Get to know the CEO

Rukiatu N. Sesay, MSW Communities on The Rise, Inc.

Rukiatu Sesay is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Communities on The Rise, Inc., an organization committed to the redevelopment of deteriorating neighborhoods and historically marginalized communities.

Ms. Sesay has over 20 years of professional experience working in community-based and social service sectors including K-12 special education, at-risk juvenile populations, behavioral and mental health, re-entry, child and family welfare, foster care, juvenile justice, gang prevention, and gang intervention. She commenced her career as a special education teacher at Gholson Middle School in Prince George’s County, Maryland where she educated students with intellectual and behavioral disabilities. At the same time, she worked as a community-based interventionist (CBI)/intensive case manager for First Home Care of Washington, DC, providing support to urban families experiencing the most extreme mental and behavioral health crises. She transitioned to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) as a juvenile detention case manager. In this position, she supervised juveniles found guilty of delinquent acts. After several years at DJS, Ms. Sesay transferred to the Department of Human Services in Baltimore City as a social worker. She worked in the child protective services and family reunification units to ensure the safety of children experiencing abuse and neglect, and to ensure the continual care and advocacy of youth placed in the foster care system.

Ms. Sesay worked as the program manager for the Safe Passage Program funded through the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME). She managed the Violence Interruption Team for wards 1 and 4 funded through the Washington DC Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (DME) and directed gang prevention and intervention programs through the Washington DC Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). While serving in these positions, she rose as an exceptional leader and gained a reputation for being steadfast, producing lasting and profound impacts in the community. As her career evolved, she gained extensive experience in stakeholder leadership and human services, program management, early childhood education and intervention, and community outreach. Her professional roles in restorative responsive and community organizing have been influential in her professional success and impact within the community.

She is a native Washingtonian (DC), born and raised in Ward 2. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in professional writing from West Virginia State University and a master’s degree in social work from Howard University. Ms. Sesay is a Certified Conflict

Resolution Professional through Restorative Response Baltimore and is a Certified Medication Technician through the Maryland Board of Nursing.

Communities on the Rise Board President

Kwabena O. Tuffour Maryland Department of Juvenile Services

For over 30 years and through a personal mission to provide the best possible outcome for the juvenile population, Mr. Tuffour has maintained a salient reputation and mutual relationships with judges, defense attorneys, state attorneys and community support systems such as detention centers, shelters, health departments, social services and school systems. A seasoned speaker on juvenile justice and juvenile outreach services, Mr. Tuffour is the former Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Intake Director for Region VII where he oversaw branches of intake and investigation for the counties of Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Charles, and Calvert.

He is recognized for his strategic foresight and highly intuitive ability to understand how the ecosystem of the juvenile justice system can work together to improve and help transform the lives of youth. In prior posts, Mr. Tuffour served as Assistant Regional Director for Montgomery and Prince George’s County, Maryland. His professional background includes Supervisor of Probation for Montgomery County, responsible for advising staff and directing case management services involving investigation, rehabilitation, and court.

He has served as a representative of numerous state and community forums including the Statewide Crossover Initiative Committee, Prince George’s County Under 13 Initiative Committee, Disproportional Minority Contact Committee, Prince George's County Truancy Interagency, Montgomery County Mental Health Advisory Committee, Department of Juvenile Services Information Technology Users Group, Montgomery County Team Court Advisory Board, Collaborative Supervision Focused Enforcement Team, and as a volunteer for Summer League Basketball at John F. Kennedy High School. He holds a criminal justice degree from West Virginia State University.

Communities on the Rise Board Vice-President

Laura N. Harding, Esq., ERASE Racism

Laura Harding, Esq., is President of ERASE Racism, the regional civil rights organization based on Long Island that exposes and addresses the devastating impact of historical and ongoing structural racism, particularly in housing and public school education.

Ms. Harding is an advocate, attorney, and public administrator with extensive experience advancing racial justice, equity, and inclusion. She has extraordinary experience in a wide range of areas – especially in public education, housing, and other aspects of public policy. She has expertise in effective approaches to addressing structural racism and enabling system change to impact government and school policies. Her professional expertise encompasses program planning and implementation and services and opportunities for historically marginalized communities for school-age children and families.

Ms. Harding was Director of Strategic Initiatives in K-12 Education and Co-Chair of the Racial Justice & Equity Team in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC. She was previously Director of Strategic Development in the Office of Equity & Access for the New York City Department of Education. Before that, she was Assistant Director of the Office of Federal Programs for the District of Columbia Public Schools. Ms. Harding has also served as a staff attorney with Legal Services New York, focusing on tenants' rights, and for the New York Police Department, focusing on risk mitigation.

Ms. Harding holds a bachelor's degree from Adelphi University, where she currently has a consultancy as a facilitator in the Diversity Certificate Partnership Program, training Long Island residents about diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has a master's degree in social service administration from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Howard University.

Communities on The Rise Board Secretary

Lorena X Sorto, LMSW Department of Human Services

Ms. Sorto holds a Bachelor of Social Work from The University of The District of Columbia and a Master of Social Work from The University of Maryland. Ms. Sorto is an expert in programs and services aimed at the advocacy and advancement of underserved communities, children, and families.

She has over 15 years of supervisory and case management experience working in foster care, child welfare, and with unaccompanied minors. Ms. Sorto has a long and reputable history of working with families dealing with mental and behavioral health, trauma, homelessness, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and sex trafficking.

Ms. Sorto’s career began as a mobile medical care professional in Bethesda, Maryland where she worked as a medical records manager ensuring marginalized communities received adequate healthcare services. Ms. Sorto moved on to become a family preservation supervisor for the Columbia Heights Family Support Collaborative, working relentlessly to ensure the reunification of foster children and their biological families. She expanded her professional expertise at the Washington, DC Department of Child and Family Services (CFSA) and The Department of Human Services (DHS), continuing her impactful work in the human service sector. Most recently, Ms. Sorto has embarked a new journey working with unaccompanied children and minors diligently providing services, support, and resources to safeguard their experience as new arrivals to the United States.

Ms. Sorto has gained a stellar reputation for working cross-culturally with American and Latino communities and understands the impact of high-quality services and community engagement.

Communities on The Rise Board Treasurer

Roy T. Wilson, Esq., Hassan, Hassan & Tuchman, P.A

Roy Wilson has over 10 years of experience in criminal and civil law, and finance. His career started at Wells Fargo Bank in Columbia, Maryland as a business banker where he specialized in secured transaction lending, commercial negotiable instruments, and estate matters. He transitioned from Wells Fargo to Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor. In this position, Mr. Wilson advised individuals in a fiduciary capacity focusing on federal laws and regulations that govern the sale and purchase of security interests. He is a former attorney of London Disability, providing legal oversight of cases pending at The Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services, Disability Determinative Services (DDS), He currently works in Baltimore serving as an associate attorney in litigation.

Mr. Wilson is a barred attorney through the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) and The Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He has a Doctor of Law (JD) and a Master of Law (LLM) -in corporate law and finance with a specialization in global public company law from Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. He is an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated where he uses this platform to educate youth and families in the community regarding financial and legal matters.