Building more accessible and equitable systems
Tisidra Jones ’12 J.D. is the founder and CEO of Strong & Starlike Consulting, Inc., a Twin Cities-based consulting collaborative that works with government entities and nonprofits seeking to build programs, engage communities and draft policies and procedures to develop the infrastructure they need. Jones is an artist and lawyer who works at the intersection of inclusion, engagement and equal opportunity policies. Her methodology blends legal and policy research, sociological studies, and arts-based approaches to community and civic engagement.
From 2020–21, Jones was a Law and Public Policy scholar with the University of St. Thomas Center on Race, Leadership and Social Justice, where she researched civil rights and human rights issues with Dr. Artika Tyner.
Jones noted that she “[has] a great deal of respect for the work that Dr. Tyner has done through St. Thomas and on a global scale.” She further described the experience as a “phenomenal opportunity to learn from the great work completed by other scholars and to expand [her own] research.” Jones is “extremely passionate about creating more systems, policies and practices that lead to more people in more communities thriving.”
Jones and Dr. Artika Tyner ’06 J.D., ’10 MPP, ’12 EdD co-authored “Inspiring and Equipping the Next Generation of Lawyer-Leaders: Center on Race, Leadership, and Social Justice” for the special 20th anniversary edition of the University of St. Thomas Law Journal. They presented their research and recommendations for solutions to persistent racial economic disparities and the role that the legal profession may play at the International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference in 2021 at the University of Toledo. Of that research focus, Jones said, “I have found that economic access is central to people being able to have access to what they need to thrive. As a result, my research focused on the intersection of law, policy and economic disparities.”
Jones said of the experience, “I have always loved researching, learning and sharing what I learn. This opportunity created the space for me to do all of that. In terms of my long-term professional and leadership plan, I would like to equip leaders with information that allows them to build more accessible and equitable systems. The research I completed as a scholar has already helped me to be in spaces where I can do that.”
This story is featured in the summer 2022 issue of St. Thomas Lawyer.
