Welcoming Christian Ohonba to the NCDD Board: Bridging Systems, Equity, and Community Connection

​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) has welcomed Christian Ohonba to its Board of Directors, recognizing her unique blend of technical expertise, systems thinking, and commitment to social justice. A PMP-certified project manager and MSW candidate at the University of Houston, Christian has led initiatives across sectors including SaaS, nonprofit, healthcare, and higher education, consistently emphasizing human-centered and equity-driven approaches to organizational change. Her work integrates project management excellence with a deep understanding of diversity, inclusion, and sustainable systems design. Beyond her professional career, she fosters community connection through her blog, The Midlife Edit, which supports women navigating life transitions. Christian’s experience and values align strongly with NCDD’s mission to strengthen dialogue, civic engagement, and participatory democracy grounded in inclusivity and authentic collaboration.

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​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is pleased to welcome Christian Ohonba as its newest Board Member. A PMP-certified project manager and macro-focused MSW candidate at the University of Houston, Christian brings a distinctive combination of technical expertise and social justice commitment that aligns powerfully with NCDD's mission to advance dialogue, deliberation, and collaborative engagement across communities.

A Systems-Thinking Approach to Human-Centered Work

Christian's professional journey reflects a deep understanding that meaningful change happens when technology serves people, not the other way around. Over the past eight years, she has led implementation and alignment initiatives across the SaaS, nonprofit, healthcare, and higher education sectors—consistently applying a systems-thinking lens to help organizations translate their vision into sustainable practices. Her work has spanned directing concurrent enterprise projects, coordinating cross-functional teams, and introducing process improvements that enhance both efficiency and client satisfaction.

What distinguishes Christian's approach is her ability to see beyond timelines and deliverables. She has championed DEI-informed initiatives that improved employee satisfaction and post-launch adoption, recognizing that successful implementation depends on inclusive engagement and organizational values alignment. This human-centered philosophy—grounded in the belief that operational excellence and ethical practice are inseparable—positions her to make meaningful contributions to NCDD's commitment to equity and collaborative community engagement.

As a macro-focused social work graduate student, Christian is exploring expanded access to career pathways that center on sustainable structures and purposeful systems design. Her academic work complements her professional experience, deepening her capacity to address structural barriers and advocate for approaches that honor both community needs and individual dignity. This intersection of project management expertise and social justice scholarship offers NCDD a valuable perspective on how dialogue and deliberation can strengthen organizational capacity while fostering genuine connection.

Amplifying Voices and Fostering Intentional Growth

Beyond her professional roles, Christian demonstrates her commitment to community-building through The Midlife Edit, a blog supporting women navigating identity shifts and intentional living during midlife. This work reflects the values she brings to NCDD: creating inclusive spaces where people can explore transitions, honor complexity, and build lives that align with their deepest priorities. Her ability to blend practical guidance with intuitive insight mirrors the kind of thoughtful engagement that NCDD seeks to cultivate across its network.

Christian joins the NCDD Board with enthusiasm for fostering dialogue and collaboration that transcends surface-level change. Her background in cross-functional leadership, stakeholder engagement, and mission-driven operations equips her to support NCDD's ongoing work to strengthen democratic practices, deepen civic engagement, and create spaces where diverse perspectives can meet with mutual respect. She understands that authentic dialogue requires both structural support and genuine commitment to hearing voices that have been historically marginalized.

The NCDD community can look forward to Christian's contributions as the organization continues expanding its reach and impact. Her experience building systems that serve with purpose, combined with her dedication to equity and inclusion, will help NCDD advance its vision of a more just and participatory democracy where all community members have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue.
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Please join us in welcoming Christian Ohonba to the NCDD Board. Learn more about NCDD's work and connect with our growing network of practitioners, scholars, and advocates at https://ncdd.org