Romilda “Romy” Justilien is the CEO of Tides Advocacy, a left-of-center advocacy organization associated with the Tides Nexus of liberal pass-through and fiscal sponsorship groups. Prior to Tides Advocacy, Justilien worked as a consultant, focusing on helping companies and communities solve problems generated by “unconscious bias” and “institutional and structural racism.”
Early Life
Romilda Justilien was born in 1989 in Miami, Florida to Caribbean immigrants. 1 She attended the University of Florida and graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Community Services. During her undergraduate studies, Justilien interned for then-Florida State Senator Oscar Braynon (D). 2
After graduating from the University of Florida, Justilien studied for two years at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, graduating with a Master of Public Policy degree in Public Policy and International Policy. As a Graduate Fellow, much of her work revolved around African-American community development, putting her in contact with organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the left-of-center advocacy group Prosperity Now. 3
Career
Justilien began her career at BCT Partners, a consulting firm out of Newark, New Jersey that specializes in consulting against “unconscious bias” and advising on grantmaking to African-American organizations. 4 With the BCT Partners, she co-authored an academic paper on “institutional and structural racism,” in which she spoke highly of the Tides Foundation. 5
After two years, Justilien left BCT Partners to join FSG (also known as FSG Social Impact Advisors), a charitable consulting nonprofit that is funded by and gives consulting advice to numerous left-of-center organizations. 6
In 2017, Justilien was hired by Tides as a deputy director. In October 2019, she took over as interim CEO when managing director Amanda Keaton left the organization. Starting in April 2020, she became Tides’s official CEO, chosen because of her “great passion for creating a radical future of justice and liberation.” 7 She led the introduction of the “Healthy Democracy Action Fund,” a Tides grantmaking initiative to support left-of-center political candidates and leaders in “securing progressive wins” in future elections. 8
Political Activity
Justilien wrote an article while at FSG in which she appeared to condemn policing, speaking out against “disparate levels of state violence against communities of color and marginalized communities.” 9
With Tides, Justilien adopted a much more left-of-center and anti-capitalist ideology. In April 2020, in her article inaugural article for Tides Advocacy, Justilien advocated for socialist policies, calling for a “radical future,” that doesn’t “sacrifice the most vulnerable… to protect capitalism.” 10
As of late 2020, she has not made any known contributions to federal political candidates or committees.
References
- Tides Advocacy Announces Romilda Justilien as Chief Executive Officer, Launches Healthy Democracy Action Fund. (2020, April 30). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://tidesadvocacy.org/news/tides-advocacy-announces-romilda-justilien-as-chief-executive-officer-launches-healthy-democracy-action-fund/
- Justilien, R. (n.d.). Romilda (Romy) Justilien – LinkedIn. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjustilien/
- Justilien, R. (n.d.). Romilda (Romy) Justilien – LinkedIn. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjustilien/
- BCT Partners: Unconscious Bias. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.bctpartners.com/unconscious-bias
- Cunningham, G., Avner, M., & Justilien, R. (2014). The Urgency of Now: Foundations’ Role in Ending Racial Inequity. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1191&context=tfr
- Tides Advocacy Announces Romilda Justilien as Chief Executive Officer, Launches Healthy Democracy Action Fund. (2020, April 30). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://tidesadvocacy.org/news/tides-advocacy-announces-romilda-justilien-as-chief-executive-officer-launches-healthy-democracy-action-fund/
- Healthy Democracy Action Fund. (2020, April 29). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://tidesadvocacy.org/healthy-democracy-action-fund/
- ustilien, R. (2017, August 15). It’s Time to Wake Up. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.fsg.org/blog/it%E2%80%99s-time-wake
- Justilien, R. (2020, April 30). When survival isn’t enough. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://tidesadvocacy.org/news/when-survival-isnt-enough/