Garland Yates has been a champion of equal rights and justice for all people for over 30 years. He has dedicated most of his professional career to helping poor and working people build the capacity and power to make positive change in their communities and for the betterment of all people. These efforts have included many years of work done through career stints with the likes of the Center for Community Change and the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Rebuilding Communities and Making Connections Comprehensive Community Change Initiatives; all along the way becoming increasingly committed to building the capacity of local communities to bring about sustainable long-term change. More recently, as a senior fellow and managing director of Community Democracy Workshop he continues to work with foundations and communities on strengthening their approaches to meaningfully engage residents in diverse ways on comprehensive community revitalization strategies.
