Who We Are

Donald Wood

Donald (he/him) is a pragmatic idealist who is as much a truth-seeker as he is truth-teller; amplifying the voices of the unheard; disrupting a status quo that is unjust, and building individuals’ capacity to lead inclusively.

Donald grew up in the South and received his undergraduate degree from Westminster College in Missouri. After college he worked as a youth program officer in Southeast Asia before returning to the U.S. to earn a master’s degree in communications–with a focus on civic engagement–from the University of Arkansas. During his post-grad years, Donald served as an AmeriCorps Fellow and a program officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters which launched his 16-year career that spans across the education, healthcare and human development sectors.

In addition to his role at One Eight CREATE, Donald leads one of the country’s longest-serving equitable and inclusive culture change agencies with roots dating back over half a century. Prior to that, he was the chief executive of the one of the country’s largest not-for-profit hospice and palliative care foundations and there helped lead the development of innovative and nationally-recognized health equity initiatives for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color as well as Veterans.

Donald serves as a Senior Consultant for One Eight CREATE where his primary role is training and challenging organizational executives and managers to be inclusive, equitable culture change leaders. Donald’s specialization is designing and delivering individual and small group learning experiences that leverage the intersection of systems thinking, interpersonal communications and collective impact.

Donald’s passion for using his privilege, redistributing power and modeling reparative justice also can be found in his many volunteer roles. For example, currently he serves an elementary school youth literacy tutor and as a national co-chair of The Racial Equity & Hunger National Learning Network.  

Donald lives in Taos, New Mexico with his two best friends–his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Cameron.