that I hold. While these spaces are a part of my story, I have been fortunate to immerse myself in new teachings that have encouraged my unlearning of oppressive ideology and have been the building blocks to my healing…

  • I have earned a BS in Business Management from Fairfield University, a Masters in Human Rights Education from the University of San Francisco, and I am currently pursuing a second Masters in Integral Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

    My voice in the world shows up through active listening, cultural humility, taking a learner's stance, and through my attentiveness to supporting others. My voice brings a grounded and focused presence in my interactions, modeling how to be still and gentle, providing a sense of ease for others.

    My vision is ever evolving and it includes using my voice to help individuals and communities see themselves more clearly, having more gentleness with themselves, and remembering their worth and importance.

    Some of my previous clients include: Save the Bay, California Academy of Sciences, Community Solutions, Smarter Balanced, and Common Good City Farm. To learn more about me, follow me on LinkedIn.

Tara Phillips headshot for Voice and Vision Co.

Tara Phillips

V&V Consultant

I’m Tara (She/Her), Executive Leadership and Organizational Development consultant and I’m a writer. Throughout my thirty-year career in the social sector, I have engaged and led diverse organizations in different contexts and positions to reach their strategic, cultural, and operational goals. Change in organizations is inevitable and it must be managed with a keen understanding
of the human and political dynamics that influence the practices, policies, and processes that drive behavior and decision-making. I pride myself on my ability to view organizations from 30,000 feet in the air, observing the complex systems at work and diagnosing the pain points that demand attention, while holding the collective vision in view…

  • Brooklyn-born,I grew up in the New York Metro area, spending my formative years in Morristown,NJ. Both of my parents are the children of the Great Migration, melding their southern and Caribbean roots with their Harlem and Brooklyn upbringings. Their influence grounded me in the values of intellectual curiosity, excellence, and community and led me to leverage my skills and talents in the education sector with a focus on social justice. My Voice in the world provokes deeper thinking on how to maximize our collective resources on an individual and institutional level. I work with clients and colleagues to focus on the right questions to be asked and answered and then I strategically guide them towards operationalizing their objectives. My ultimate Vision is to facilitate the evolutionary process from self-knowledge to legacy building for individuals and organizations to create a more just and impactful world together.

    Prior to my work as an organizational development consultant, I have served as a program director, teacher, development director and executive director for local and national organizations throughout the United States. I currently serve as the executive director of La Maison Baldwin, a French non-profit that honors the life and legacy of James Baldwin in France by supporting and developing writers of color through conferences and residencies. Some of my former consulting clients include The Irvine Foundation, California Academy of Sciences, Data and Society, Trusted Health, Skytap, Smarter Balanced and Pantheon. I hold a B.S. in Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and an Executive Masters in Change Management from HEC Paris, in partnership with the University of Oxford. To learn more about my background, visit my website.

headshot of LaChe`Milo for Voice and Vision Co.

LaChe`Milo

Trauma & Addiction Specialist Consultant

My name is LaChe`(She/Her). Trauma and addiction specialist consultant and a 53-year-old mother of four grown children. My early life was marked by frequent moves and new experiences, as I grew up an Army Brat. While exposure to different places and cultures fostered a sense of adaptability and inclusivity in me, it also brought with it some challenges. Being the new kid in school every few years made me vulnerable to bullying, leaving me feeling insecure and fearful, I felt I had no voice. Unfortunately, the instability and insecurity were further compounded by traumatic experiences of abuse both within the home and outside of it.

  • The trauma and challenges I endured growing up coupled with my addiction to drugs and alcohol led me to make frequent impulsive decisions. Recognizing the need for change, I embarked on a journey of healing, addressing the underlying causes and conditions of my trauma. I decided to get sober at the age of 35, which was a crucial step in my recovery and healing. It has been an ongoing process for the past 18 years of confronting my pain and rebuilding my life.

    Currently, I’m pursuing a degree in biopsychology. It has given me valuable insights into the complex interplay between biological and psychological factors in human behavior and mental health. This knowledge has deepened my understanding of the underlying mechanisms of addiction, trauma, and mental health.

    Embarking on my professional and personal journey of healing and self-discovery, I've been privileged to sponsor and guide countless individuals in reclaiming their voice and envisioning a life free from the shadows of addiction and trauma. My voice in the world is to uplift others through my story and help establish safe and nurturing environments for those who share similar experiences to mine. And my vision is to create a place that serves as a sanctuary, fostering a space for individuals to navigate their experiences, gain fresh perspectives, and cultivate effective strategies for transformative change.

Christian Henricksen

DEIA Consultant

I’m Christian (He/Him), DEIA consultant with Voice and Vision. My full-time job is as a Legal Aid social worker in Oakland California, providing a variety of support services for youth during critical moments of their civil-legal cases. Since making a career change in 2009, I have discovered my passion for working with youth and families in the bay area, holding several positions in community mental health including clinician with incarcerated youth in San Francisco and Oakland, Therapeutic Behavioral Services Clinician, and clinician working with older youth in the juvenile truancy court. While working as a service provider I have been educated in the necessity to acknowledge my many privileges and to use this privilege to fight for better outcomes for the communities I serve…

  • It is my belief that you cannot be effective in these roles without committing to anti-racism, and I have strived to push past my own discomfort by joining or forming white affinity groups both personally and professionally, regardless of the position I hold. This has led to an ongoing role as a consultant with The Momentum Collaborative, where my primary function was to assist organizations in forming DEI committees and white affinity groups with the specific focus of anti-racism.

    I was born in California but raised mostly on the east coast as the middle child of nine in a white, lower-middle-class family. My family moved often, which forced me to continue to start over with new people in new communities that I did not recognize and often felt disconnected to. These experiences taught me so much about my own identity and how similar and different we can be depending on where we live and what we have access to. I hope to use my voice to empower people to live as authentically and unapologetically as possible. My vision is a world that places people over profit, where mutual aid is prioritized, and where we can move beyond self-care toward community care.

    Some of my previous consulting clients include Smarter Balanced, Save the Bay, The California Academy of Sciences, BLOCK and Eleven. I hold a Bachelors in Business Administration from Framingham State University in Framingham, MA, and a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco.

Photography by Jacob Lopez Photography