Change takes organizing. But organizing is also changing.
AJS is a national center for innovative organizing and strategy. We build powerful organizations and communities. We fight for racial, social, and economic justice.
Founded by LeeAnn Hall in 1993, AJS began as the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (NWFCO). Groups in the network built grassroots power in unexpected places. They advanced racial justice and multiracial organizing in rural and conservative communities. In 2003, this network expanded nationally and changed its name to Alliance for a Just Society. Our network played a pivotal role in the national campaign to win the Affordable Care Act.
“The Alliance for a Just Society has demonstrated a long commitment to racial justice work and has been so effective in moving community organizations from principles to practice.”
— Rinku Sen, author and racial justice leader
AJS has a reputation for collaborative, hands-on work with organizations. We partner with movement organizations to improve their impact. AJS has trained thousands of organizers and coached organizing teams large and small. AJS has a deep commitment to grassroots leadership and member-driven organizing.
No longer a network of organizations, AJS remains a leader in social change strategy. We use training, political education, coaching, and campaign strategy to advance the public good.
Alliance for a Just Society also helps organizations audit their organizing programs and campaigns to sharpen their strategy and staff management. If you are interested in working with us, email admin@juststrategy.org.
Alliance for Just Society’s 501(c)(4) sister organization is Just Strategy.
Our team
LeeAnn Hall
Executive Director
LeeAnn Hall has been a leader of social and racial justice movements for more than thirty-five years. She was a co-founder of People’s Action and is treasurer of the board of Race Forward. As Director for Idaho Community Action Network, she led the successful campaign to cover farmworkers by Idaho’s minimum wage laws for the first time. LeeAnn was the recipient of the prestigious Leadership for a Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation and the Prime Movers Award. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Fernando Mejia Ledesma
Lead Organizer
Fernando is the Lead Organizer for the Alliance for a Just Society. He has twenty years of organizing and policy experience with many labor, community, and racial and economic justice organizations in Washington State and across the U.S. Fernando migrated from Mexico at sixteen years old and recently became a U.S. citizen and voted for the first time in 2021. He sits on the board of the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom and the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
Tysonia Carr
Finance & Administrative Director
TySonia Carr has over a decade of experience building non-profit accounting and administrative systems, as well as with budgeting and financial reporting. TySonia supports the operations of Just Strategy its fiscally sponsored organizations and projects. Tysonia began working with Alliance for Just Society — Just Strategy’s 501(c)(3) sister organization — in 2010. Tysonia loves to travel, cook and spend time with her large family. She lives in Seattle, WA.
Charlene Sinclair
Dr. Charlene Sinclair is an organizer, thinker, and writer whose work centers on the intersection of race, gender, economy, and democracy. A highly sought-after human-centered strategist, designer thinker, and facilitator. Charlene is a consultant, trainer, and strategic advisor for leading social change organizations and leaders. Charlene serves as Interim Publisher of Colorlines, a leading source for accessible media on race, power, and democracy, and Associate Director of BlackPAC and the Black Progressive Action Coalition (BPAC).
Paulo Nunes-Ueno
Paulo Nunes-Ueno is a leading voice for nationwide transportation innovation, equity, and sustainability. Most recently, Paulo was the transportation policy lead for Front and Centered, a Washington State coalition of groups of color and frontline communities working towards climate justice. His work resulted in several key victories, including the passage of the biggest investment in transit and active transport in the state’s history, the creation of a transportation bill of rights, the launching of a tool to measure transit access statewide as well as a bill demanding the state study gaps in translation access, and most recently a $5M investment in sidewalk data collection statewide.