J. Kyon (they/them) is a queer Burmese-Taiwanese organizer, Director of Community Engagement at the Michigan Transformation Collective, and Principal Consultant at Courage & Compassion Consulting LLC, focusing on anti-oppressive systems change, management, and collective impact.
J. has been coaching and facilitating for 10 years, serving over 200 organizations. Previously, as the Director of Community Impact at YWCA Kalamazoo, they managed community education programs and workshops centered on Racial Equity, Health Equity, Human Trafficking, and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault.
They have a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Public Policy and Urban Affairs from Kalamazoo College and a Masters degree in Urban Planning from USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. J. studied at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute, researching indigenous farmers’ rights, tourism-centered urbanization, and seed sovereignty in Northern Thailand. While J. has had the privilege of learning in academic institutions, J. finds that the best teachers are community youth and elders in their life.
J.’s passion is working toward a world where our built environments serve everybody. They love cooking and beading presents for their loved ones. They are a proud New Yorker; however, you can find J. being harassed by their dogs in Kalamazoo, MI.
Courage & Compassion Consulting is named in honor of Guan Yin (觀音), a Buddhist Bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. Bodhisattvas, instead of entering paradise, devote themselves to improve the lives of other people on earth. Guan Yin often listens to peoples' needs and provides them with resources necessary for life (crops, improved health, protection) and takes any form in order to better spread their kindness and compassion; male or female, young or old, etc.
