ABOUT
Dr. Molly Keehn and Karl Henricksen are the creators of CoJourn. They are close friends who connected through playing in a band together and also their mutual interests in self-work, “un-anesthetizing," and making the world a kinder, more connected and equitable place. They created CoJourn in January of 2013 to help them make changes in their own lives in a more structured and connected way. They were astounded at the results, and started offering the program to friends and family. It has now expanded across the country and beyond.
THE TEAM
Molly Keehn, Ed.D
Co-Founder
Molly currently lives in western Massachusetts and works as an educator, teaching courses and leading trainings at the undergraduate and graduate level about intergroup dialogue and issues such as racism, classism and sexism. She also works as a writing coach specifically with graduate students. She holds a Master's degree specializing in college student development and counseling. She also earned her doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, researching connection, vulnerability, and personal storytelling as practices to enhance understanding across difference. Molly plays a large red accordion, was the first ever female winner of the Harpoon-fest chocolate cake eating contest, is a lover of magic and bouncy balls, and loves parading around town with her two pugs, Wilbur Noodles and Poppy Dumpling.
Karl Henricksen
Co-Founder
Karl has been a full-time professional musician and, most recently, a software automation engineer. He lives in Charleston, SC and works as an audio technician and videographer, and currently performs as a solo guitarist and singer/songwriter, as well as lead singer and guitarist of the electric soul-pop duo “Banjoshi.” He also plays in the East Coast’s self-proclaimed #1 Family Band, “DH and the Gentlemen,” whenever he comes back north, along with Molly, his friend Dennis, his two brothers, and his father. Karl holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Karl has been described as a renaissance man and is an aspiring inventor, children’s book author, multi-linguist, and adventurist. He also rides a hell of a skateboard, plays soccer, surfs and bikes.
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Angelica Canlas Castro, M.A., CPC, CMC
CoJourn Program Facilitator
Angelica has been a participant in CoJourn for the last six years, is one of the contributors in the CoJourn book and co-leads and facilitates CoJourn cohort experiences, including CoJourn for Racial Justice. She is also the Founder of Castro Collaborative, “Engineering Inclusive Excellence with a Heart-Centered Approach,” and for the last decade, has been the Associate Director of Community Engagement at Mt. Holyoke College, where she received her Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology. She also received her Graduate Certificate in Social Justice Education: Teaching for Diversity at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Angelica's graduate research focused on Racial Microaggressions among Higher Education Staff. She is a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, a certified executive leadership coach, community mediator, yoga and meditation practitioner, and intergroup dialogue facilitator and a mother of four children (14, 16, 22, 24) who are her greatest teachers.. Angelica’s humble commitment and powerful intention is to spread Love, Light and Liberation by helping transform individuals, revolutionize organizations, and heal communities!
Jessie Cooley, M.Ed.
CoJourn Program Facilitator
Jessie Cooley (she,her) M.Ed., has over two decades of experience in social justice education, youth development, political organizing and nonprofit leadership. She has been an enthusiastic CoJourn participant for 5 years and counting, and is now a facilitator in our two newest initiatives: CoJourn for Racial Justice and the CoJourn Community Cohort program. Jessie is passionate about creating learning spaces and programs that foster connection, growth and healing, helping us all build a more just world. She believes we have the power to make transformative change when we center our work and our energy on social justice, cultural humility, creativity, and joy. In her spare time, she loves exploring new places and ideas, spending time outdoors and active, and being an adoring auntie!
Latrina Denson
CoJourn Program Facilitator
Latrina L. Denson, Associate Dean of Students and Co-director for Community and Belonging at Mount Holyoke College where she coordinates diversity and inclusion programmatic initiatives for students, which includes instructing Intergroup Dialogue in addition to other administrative initiatives under the Division of Student Life. She has participated in CoJourn and now works as a CoJourn for Racial Justice Coach and Facilitator. Denson has served as an educator and administrator in higher education for two decades. She earned a B.S. in psychology with a minor in vocal performance from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1994. In 1997, Denson received her M.Ed. in community counseling from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She has worked Albion College, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign while pursuing a master‘s in higher education administration and Millikin University where she also taught in the Organizational Leadership Program and the African-American Studies Program at Richland Community College. Her passions include social justice advocacy, mentoring young women, singing, playing the piano, traveling and spending time with her daughter Maya Starr.
Tanya Williams
CoJourn Program Advisor and Facilitator
Tanya O. Williams has been a CoJourn participant for multiple years, and serves as a CoJourn advisor and facilitator & coach for CoJourn for Racial Justice. Her mission is to provide and create spaces in relationships, conversations, communities for all people to feel seen and appreciated for their authentic selves. She believes that educating and working toward equity within organizations and with working with individuals to invite them into their authentic power and agency will get us closer to that goal. Born and raised as a working class in Houston, Texas, Tanya is based in Brooklyn, NY leads Authentic Coaching and Consulting (www.authenticseeds.org) to move closer to her mission and vision of a socially just world. She’s done work with colleges and universities, non-profits, and K-12 schools including NYU Stern School of Business, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), American College of Greece, The Moth, Spence School, Harvard University Law School and others. She has over 20 years of diversity, inclusion, and social justice teaching, programming and facilitation experience in higher education including professional roles at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mount Holyoke College, and Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. She holds a doctorate (Ed.D) in Social Justice Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and her dissertation focused on internalized racial oppression and process toward liberation. She also holds an MS in Educational Administration (’96) and BA in Journalism and English (’94) from Texas A&M University.