Meet Our Team
M. Quentin Williams
Founder & CEO
M. Quentin Williams is the founder and CEO of Dedication to Community (D2C), the national nonprofit he established in 2012. Quentin’s career in law, professional sports and leadership consulting culminates in D2C, which delivers skills-building workshops and ongoing forums to improve understanding and build relationships in communities through healing, reconciliation and unity. D2C experts work with government agencies and the private sector on leadership education and relationship-building tools, and advise on critical issues in public safety and law enforcement.
An advocate, attorney and author-educator, Quentin is sought after as a speaker and thought leader who draws on his personal history as a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor, and also has held senior positions with the National Football League (NFL), Jacksonville Jaguars and National Basketball Association (NBA). In addition to leading D2C and law enforcement training for agencies across the U.S., Williams serves as a guest instructor at the FBI National Academy, has been a member of the Law Enforcement Education and Training Council at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia and is a CRI-TAC registered subject matter expert.
In January 2026, Quentin co-founded The D2C Justice Institute (TDJI) and was also appointed to the North Carolina Post-Conviction Review Commission (NCPCRC). Headquartered at the University of Mount Saint Vincent in New York City, TDJI is a hub for learning, engaging and taking action in the areas of social, economic, criminal, procedural and restorative justice. NCPCRC was established by the North Carolina legislature to ensure that wrongfully convicted individuals are provided with a resource to gain their freedom.
A Charles E. Gorton High School (alma mater) 'Wall of Fame' inductee, Williams was selected to Worth Media's WORTHY 100 in 2024 andas a UNITE Award recipient in 2022 by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for his lifelong commitment as an advocate for racial and social justice. He has been honored by the Miami HEAT and Yonkers (NY) Public Schools as a 'Hometown Hero' (2023 and 2022, respectively) for his work in South Florida and the City of Yonkers, and is also a member of the Alex English Let's Share Foundation board of directors and former member of the Sports Management Industry Advisory Board at the University of Florida, as well as the National District Attorneys Association's Law Enforcement Advisory Board.
Quentin earned his JD from St. John’s University School of Law, where he is an executive committee member of the Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston College, which he attended on a football scholarship. Known by friends and associates as “Q,” Quentin is of Caribbean and Jewish descent and grew up in New York City and Yonkers, New York. He is the proud father of a son and daughter, and credits his first-born as the inspiration for writing A Survival Guide: How NOT to get KILLED by the POLICE, Part I.
Cory McGookin
Programming Lead
Cory McGookin is the senior vice president for law enforcement relations for D2C. He served a variety of roles during his career as an FBI special agent in the Chicago and Washington D.C. areas. Cory focused mainly on violent crimes and gang related activity. He also was a certified member of the Evidence Response Team (ERT) in Chicago. A teacher at heart, Cory dedicated the latter part of his career to the prestigious FBI National Academy at Quantico, VA. He served as a senior instructor for undergraduate and graduate leadership classes. He was ultimately promoted to a senior leader position in charge of all instructors before being hand selected to run the National Academy program.
Prior to his FBI career, Cory spent a decade as an airborne cryptologic Spanish linguist in the U.S. Air Force. He earned a graduate degree in leadership from Bellevue University in Nebraska. He coached a competitive travel fastpitch softball team in Virginia for several years.
Marcela Poveda
Operations & Administration Lead
Marcela C. Poveda is a community advocate, program manager, and educator working at the intersection of social justice, strategy, and storytelling. As Administration and Operations Lead for The Dedication to Community Justice Institute at University of Mount St. Vincent, she steers operations, cross-institutional partnerships, and high-impact programming that advance the Institute’s justice-centered mission.
Her career cuts across education, nonprofit, sports and entertainment, public policy, and marketing — a range that shapes how she approaches strategy and engagement. During her tenure with the School District of Philadelphia, she led multilingual outreach and culturally responsive programming that expanded access for Spanish-speaking families and drove a measurable rise in community participation.
Poveda is also an adjunct professor, teaching courses that examine how the arts — from music and dance to marketing and visual culture — carry social justice messaging and drive movements forward. She is a bilingual Spanish-English interpreter and a former public policy fellow with the National Puerto Rican Coalition, where she worked on national advocacy and grassroots initiatives.
She holds a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing and a Master of Arts in Music Business Professions from New York University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
A proud Latina and the daughter of Colombian immigrants, she was born in Los Angeles and raised in New York City. Off the clock, she’s reading, traveling, deep in a streaming series, or belting out a song on karaoke night.
Dr. Rudolph B. Hall Jr
Curriculum Lead
Dr. Hall, as the former Assistant Chief of Investigations for the New York State Attorney General, led the Office of Special Investigation, overseeing inquiries into deaths following interactions with law enforcement. In previous roles, he shaped use-of-force policies, training programs, and initiatives promoting diversity and inclusiveness. With 21 years in the NYPD, Dr. Hall held supervisory roles in various units, contributing to the development of the department's body-worn camera program. A doctoral graduate in Executive Leadership, he's a certified Force Science Institute professional. Dr. Hall is a respected speaker on policing topics, emphasizing the importance of leadership, accountability, and training for law enforcement reform.
Dr. Shaun L. Ward
Strategy Lead
Dr. Shaun L. Ward is an executive leadership strategist, seasoned law enforcement leader, and founder and CEO of SLW Group, a neuro-leadership and performance consultancy. With over two decades of experience, he specializes in executive decision-making, organizational resilience, and leadership under pressure.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP), is a member of the Crime Prevention Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and is a Fellow of the National Policing Institute (NPI) and the Future Policing Institute (FPI) Dr. Ward is also a guest instructor for the FBI National Academy (FBINA), a peer reviewer for the U.S. Department of Justice, (OJP) (BJA), and a CRI-TAC subject-matter expert for the USDOJ COPS Office.
An accomplished author and national speaker, he translates research into practical strategies that strengthen leadership performance and decision-making in high-stakes environments.
