Welcome to the new members of the MDC team!
Harrison Dale
Harrison is a program administrator with a passion for social and racial justice, equity, and economic mobility. At MDC, he primarily helps the Economic Security and Mobility team develop programs and implement them through both outreach and internal support.
Prior to joining MDC, Harrison was a deposition clerk for a private law firm, a field in which he has had experience working in on-and-off throughout the last decade. In addition, he was a middle school educator for North Carolina public schools for most of the years immediately prior to working at MDC as a social studies teacher. Harrison also has prior experience with non-profit advocacy work, as he was a certified Sexual Assault Advocate in the state of Texas who volunteered for hospital visitation and hotline phone calls. With an activist-minded mentality, Harrison has had experience volunteering for political campaigns both in NC, and his home state of Texas.
Harrison is incredibly proud to be born and raised in in the border town of McAllen, Texas. Currently, he is happily located in Durham, NC, with his wife and dog. In addition to his job at MDC, Harrison also serves on the Adult Education Committee at Judea Reform Synagogue, where he is a member.
Laterria Lassiter
Laterria is a program manager for the NC Home-based Child Care Initiative (HBCC) at MDC. Shortly after Laterria began her career in early childhood education and childcare, she experienced disparities in full-time childcare compared to other professions. She spoke up about low wages, lack of benefits, unfair contracts, and systemic poverty within the childcare profession.
Her voice got the attention of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and in 2018 she was trained in organizing, communication, political education, and child care policy through their leadership development fellowship. She worked one-on-one with state organizers in NDWA, served on committees and was a lead organizer in North Carolina. She continued her work at the national level, working directly with alliance members on conflict resolution strategies & membership related communications. Laterria received numerous awards and recognition for her work in building the We Dream in Black chapter in Charlotte, NC.
During the pandemic, Laterria opened her family home as a homeschool location and later, as a licensed, state-regulated home based child care facility. As a small business owner, she saw firsthand the challenges of operating home based childcare and began to focus on the agencies, policies, and regulations that make it difficult to operate home based childcare. Laterria’s experience as a home based childcare provider, in addition to her background in early childhood education provide the empathy and perspective to connect and build relationships with child care providers and caregivers across the state as the program manager for the Leading from Home (LFH) model of HBCC initiative.
Nina Rivers
Nina is a program administrator at MDC. She is originally from North Charleston, South Carolina, and has always had a passion for advocating for underserved communities in the South. Nina began working in field organizing for political campaigns in the low country region of South Carolina. Her work in political organizing allowed her to see the challenges that many Southern communities face accessing resources and economic opportunity.
Nina’s experience in political organizing eventually led her to MDC, where she focuses her skills on philanthropy-based projects aimed at helping Southern communities thrive. Growing up in a rural community in South Carolina she understands firsthand the importance of access to quality education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.
Nina is committed to using her expertise and talents to help create a more equitable South, and to ensure that all Southern communities have the resources and support they need to thrive.