DR. SESHA JOI MOON | \SEE·​SHA JOY MOON\ | SHE + HER + HERS

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Dr. Sesha Joi Moon [\see·sha joy moon\ | she/her/hers] is a global thought leader with 20 years of experience and expertise as a social impact executive and philanthropist. 

Dr. Moon is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she serves at the pleasure of Governor Abigail Spanberger. Her most notable prior roles include Chief Impact Officer for Girl Scouts of the USA, Chief Diversity Officer with the National Institute of Standards & Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Chief Diversity Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 117th & 118th Congresses — leading the U.S. House Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the pleasure of Speakers Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, and Mike Johnson. She has also served as Executive-in-Residence with Leader Stacey Abrams’ American Pride Rises Network and Chief Brand Strategist for Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett [TX-30] during her tenure as National Campaign Co-Chair for Harris for President through her non-partisan consultancy — Moon & Associates, LLC. Over the course of her career, she has received the Bennie G. Thompson Champion of Diversity Award by the Washington Government Relations Group, Trailblazer Award by the Martha’s Vineyard Chief Diversity Officer Summit, Commerce Bronze Award for Superior Performance, and Commerce Spirit Award.

In addition to executive education programs at Harvard University, where she received the DEI Pioneer Award, Dr. Moon graduated with a Ph.D. in Public Administration & Policy from Old Dominion University in 2013. She also earned a M.S. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs in 2008 and B.A. in African American Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005. As a proud alumna, Dr. Moon received the VCU Black History in the Making Award and VCU Alumni Stars Award — and became the first Black queer woman to establish an endowed scholarship fund in university history with the Dr. Sesha Joi Moon Endowed Scholarship Fund. This fund is designed to provide need-based support to students in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree in African American Studies within the College of Humanities & Sciences or L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs. To donate, please visit www.vcu.edu. 

As a philanthropist, Dr. Moon also established the George Ernest Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund at Virginia State University in tribute to her grandfather, which provides need-based support to students in pursuit of an undergraduate degree in the Music Unit within the College of Humanities & Social Sciences or a member of the Trojan Explosion Band. To donate, please visit www.vsu.edu. She also established the Inez Orzene Jaudon Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund at Virginia Union University in tribute to her grandmother, which provides need-based support to students in pursuit of an undergraduate or graduate degree within the School of Education or Department of Social Work & Sociology. To donate, please visit www.vuu.edu. Additionally, the August & Michon Moon Endowed Scholarship Fund was established with Richmond Public Schools in tribute to her parents — which is the first endowed scholarship fund to be established in school system history and is designed to provide need-based support to students in pursuit of continued education after earning a high school diploma or equivalent. To donate, please visit www.rvaschools.net.

Dr. Moon is also Co-Founder of The JXN Project, which has been documented by 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner Michael Paul Williams of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and is a grantee of the Mellon Foundation's "Monuments Project", as well as Nike, Airbnb, Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, Weissberg Foundation, Mary Morton Parsons Foundation, and Cabell Foundation. The project has been awarded the American Association for State and Local History's 2022 Leadership in History Award, as well as the 2025 Changemaker Award by Initiatives of Change USA, 2022 RVA Community Maker Award by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2022 Richmond History Maker Award by the Valentine Museum, and 2021 Golden Hammer Award for "Best Placemaking" by Historic Richmond. The project notably partnered with PBS NPR VPM to produce a documentary titled "Declarations of Independence" and curated an exhibition at the Library of Virginia titled “"House to Highway: Reclaiming a Community History” in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities, Virginia Humanities, and NBC WWBT 12 On Your Side.

Dr. Moon is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. alongside the Virginia Black Historic Preservation Alliance and President's Circle with the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Washington Mystics — and has served on the Board of Directors with the African American Federal Executive Association and Commonwealth of Virginia's Criminal Justice Services Board as appointed by the 73rd Governor of Virginia. She is also Senior Research Fellow with The Conference Board’s Engagement Institute and Senior Fellow of the Excellence in Government Fellowship Program with the Partnership for Public Service. 

In 2023, Dr. Moon was recognized at the United Nations as “100 of the Most Influential People of African Descent." She was also named "2023 Top 40 Under 40" by PBS NPR VPM’s Style Weekly and Axios named her and her sister as the second "Most Powerful Richmonders of 2022" - with her career also being highlighted by the likes of CNN, TIME, AP News, Fox News, Forbes, ESSENCE, Black Enterprise, The Washington Post, and Politico. 

Dr. Moon resides in the Washington, DC area with her cockapoo, Benji, but hails from Richmond, Virginia as the proud daughter of Dr. Michon Moon and the late August Moon — who is best known for producing one of the most sampled baselines in hip hop music called "Seven Minutes of Funk."