Sesha Joi Moon

About Sesha Joi Moon

The Honorable Dr. Sesha Joi Moon is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the Commonwealth of Virginia — serving as a Cabinet Secretary for Governor Abigail Spanberger. Her prior roles include Chief Impact Officer for Girl Scouts USA, Chief Diversity Officer for the National Institute of Standards & Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce — and most notably, Chief Diversity Officer for the U.S. House of Representatives during the 117th & 118th Congresses. She has received the Washington Government Relations Group\'s Champion of Diversity Award, Martha’s Vineyard Chief Diversity Officer Summit\'s Trailblazer Award, 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 earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Old Dominion University, as well as a B.A. and M.S. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University — receiving the VCU Black History in the Making Award and VCU Alumni Stars Award while becoming the first Black queer woman to establish an endowed scholarship fund in university history. She also maintains endowments at Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Norfolk State University, and Richmond Public Schools. She is a 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.Dr. Moon is Co-Founder of The JXN Project, which has been documented by TIME, The Washington Post, and 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winning Richmond Times-Dispatch and is a grantee of the Mellon Foundation, Airbnb, and Nike — and developed a film titled \"Declarations of Independence\" in partnership with PBS NPR VPM. Dr. Moon, who has been highlighted by the likes of CNN, ESSENCE, and Forbes, is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, Virginia Black Historic Preservation Alliance, and WNBA\'s President\'s Circle with the New York Liberty and Washington Mystics. She was recognized at the United Nations as “100 of the Most Influential People of African Descent\" in 2023. She was named \"2023 Top 40 Under 40\" by Style Weekly and Axios named her and her sister as the second \"Most Powerful Richmonders of 2022.\" Dr. Moon resides in Fairfax County, VA with her cockapoo, Benji, but hails from Richmond, VA as the proud daughter of Dr. Michon Moon and the late August Moon.

Experience

1. Co-founder

   The Jxn Project

   May 2021 — Present

Education

• Virginia Commonwealth University

  Master of Science (M.S.), Criminal Justice with Concentration in Human Resources Management

  2006 — 2008

• Virginia Commonwealth University

  Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate, Criminal Justice with Concentration in Human Resources Management

  2005 — 2006

• Harvard Business School Executive Education

  High Potentials Leadership Program

  2021 — 2021

• Virginia Commonwealth University

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), African American Studies

  2001 — 2005

• Old Dominion University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Public Administration and Urban Policy

  2008 — 2013

• Harvard Kennedy School

  Leadership for the 21st Century

  2023 — 2023