Behind Groundswell is a team of practitioners, advocates, and community builders with decades of real, on-the-ground experience in the communities we serve. We don't just talk about this work. We've spent decades doing it.
The people behind the work.
Rev. Addie Banks
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
MA, MPA, SD
Addie Banks has been challenging the status quo since the fifth grade. Growing up in a segregated elementary school in Mobile, Alabama, she circulated an essay and petition among her classmates to push back against her teacher's use of corporal punishment. She won. The practice ended in that classroom. She never looked back.
Today, Rev. Banks leads Groundswell from her home in the Bronx, New York, where she has spent decades building a movement to reframe what peace actually means. In her vision, peace-building isn't abstract. It encompasses advocacy, healing, health and wellness, economic development, conflict resolution, and mediation, all working together to create cultures worth living in.
A sought-after voice on community transformation, Rev. Banks holds a Master of Arts, a Master of Public Administration, and a Doctor of Sacred Letters.
Chevon Rucker
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
B.S. Behavioral Science • M.Ed. Mercy University
Chevon Rucker is a Bronx native. Born, raised, and educated here, her work has never strayed far from home. For more than twenty years she has worked alongside youth and families facing systemic barriers, building frameworks that improve educational outcomes and create real pathways to healthier communities.
An educator, consultant, facilitator, and coach, Chevon has served as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at the Harlem Children's Zone, a Special Education Teacher with the NYC Department of Education for over a decade, and a Director of School Culture and Climate. She brings that breadth of experience to Groundswell's operations, along with a deep personal investment in the communities we serve.
Chevon holds a B.S. in Behavioral Science and a Master's Degree in General and Special Education from Mercy University.
Philip Lynn
DIRECTOR
Philip Lynn has spent more than thirty years helping people and organizations reach their full potential. His clients have ranged from Fortune 100 companies to faith communities rooted in New York City's most underserved neighborhoods.
As Founder and Director of Small Group Ministries at The Riverside Church in NYC, Phil helped build deeper community and spiritual vitality within the congregation, guided by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of the Beloved Community. He brings that same vision to his role as Founder and Executive Director of the Network for Human Understanding, a nonprofit building a faith-based, interfaith movement for the spiritual, social, and political renewal of America.
Phil's partnership with Groundswell reflects a shared belief that lasting community transformation requires attending to the whole person—physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Our Board of Directors
Groundswell is governed by a dedicated board of directors committed to advancing our mission of building just, peaceful, and healthy cultures across the Bronx and beyond.
Abishai Brooks
Regina Aileen Glover
Monica Lindsay
Taleigh Smith
Lionel Stewart