Jenese Jones Oden is founder of Oden Strategic Design Group, LLC, providing training, project management and strategic coaching services to political candidates and equity focused non profit leaders and organizations across the United States and West Africa. She brings nearly two decades of experience in strategic partner engagement, educational leadership, grassroots and grass tops coalition building and civic engagement across diverse communities. After cutting her teeth 19 years ago as a high school music teacher in Saint Louis, MO, she returned home to the DMV and charted a new path into local politics and ran for office in Washington, DC, becoming an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. Jenese has served as Executive Director of Maryland CAN, a policy advisor fellow under former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and co-founded the DC Education Coalition for Change. In the political arena, Jenese is known as a skilled relationship builder and campaign manager, organizer and GOTV expert. She is an At Large Member and Fundraising chair of the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee. Jenese earned her B.A. in Political Science from the historic Clark Atlanta University and is currently pursuing an MBA program.