Shalonda Curtis-Hackett is a Community Outreach Coordinator & Policy Associate for Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and is an inaugural graduate of JMACforFamilies H.E.A.L Program. In a rooted desire to ground her leadership and strengthen her skills as an organizer she joined BPDA Black Defender Leadership Institute (23/24) and The Advocacy Institute, Advocacy Leadership Accelerator (24/25). She is a founding birthkeeper of T.R.A.P. House Doulas and is one of the 1st Ambassadors for the Irth App. She has been featured in television, radio,newspapers and conference panels as an advocate against family policing. Shalonda has presented the topic of family policing in the US at the UN's International Decade for People of African Descent in Havana, Cuba (2024). She supports families impacted by the family policing system and participates in various coalitions including Narrowing the Front Door, Repeal CAPTA Coalition, Mandated Reporters Working Group, & Informed Consent Coalition . Additionally, she is a land steward at Hattie Carthan Community Foodways and a founding farmer collaborator with Catalyst Collaborative Farm. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, a proud Brooklynite, raising three children in partnership with her husband.

She is a client advocate at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, Bronx Conflict Office. She is a graduate of JMAC for Families Heal Program, BPDA Black Defender Leadership Institute, and is currently a cohort member of the Advocacy Institute, Advocacy Leadership Accelerator. She is a steering committee member of the Informed Consent Coalition, and most joyfully, she is a mother to four beautiful children. She has been an advocate in various fields, including home healthcare and legal firms.

Desseray is the founder of Blessings in Transformation, an organization that supports parents navigating ACS investigations. Through her leadership, she provides rapid response, advocacy outside of court, policy work, and connections to legal representation when cases escalate. Her work ensures that families receive immediate support, guidance, and resources during their most difficult moments.

She is a strong policy advocate, currently working on the Anti-Harassment Bill (which has passed both houses and awaits the Governor’s signature), the Informed Consent Bill, the Miranda Rights for Families Bill, and the Preserving Family Bonds Bill. Desseray actively participates in multiple coalition spaces, where she builds collective power to push for systemic change.

Her advocacy began with a fellowship at the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, where she counseled women who had lost their children to violence. She has also interned twice with Movement for Family Power, testified and organized around the SCR Bill (signed into law in 2020), and spoken on numerous panels across New York. She further serves as a board member of the Family Justice Law Center.

Grounded in her lived experience and deep commitment to community care, Desseray continues to fight for systemic change while serving and uplifting the families of her Bronx community.