“I believe in seeing the under-dog win, we must work beside systems to create the change we want to see. so that’s why I say we fight from the inside out. nothing about us without us.” 

Lateesha is a nationally recognized leader in survivor engagement and leadership, providing webinars, training, and consulting with nonprofits, funders, and government agencies in Minnesota and around the country. She has a unique strength for getting people with lived experience to the table, making them feel comfortable, getting them involved in meaningful ways and bridging gaps between marginalized community members and systems. She organizes her work knowing that diversity, equity, inclusion, and decision-makers at multiple levels in systems and communities is important to help create change

in a meaningful way. She continuously organizes training, outreach and dissemination activities for systems and organizations to help them reach the most marginalized communities. One of the many ways Lateesha does this is as the founder of Survivors for Systems Change (SSC). SSC is a group of survivors of sexual exploitation and those exiting sex work who provide training to systems professionals so that they can better serve sexually exploited youth (SEY). Latesha provides leadership for Rainbow’s work with people with lived experience including having worked with the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the State of Minnesota to deepen their practice with survivors of sex trafficking. Lateesha also works on a system needs assessment related to early childhood, justice for people experiencing homelessness, and numerous program evaluations.