April Michelle Jean, MSW

Pure Jeanius Consulting (PJC) is a Black-Woman-owned consulting firm committed to promoting truth, healing, and liberation for BIPOC communities. PJC's mission centers on dismantling systemic racism, fostering inclusive cultures, and empowering organizations to adopt racial justice and collective healing as fundamental principles. Key projects include:

• First 5 Sacramento (Sacramento, CA): Led First 5 Sacramento's initiative to establish a Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion + Cultural Responsiveness baseline, fostering a culturally intelligent organizational ecosystem and ongoing multi-year strategy.
• California Department of Fish & Wildlife (Sacramento, CA): Facilitated Racial Equity Learning Communities for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fostering understanding of racial inequities and empowering individuals to implement racially conscious practices, contributing to systemic change.
• Center on Policy Initiatives (San Diego, CA): Directed strategic planning initiatives with a strong focus on racial equity, guiding organizational growth, and fostering inclusivity through thoughtful planning and execution.
• Folsom Cordova Community Partnership (Sacramento, CA): Led FCCP's Racial and Cultural Equity (RCE) initiative, driving planning, assessment, training, and action plan development to advance organizational racial and cultural equity goals.

Lead a statewide effort to address the multifaceted impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies on vulnerable communities in California. Key responsibilities include:

• Policy Advocacy: Crafting and managing policy campaigns to advocate for equitable policies and interventions.
• Community Organizing: Engaging elected officials, government staff, community organizations, and residents to advocate for policy, systems, and environmental changes.
• Equity Integration: Embedding racial equity approaches into institutional culture, policies, and practices.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Synthesizing feedback from diverse governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, particularly historically disadvantaged and underserved communities.
• Strategic Partnerships: Developing and fostering partnerships with state and local organizations to support advocacy efforts.

In charge of developing and executing a comprehensive capacity-building program to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the nonprofit and business sectors. This role emphasized training, facilitation, and implementation of DEI strategies to drive organizational improvement. This included providing technical support and conducting training sessions to empower businesses, organizations, and communities in fostering racial equity and cultural responsiveness within the organizational ecosystems. Key responsibilities include:

• Leadership in Cultural Responsiveness: Led program development and execution, showcasing expertise in diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness.
• Inclusive Integration: Guided organizations in embedding racial equity and cultural responsiveness across all operations, including community engagement, service delivery, workplace culture, policies, practices, data collection, and evaluation methods.
• Community-Centric Approach: Fostered awareness and consciousness within organizations regarding cultural and power dynamics, emphasizing the significance of addressing these factors both internally and in interactions with the communities they served.

Oversaw administration and operations of the North Sacramento Family Resource Center/Birth & Beyond Program, ensuring alignment with defined program outcomes, guidelines, and budget in proposals and contracts.

• Team Building and Diversity Recruitment: Strategically recruited and managed a diverse team of twenty-one individuals, fostering a productive work environment reflective of the community served, encompassing various ethnic backgrounds, religions, and age groups.
• Retention: Achieved the highest employee and AmeriCorps Volunteer retention rate within the Birth & Beyond Collaborative of nine Family Resource Centers.
• Program Enhancement: Implemented cultural responsiveness, equity, and inclusion into programs and daily operations, promoting an inclusive environment reflective of these values.
• Cultural Awareness and Advocacy: Played a pivotal role in enhancing organizational awareness of cultural responsiveness, race equity, and inclusion, advocating for their integration across the organization.

Managed administration and operations at the Arden Arcade Family Resource Center/Birth & Beyond Program, ensuring adherence to program outcomes, guidelines, and budgets outlined in proposals and contracts. Directed a team of African-American Cultural Brokers primarily focusing on reducing child mortality rates within the African-American community.

• Team Leadership and Support: Directed a diverse team comprising home visitors and Black/African American Cultural Brokers, facilitating brokering, advocacy, and support for families to enhance parenting capacity and community engagement.
• Targeted Practice Development: Created specialized practice approaches to assist home visitors in crafting tailored family support plans, aligning with the unique needs of each family served.
• Training and Planning: Conducted training, capacity building, strategic outreach, and program planning and facilitated team meetings, chart reviews, case consultations, and weekly supervision to ensure program efficacy and growth.