by Jake De Vera

At De Vera Consulting, I believe that community wisdom is expertise. The lived experiences, identities, histories, and cultural knowledge people carry are not secondary to the work. They are often the most important expertise at the table.
 

I bring my own identities and experiences into every facilitation engagement. I am a gay white man, a person in recovery, a survivor of justice-involved domestic violence, and someone who has experienced housing instability. These experiences shape how I understand power, belonging, resilience, and community. They also remind me that no single perspective is sufficient to understand the full complexity of people's lives.
 

My work has been deeply informed by years of partnership with communities whose experiences differ from my own. I have worked alongside Indigenous communities in the Twin Cities, spent six years living and working in India with LGBTQ+ communities, and partnered extensively with queer and trans leaders and organizations. Throughout my career, I have served in senior and executive leadership roles while working side by side with leaders of color in multiple BIPOC-led Twin Cities nonprofits. These experiences have taught me the importance of approaching every community with humility, curiosity, accountability, and a commitment to shared learning.
 

Just as importantly, they have taught me that I am not always the right facilitator for every conversation.
 

Some conversations require cultural, racial, gender, faith-based, linguistic, or lived expertise that I do not possess. Equity means recognizing those moments and ensuring the people most equipped to guide a conversation are present and empowered to lead.
 

Over the years, I have built deep relationships with an extraordinary network of Indigenous leaders, leaders of color, queer and trans facilitators, advocates, organizers, and community experts throughout the Twin Cities and beyond. When appropriate, I partner with these leaders as co-facilitators, advisors, trainers, and thought partners. In other situations, I may recommend a colleague whose lived experience and expertise better aligns with your needs.
 

My goal is not to place myself at the center of the work. My goal is to help create the conditions for meaningful dialogue, authentic participation, and lasting change by ensuring the right voices, experiences, and perspectives are at the table.
 

Let's start with the conversation you need to have. Together, we'll build a facilitation team whose backgrounds, beliefs, relationships, and lived experiences reflect the complexity of the work and provide the expertise your community deserves.