Meet our team of consultants
Our Feet Only Walk Forward
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Founder + Principal
Will Cordery (he/him) is a well-regarded philanthropic advisor and social justice advocate, recognized for his extensive work in institutional and family philanthropy that advances racial, economic, and LGBTQ+ justice. He is the founder and principal of Freedom Futures, a philanthropic advisory firm moving money to the frontlines of social transformation. As a firm, Freedom Futures provides advisory, consulting, coaching, and strategy development services to clients across the public and private sectors, including foundations, nonprofit organizations, family philanthropies, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Will has held several roles in institutional philanthropy. Will is a senior advisor to Liberated Capital, a funding initiative of the Decolonizing Wealth Project, and has previously directed the Reparative Action Fund at the Satterberg Foundation, which allocated $50 million to Black and Indigenous communities. Will’s institutional philanthropic grantmaking includes working with Marguerite Casey Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.
Will serves as a board member for the Hill-Snowdon Foundation as one of its first non-family trustees. He is also a 2024 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity and a 2025 - 2027 National Center for Family Philanthropy Fellow.
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Movement Strategist
Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson (she/her) is an Affrilachian (Black Appalachian) woman from the working class, born and raised in Southeast Tennessee. She is the first Black woman to serve as Co-Executive Director of Highlander Research & Education Center. As a member of leadership teams in the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), Ash-Lee has contributed to the Vision for Black Lives and BREATHE Act. She has served on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly, the advisory committee of National Bailout Collective. She is a long-time activist who has worked in movements fighting for workers, for reproductive justice, LGBTQUIA+, environmental justice etc.
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Facilitator & Consultant
Kris Grey (they/she/he) is a New York City-based transgender artist whose social practice work centers on building communities of affinity and bridging cultural differences. Certified in Visual Thinking Strategies and trained in Empathic Facilitation, Grey blends professional development techniques with visual arts training to empower non-profit organizations and support leadership teams. Grey co-founded and co-directed Gender/Power, LLC from 2013-2023. Over a decade, Gender/Power evolved into a workshop and teaching methodology that employed storytelling, personal narrative, and movement prompts, to question and reveal the dynamics of power in relationship to gender and gender perception. Their expertise in interrupting bias and strengthening group cohesion supports Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives across disciplines. As a faculty member, Kris teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, integrating facilitation techniques to transform the pedagogy of visual art critique. With over 20 years of experience in arts non-profit administration, higher education, organising/activism, healthcare reform, and museum education – including their role as Director of Education and Visitor Experience at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art – Grey has solidified their commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable practices.
You can check out their consulting work at Grey Area Consulting.
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Data Analyst
Hilmi Kilickaya is a data-driven strategist and analytics leader currently excelling as the Manager of Strategy & Analytics at E15 Group in New York. Bringing a multifaceted background that spans engineering, operations, and finance, Hilmi has honed his expertise in translating complex data into strategic insights that guide business decisions across industries.
Since joining E15 Group in early 2023, he has rapidly progressed, first steering analytical efforts as a Senior Analyst for the Javits Center, then assuming broader responsibilities as a Manager in 2024. His tenure at StoneX Group prior as a Commercial Data Analyst strengthened his foundation in financial modeling and data strategy. Earlier experiences in retail and food service management, combined with his engineering internships, underscore his adaptability and operational acumen.
Technically adept, Hilmi works across a cutting-edge stack Python, SQL, R, machine learning frameworks, AWS, BI tools, and more demonstrating his commitment to leveraging modern analytics to shape organizational outcomes.
Fluent in Turkish, Hilmi brings intercultural fluency and introspective leadership to his work. By sharing thoughtful perspectives like embracing learning over chasing a singular passion, he highlights both personal growth and strategic clarity.
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Executive Assistant
As Executive Assistant, Blessing leads on scheduling meetings for the Principal, as well as supports scheduling with organizational partners, clients and team members. Additionally, Blessing, supports project management for clients.
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Money Coach
Wazi Maret (he/they) is a coach, resource mobilizer, and artist with Southern and working-class roots who supports individuals and communities in their capacity to transform, heal, and expand into their power and embodied leadership. With nearly 15 years working in social movements, the non-profit sector, and as a connector in philanthropy, Wazi uses a relational and community-centered approach to deepen connection, mobilize resources, and strengthen entire movement ecosystems. They have played numerous roles to support social justice movements, from cultural organizing to fundraising, organizational development, facilitation, and more. Some of Wazi's partners have included the Trans Justice Funding Project, the Transgender Gender-Variant Intersex Justice Project, Fund for Trans Generations at Borealis Philanthropy, Movement for Black Lives, and many more.
Wazi is a certified coach through the Coaching for Healing, Justice, and Liberation (CHJL) Program and provides coaching support that is rooted in intuition, ancestral wisdom and centers support for folks in their personal transformation, executive leadership, development/fundraising, and donor organizing aimed at redistributing wealth to support liberation work in the US and globally.
As a multi-dimensional human who finds great joy and passion in bringing his many worlds together, Wazi is committed to deepening his creative practice as central to who he is and how he finds freedom. Wazi is a DJ, music producer and co-founder of Tender Bois Club, a music and creative production house focused on multi-media storytelling for social impact. They are also the development director and producer at Comfrey Films, a Black TGNCI-centered film production house.
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Digital Designer & Analyst
Engin Markus Ulker (he/him) is a queer immigrant creative whose work lives at the intersection of graphic design, data, and social change. Currently pursuing a Master of Science in Data Science from the University of Colorado Boulder, Engin holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Ege University in Turkey. Their unique path spanning the sciences, creative arts, and social impact shapes a multidisciplinary approach that’s both analytical and deeply human.
Engin is a passionate graphic designer specializing in bold, purpose-driven visuals that amplify marginalized voices and community-led movements. With expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, motion graphics, and visual storytelling, they create engaging content systems for nonprofits, small businesses, and queer-led brands through their creative studio, Engin Pixels.
Their commitment to community is long-standing: Engin has volunteered with children on the autism spectrum, developing patience-centered communication and learning strategies, and has contributed to environmental restoration efforts with the Mediterranean Conservation Society supporting biodiversity and sustainable land practices.
Whether designing for justice, analyzing social media data, or building inclusive visual narratives, Engin infuses every project with care, intention, and a deep love for liberation.
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Gift Management Associate
Jessica Beebe (she/her) is a grantmaking strategist, translating between ideals and operations. Over the past decade, she has worked across philanthropy and nonprofit organizations to design funding structures that are responsive and values-aligned. She believes that grants management is an often-overlooked point of care in the philanthropic system. Jessica designed and project managed custom applicant and grants management system builds; presented research to executive/board leadership for insights on innovative approaches in disparate domains and emergent technologies; and contributed to workforce planning and strategy.
Previously, Jessica served as Program Manager at the Roddenberry Foundation, where she managed the execution of the grants lifecycle for a $5M+ international portfolio. She also directed the Catalyst Fund, evaluating and recommending early stage and innovative projects across AI, food security, global health, and more. Before Roddenberry, she executed programming at Young Nonprofit Professionals Dallas, conducted prospect research for nonprofit clients with over $25M in revenue, ran a literary journal, and taught media literacy at a high school.
Jessica creates meaning at the intersection of people, systems, and power. She currently consults for nonprofit and grantmaking operations. She serves as Gifts Associate at Freedom Futures where she supports project management, organizational partner engagement, and grants management services.
Testimonials
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Decolonizing Wealth Project
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“Will and the team at Freedom Futures have been leading our work to stand up the Reparative Action Fund, Satterberg Foundation’s first national grantmaking strategy aimed at returning money to the frontlines of Black and Indigenous social movements. They have brought vision, experience, relationships, heart and focus to the work with our entire staff and board. We as an organization and a family board continue to learn alongside this reparative philanthropic approach. We are inspired by this partnership and deeply thankful.”
Sarah Walczyk
Executive Director, Satterberg Foundation -
"Freedom Futures moves with purpose and a vision of liberation for everyone. Through supporting Decolonizing Wealth Project’s grantmaking fund, Liberated Capital, Freedom Futures brings both lived experience and deep relationships across social movements to our reparative giving efforts. We consider Will and Freedom Futures deeply-aligned partners."
Edgar Villanueva
Principal Decolonizing Wealth Project & Liberated Capital -
“We’ve been on a healing journey with Will and Freedom Futures both to redistribute money back to Southern communities as well as open up new ways of being together as a family. This journey is rooted in addressing our family's history of generating wealth in and from the south. We believe that our work with Freedom Futures is going to have long lasting impacts on our family both now and for generations to come.”
The Milliken Family
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"Freedom Futures has deepened my understanding of social movements and how to show up responsibly and respectfully when supporting social movements for racial justice in the United States. Further, the Freedom Futures’ team has been key to developing my leadership to organize my family successfully."
Ren Short
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