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Staff and Board

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Rev. Samuel Casey
Founder/Executive Director
Email: scasey@copesite.org

Pastor Samuel J. Casey is the Senior Pastor & Co-Founder of New Life Christian Church in Fontana with his wife Pastor Tamika Casey. Pastor Casey also serves as the founding Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE). COPE was founded in 2000 and has been dedicated to building effective leadership among the clergy, community members, and local parents through local, regional, and national training that builds the capacity of individuals to revitalize the communities in which they live, work, and worship. COPE has successfully led and organized outreach campaigns in support of key legislative policies, including AB 743, San Bernardino City Unified School Districts Task Force for African American Student Achievement, Local Control Funding Formula, Prop 30, Prop 47, and School Discipline Reform that will ultimately seek to eradicate the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and Civic Engagement Campaigns that seeks to engage voters beyond election cycles. More recently, he led the ReTHINK Public Safety SB Coalition in demanding that San Bernardino County Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. 

Kami Winfrey
Chief Operations Officer 
Email: kwinfrey@copesite.org 

Kami Winfrey brings to C.O.P.E. over 20 years of experience serving underserved and low-income communities, helping to position individuals and communities to improve their socio-economic positions. Over the course of her career, she has helped to provide oversight of the day-to-day operations of programs and organizations. She has gained experience in budget development and monitoring, grant compliance monitoring, interpreting funding guidelines, data analysis, grant reporting, reporting to the board, interpreting financial reports, volunteer and outreach coordination, and office administration. She has been a huge champion for staff development and helping employees be the best versions of themselves. She has focused on clearly defining goals and expectations, ensuring that staff meet or exceed outcome targets, providing guidance/coaching, and supporting and developing the staff’s professional goals.  

She is especially passionate about organizational strategy and improving organizational and operational efficiency. She has been instrumental in leading restructuring efforts to help organizations to realize their goals and objectives in the most efficient ways. She has helped to launch new sites, developing new staff and programs from the ground up. She was the central point of contact and project manager for major sub-teams, ensuring that project timelines and integral objectives were met, which culminated in successful launches. 

Kami holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science, a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, and is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree with a concentration in Organizational Change and Administration.

She is the wife of the Rev. James Winfrey, III who pastors Martin Temple AME Zion Church in Compton. They have five children – a blended family with 3 “grown and gone” adult children, a daughter who just began her academic journey at CSU, Northridge, and a son who is a Junior in High School. Empty Nest…loading!

Kami is a proud Finer Woman of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and is an active member of the Nu Omicron Zeta Chapter (Valley Zetas). She is extremely excited to be part of an organization where she is able to live out her culture and faith unapologetically.

Laniea King
Executive Operations Coordinator
Email: lking@copesite.org

Laniea King currently serves as the Executive Operations Coordinator for COPE.  She holds a double Master’s Degree in Education and Curriculum Development. With over 25 Years of Administrative Experience, she joined COPE in 2020 as the Administrative Assistant. In 2020, she began to lend a hand with our Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics, where she provided support in the areas of Patient Intake and offered structural support of the clinic’s operations.

This has led her to become Program Manager of Health Service for COPE. She is now responsible for putting together Covid-19 Educational Town Halls and Vaccination Clinics in partnership with our Faith Leaders and Vaccinating Partners for the community. Her work has grown and made space for the Health Equity Collaborative, which is a partnership with COPE and Dr. Jacinda Abdul Mutakabbir, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy University of California San Diego, in order to address other Health Disparities that are affecting the community outside of Covid-19. Laniea has received acknowledgement through publication on Vaccine Hesitancy: Academic Partnership Model to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Equity within Racially and Ethnically Minoritized Communities.

She is a wife and Mother of 5, Grandmother of 7, and Godmother of 9. She is an active member of the Legendary Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Pomona Chapter and holds the position of the Western Region Rhosebud Coordinator, and enjoys time with her family and friends.

Jewel Patterson
Director of Organizing & Leadership Bio, Jan 2024 
Email: jpatterson@copesite.org

Jewel Patterson, the Director of Organizing & Programs at Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (C.O.P.E.), combines together the threads of art, activism, and community healing to create lasting change.

As a Youth Organizer in 2016, she pioneered the creation of R.E.A.L. (Race, Education, ARTivism, and Leadership), a program tailored for Black youth in the Inland Empire (I.E.). Under Jewel’s leadership, C.O.P.E. has raised the consciousness and capacity of youth (aged 14-25) throughout the IE. The R.E.A.L. program, along with other engaging activities like the Youth Artivism Retreat, Black Youth Hangout, and Black Radical Unity Hub, shows her commitment to training youth to believe in their power, their art and their ability to make change.

In 2021, Jewel earned her Master’s in Counseling, a testament to her holistic approach to community organizing. Recognized as a 30 Under 30 honoree by Assemblymember Eloise Gomez-Reyes’ office in 2020, she wields powerful influence in shaping the future. Beyond the professional sphere, Jewel is an artist and community birth worker, deeply rooted in a lineage of singers, creators, and healers. As a Black, queer feminist, her multifaceted approach combines organizing, counseling, and ARTivism to address challenges faced by  marginalized communities in the Inland Empire.

Jewel Patterson embodies the spirit of a holistic leader—bridging the gap between professionalism and communal authenticity. Her journey is a celebration of collective empowerment and resilience, proving that with art, activism, and community healing, we can create lasting change that truly matters for our community.

Steven Merrick  
Senior Community Organizer
Email: smerrick@copesite.org

Steven Merrick, a passionate grassroots community organizer whose faith and dedication to social justice guide his work. His journey began at Morgan State University, “The Illustrious” HBCU in Baltimore, Maryland, where he first encountered the power of civic engagement. As a student leader, Steven worked to address funding inequities between HBCUs and TWIs, forging connections that reflected his commitment to uplifting underserved communities—a spirit he carries into his work today. With years of organizing experience, Steven has dedicated himself to empowering Black communities. His work with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and the Fight for $15 Coalition helped secure legislative wins for Maryland’s working class, including raising the state’s minimum wage. These efforts are a testament to his belief in taking action to create systemic change. Now based in the Inland Empire, Steven serves in the esteemed position of Senior Community Organizer at Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), a Black-led and faith-rooted organization. He works closely with clergy and community leaders to build their capacity for grassroots organizing, civic engagement, and leadership development—core to COPE’s mission of revitalizing and protecting the neighborhoods where they live, work, and worship. Steven’s efforts are focused on building transformational relationships with congregations, listening to community needs, and shaping COPE’s policy agenda to create meaningful, long-term change. In addition to working alongside a dynamic network of faith leaders and social justice organizations across California, Steven finds balance in spending time with family in his travels back to the East Coast, enjoying time with his wife Rae and their Dalmatian, Ace, and the day to day life with his COPE family. Whether at rooftop gatherings in LA, hiking scenic trails, lounging at one of California’s various beaches, or embracing Tupac’s “California Love,” Steven remains grounded in his mission to serve while savoring the simple joys of life.

Sonya Gray-Hunn
Program Coordinator
Email: sghunn@copesite.org

Sonya Gray-Hunn is a Community Organizer with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE). Her work as a grassroots organizer has allowed her to play a role in parent engagement and housing justice movements. In these roles, she helped to organize a diverse coalition of parents to help win $1.3 million appropriations for parent engagement resulting in a new framework for parent engagement and the creation of Enrollment and Resource Center in San Bernardino City Unified School District. She also led local lobbying efforts to push for rent control policies through Proposition 10 and 21; and worked to pass legislation to address rent gouging, housing discrimination, and displacement. Working with state and local housing justice advocates, she has organized to help pass rent moratoriums and other protective measures to keep people housed in response to the pandemic. She coordinated an emergency response aid program providing food, transportation, and housing support to more than 100 families experiencing hardship during the pandemic and worked with legal advocates to support tenants victimized by forced displacement. Sonya is a newly elected Democratic delegate representing the 40th Assembly District.

Prior to her work as a community organizer, Sonya worked in early education as a teacher. As an educator, she observed the many struggles children and their families faced. She noticed that children and their families were demonstrating a higher level of anxiety due to poor housing conditions or lack of stable housing. As a classroom teacher, she understood that more work needed to be done. After leaving early education, she enrolled in school to continue her education as an Americorp Fellow, which exposed her to non-profit social justice work. Since then, Sonya has been a strong champion for grassroots community members, particularly families whose voices are often left out on critical policy matters. As a mother of six children, Sonya’s heart is committed to working for the betterment of her community.

Devona Robertson
Parent Organizer

Devona Robertson has been a dedicated advocate and provider of family support services in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties for over 17 years. With extensive expertise in early childhood education, public service navigation, and a wide network of community connections, she has made a significant impact on the lives of countless families. Devona also offers birth support as a certified Doula and Lactation Consultant, ensuring families receive the care and guidance they need in their early parenting journeys.

A key priority for Devona is engaging with both local and state leaders, as well as community members, to amplify the voices of the people in her advocacy work. She is passionate about driving systemic change, particularly around issues of equity and access to resources. Currently serving as a Parent Organizer, Devona remains deeply committed to fostering positive change and supporting the families of her community.

Min. Quan Williams
Civic Engagement Organizer 
Email: qwilliams@copesite.org

Minister Quan has a background in legislative advocacy and has led public policy efforts in California, Illinois, Virginia and on Capitol Hill in D.C.  The intersection of faith and justice is very important to her and she is ecstatic to be one of the newest organizers at COPE (Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement) where she is continuing and increasing civic engagement efforts.  Education wise, Quan has a Bachelor’s degree in Pan African Studies: Arts & Literature from California State University, Northridge, a Masters degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Masters degree in Divinity from Virginia Union University.  She has written an unpublished autobiographical fiction titled What A Little Moonlight Can Do – a nod to Billie Holiday.  She is an auntie to two nieces and one of them is deaf.  Quan is learning American Sign Language so that she will always be able to communicate with both of her niecey poohs.

Stanette Dixon 
Civic Engagement Organizer
Email: sdixon@copesite.org

Stanette Dixon is a compassionate and resourceful health and wellness advocate, with a strong foundation in social work and human services that she brings to the forefront of her community efforts. Driven by a deep passion for helping individuals overcome developmental, societal, and systemic barriers, she is dedicated to actively promoting civic engagement in her hometown of San Bernardino.

As a burgeoning organizer at COPE (Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement), Stanette has come to understand the significant role civic engagement plays in driving the urgent changes needed in the Inland Region and is dedicated to enhancing civic participation and nurturing community connections. She has been actively involved in phone-banking, leading community canvassing events, and boosting volunteer outreach. One of her standout efforts includes co-launching the 100% Voting Congregation Civic Engagement Program, which organizes faith leaders throughout the Inland Region to help congregations and communities achieve 100% voter turnout in all elections. 

Stanette’s journey in this vital work has just begun, but she looks forward to making a lasting impact in her community. Her commitment to health, wellness, and civic engagement is a lifelong mission to elevate and inspire those around her.

In her spare time, Stanette enjoys connecting with family and friends, paper crafting, and enjoying life’s simplicities. 

Demita Burgess
Program Coordinator
Email: dburgess@copesite.org

Demita Burgess joined COPE in 2006 and is the Program Coordinator for our Health Access by providing Medi-Cal Enrollment support to members of the community through outreach and Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics. Ms. Demita also coordinates our CEP Phone Banking Team during our seasonal campaigns with “California Calls” and “We are California.”

Ms. Demita was acknowledged for her work with COPE and California Calls by providing information to the community and letting them know that they also have a voice to change the inequalities in the community. She graduated from Loma Linda University Gateway College as a Certified Community Health Worker. She was promoted to Organizer and completed a five-year Healthcare project (SBCMORE), securing MediCal for all.

Felicia Jones
Senior Organizer/Director of Civic Engagement
Email: fjones@copesite.org

Felicia Jones is the Managing Director of Programs & Operations with Social Good Solutions and the Black Equity Collective, an ecosystem of funders and communities joined as partners in strengthening the long-term sustainability of Black-led and Black-empowering organizations in Southern California. She is responsible for leading program strategy, development, and implementation across the firm’s portfolio of services; and ensuring operational effectiveness in the firm’s business practices.

She has extensive experience as a non-profit executive leader and has spearheaded and facilitated multiple collective impact efforts bringing communities and institutions together to advance racial equity through creation of new institutional policies, practices, and investments in racial equity.  She is the former Deputy Director with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) and maintains an emeritus role as a Strategic Advisor providing organizing strategy guidance, mentorship and coaching to the organization’s executive leadership and organizing staff.   

While serving as a co-chair, she helped to establish the Black Equity Fund, a pooled fund effort and partnership between the Inland Empire Community Foundation and the Inland Empire Black Equity Initiative to strengthen and scale Black-led and empowering organizations’ sustainability and capacity to lead regional systems change work. She also serves as board chair of a new entity, the Movement Innovation Collaborative (MIC). MIC is an organizer-led effort to amplify and accelerate the field of power building for racial and social transformation in California.

She is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, California and currently resides in Riverside county

Emeritus – Rev. Benjamin Briggs
Senior Organizer/Director of Civic Engagement
Email: bbriggs@copesite.org

Pastor Benjamin Briggs, is the former Director of Civic Engagement with Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, where he developed and led the organizations civic engagement programming, voter education, and electoral organizing work. During his tenure with the organization, Pastor Briggs was instrumental in building COPE’s capacity to serve as an anchor partner with California Calls and contributed to the other statewide power building efforts such as CA Black Power Network, We Are CA and Million Voters Project. He also served as the inaugural board member for the IE United, formerly Inland Empowerment, a progressive regional power building coalition focused on strengthening democratic infrastructure in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Through his leadership, COPE has amassed significant political power organizing over 10,000 voters to win important policies in the Inland Empire region and the state of California. Pastor Briggs is an emeritus staff member and continues to support clergy engagement and civic engagement strategy through mentorship and coaching.

He is the Senior Pastor of the Greater New Light Christian Church in Perris, California. Pastor Briggs and his wife have three children and an abundance of grandchildren. He resides in Moreno Valley, California and is an active member in his community.

Ensley Howell 
Logistics
Email: TBA

Ensley Howell joined COPE in 2018.

He is retired US Navy with 22 years of Active Duty Service, a retired P3 Flight Engineer, a Crew Holding Natops Flight Engineer, and retired from the City of Rialto Public Works/Water Department. He is also a member of the American Legion Post 710 for the County of San Bernardino which helps to support Veteran Service.

He is married to his beautiful wife Cathy W.Howell for 36 Years and has 3 Children and 3 Grandchildren. He provides logistical Support for COPE during our General Meetings, Outreach Events, and overall office support. He also provides logistical support to New Life Christian Church under the pastoral Leadership of our Executive Director Pastor Samuel J. Casey and Co-Pastor Tamika Casey where he also supported the Golden Years Ministry (GYM) outreach efforts to provide food and clothing for the unhoused community.

He is a HUGE fan of the San Francisco 49er’s, and is a HUGE fan of COPE and its community efforts and believes in COPE’s Mission!

COPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Len Cooper
Former Educator/Entrepreneur
Riverside, CA

Rev. Ernest D. Dowdy
Pastor, Highland Church of the Living God

Rev. Keith Tolbert
Pastor, Life Center Church
San Bernardino, CA

Veatrice Jews
Community Leaders
Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches
San Bernardino, CA

Owuso Hodari
Secretary
Pastor, Predestined in Christ
Fontana, CA