Dwayne Patterson

As Chief Equity Officer at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, Dwayne Patterson supports the Foundation’s grantee partners as they set and advance their equity goals, helps staff and board document and share their equity journey, and refines the way MRBF captures partners’ outcomes and demographics for a full understanding of their work. Dwayne serves on the management, program and equity leadership teams, contributes to MRBF’s ongoing culture work and manages grant portfolios. He also serves on the investment committee, an important role as the Foundation strives to invest its endowment in ways that advance economic opportunities for communities of color.

Dwayne comes to MRBF after more than a decade at the Atlanta-based Partnership for Southern Equity, an organization that promotes racially equitable health, energy, development and economic opportunities. As Vice President of Strategy and Engagement, he advised on racial equity, social justice and organizing, and fostered community-based solutions all over the American South. Dwayne coordinated organizational and programmatic strategy, led program and management staff, strategy development, alliance building and relationship management. He helped organizations grow and improve performance. Dwayne also served as PSE’s first Director of Civic Engagement and Regional Organizing.

Through his consulting firm, The Sixth Group, Dwayne has provided training and strategic impact guidance to many nonprofit organizations and foundations. Dwayne serves on the steering committee for the Georgia Grantmakers Alliance, an initiative of Philanthropy Southeast. He has also served on the boards of ProGeorgia, the Fund for Southern Communities and the Latin American and Caribbean Community Center. Dwayne holds a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina A&T State University. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and twin daughters.