our people

Founder

Erika Seth Davies

Erika Seth Davies is the Founder of The Racial Equity Asset Lab (The REAL), an organization working in partnership with Common Future that centers racial equity in impact investing and works to shift capital to close the persistent racial wealth gap.

Erika is also the CEO of Rhia Ventures, a Social Entrepreneur in Residence with Common Future, and a former Fellow, Equitable Access to Capital Markets in the Fair Finance portfolio of the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University. She combines social impact skills with expertise on issues of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion.

She also brings to this work over two decades of experience leading nonprofit and philanthropic organizations including the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). During her time as the Vice President of External Affairs at ABFE, Erika designed the SMART Investing initiative–the first effort to incorporate a racial equity lens in foundation endowment practice through increased access for minority-owned and women-owned investment management firms.

She serves as an Independent Committee Member with the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation’s Impact Investing Committee; an Advisory Board Member with Matter Unlimited and Impact Hub Baltimore; and a board member of the Baltimore Algebra Project.

Erika is mother to Ethan and Evelyn and can be found cheering poolside at a swim meet or applauding loudly at a dance performance.

PARTNERS FOR CHANGE

Alexis Seth

Alexis Seth has deep expertise in IT program management and organizational change management. Alexis collaborates with executives and leaders providing thought leadership and strategic planning in developing organizational processes and programs grounded in racial equity principles and practice.

With The REAL, Alexis develops processes and systems to deliver strategic support, learning opportunities, frameworks, and tools for change to The REAL’s clients and collaborators. She also conducts discussions and presentations to help shift mindsets in advancing racial equity.

Jonalyn Denlinger

Jonalyn Denlinger is an impact consultant with over 15 years of supporting foundations, funds and businesses in the capital deployment strategies for impact. Her areas of expertise include: human capital development, access to capital strategy implementation, fund deployment for impact, evaluation of impact, and collaborative design efforts. She works with public and private clients, as well as nonprofits committed to supporting impact across a variety of impact areas including affordable housing, small business and entrepreneurship, environmental justice, and health equity.

Prior to her current role, Jonalyn worked in the philanthropic sector in a variety of capacities. Her most recent role was to serve as a Director, Consultant for Syntrinsic Investment Counsel, an investment advisory firm committed to supporting foundations and nonprofits in their investment strategies aligned to mission. She was a Program Officer at the Baltimore Community Foundation for nearly seven years, investing in intergenerational programming; social capital building strategies; place-based, community driven development; and public education reform. Jonalyn served as the Director of Member Engagement at Maryland Philanthropy Network (formerly Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers) where she led the organization’s policy efforts, the emerging leader strategy, and the impact investing strategy. She was a senior consultant at Frontline Solutions, an organizational management consulting firm supporting foundations and nonprofits in their work nationally.