Damien Conners is senior program officer for defending inclusive democracy at the Kettering Foundation.
Conners is a former executive director and chief operating officer of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He brings a deep background in community development and racial and social equity to his new role at Kettering.
Most recently, he served as vice president of promise and impact with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. Previously, he worked as vice president of operations and corporate development for the Bizzell Group LLC, a management consulting firm that works to build healthy and sustainable communities in this country and around the world. Among other positions, Conners is also the former executive director of Excel Bridgeport, an educational equity organization in Connecticut.
Conners holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, music, and Africana studies from Ramapo College; a master’s in divinity with a concentration in women’s studies and the Black church from Princeton Theological Seminary; and a master’s in theology with a focus on race, religion, and politics from Emory University.