Damien A. Conners

Damien is a program officer at the Kettering Foundation; his work focuses on what people can do collectively to address problems affecting their lives and their communities to ensure democracy functions as it should. Damien has served in executive leadership for nearly 10 years supporting equity-based efforts with the Hawaii Department of Education, Kamehameha Schools, American Library Association, and United Way organizations across the country. His work extends to Africa, Europe and Asia. Damien served as the national executive director and COO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Inc. (SCLC)—an organization led and co-founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 2013, Damien was honored with the Emancipation of Capital Award for his strategic and programmatic work around building coalitions to address socio-economic equity in the U.S. Damien has received a number of awards, commendations and honors, most notably he has been recognized for his commitment to civil rights and social justice by West Point Military Academy and The State of New Jersey.

Damien graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey where he received a BA degree in Political Science. He earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton TheologicalSeminary, with a Certificate in Women’s Study and a Certificate in Black Church. He earned a Master of Theology from Emory University -- he also served as lecturer and teaching associate at Emory University from 2009 - 2014. In 2014, he received a certificate in Kingian Nonviolence Conflict Resolution from the University of Rhode Island.