About

Deitra Reiser, Ph.D.

Deitra Reiser, Ph.D. is the founder and principal of Transform for Equity. She focuses on creating space for the exploration of race and racism. Using the lens of intersectionality, Dr. Reiser fosters greater understanding among individuals and within institutions. And she supports their continued growth through antiracist thoughts and actions.


Serving as a school psychologist and educator for twenty years provides Dr. Reiser with a solid foundation for individual and institutional change. In addition to her experience as an educator and facilitator, Dr. Reiser has worked with numerous local and national organizations as a speaker, coach, workshop facilitator, strategic thought partner, and change agent on antiracism, race in the United States, and belonging. Previous clients include the Union for Reform Judaism, the Religious Action Center, Montgomery County Public Schools, Sadie Collective, and National Park Service, to name a few.


Dr. Reiser is the author of a curriculum, Building Racial Stamina, that has been employed in organizations across the United States to further the underlying principles of diversity, equity, and belonging.


Dr. Reiser is an alumna of Bend the Arc’s Selah Leadership Program, a Schusterman Leadership Fellow and holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.



Laurel Ravelo

Laurel Ravelo, she/her/hers, is a biostatistician, school counselor, and community educator. In each of these roles, she has supported the growth of anti-racist spaces through her skills in creating safe environments, asking questions that encourage deeper understandings about racism, and consistently bringing a racial lens into conversations and decision making.


She has led community classes on race for over 8 years, and developed and led sessions for conferences and trainings for school professionals that disrupt systems of white supremacy.


Laurel also is an organizer who has built coalitions of people doing antiracist work in her community. She led a team of people who raised money for Black led organizations and co-organizes the Witnessing Whiteness classes in Madison. She is dedicated to her own learning while continuing to unlearn white supremacy and become better at dismantling systems of oppression.


Our Belief

  • Racism is the oppression of people due to the social construct of race; it is backed by a system of racism that confers privilege and power on White people
  • While structural racism is the foremost barrier to equity in the U.S., systems are comprised of individuals; therefore, individuals must change to dismantle racism
  • The ripples of antiracist change can positively impact entire communities
  • Increasing our practices around DEIB improves outcomes for corporations, nonprofits, religious organizations, schools, government agencies, neighborhoods and within our homes
  • The work of being antiracist has a beginning, it does not have an end
  • While growth requires discomfort, it also requires care and dignity
  • A deep understanding of intersecting identities is important in being antiracist
  • The goal of antiracism is equity

Curriculum

"I am a huge fan of Building Racial Stamina. The course teaches you to
look inside and take stock. I cultivated an awareness of how to be antiracist.
It gave me a whole different way of looking at race."

Greg Kaufmann, Poverty Reporter

Coaching

"Deitra has the unique ability to be a teacher, a reflector, and a partner
in growing as a leader. I have grown and will continue to grow with her expertise,
skill, and wisdom – and will be shaped, as a professional in my work, by her passion and commitment."

Rebecca Robins, Religious School Director

Transformative Leader

"Deitra Reiser is a galvanizing leader. I have seen first-hand how she draws
on her understanding of identity, as a psychologist, and her deep understanding
of dynamics of social inequity to enable those she works with to experience
their capacity for change, and I have experienced this transformational
impact myself by working with her. The world needs more leaders like Deitra Reiser."
Anonymous Feedback

Transformative Leader

"Deitra is a visionary educator with a particular talent for leading organizational
transformation. Deitra has tirelessly led our work toward being an antiracist
congregation with patience and passion. She has shared her talents with others,
magnifying her impact by cultivating new leaders and inspiring others to dedicate
themselves to transforming our community."
Rabbi Hannah Goldstein

Consulting

"Deitra brings an exceedingly rare and valuable set of skills to the conversation.
We have collectively emerged from our time with Deitra with a greater
degree of confidence and knowledge in developing an antiracist preschool
experience for our children, teachers, and parents"

Noah Hichenberg, Head of School

Our Work

Did Something Happen?

An indepth look how a synagogue began the work to become anti-racist.


Centering Racial Justice

An article exploring racial justice and COVID-19's impact.


Union for Reform Judaism

Take the next transformational step for you and your organization towards antiracism and racial.