About Founder

Mr. Hawkins is a dedicated community leader and advocate with 20 years of experience in community engagement and youth development. Hawkins has been instrumental in creating positive change in predominantly African American communities. After attending Tuskegee University (HBCU), he moved to New York City and served as a Peacemaker Program Director at the renowned Harlem Children's Zone. He also created one-of-a-kind programming as a lead advocate for the Adolescent Behavioral Learning Experience (ABLE) program on Rikers Island, the nation's first social impact bond. Mr. Hawkins later became a lead coordinator of youth advocacy and support services with Friends of Island Academy and the youth reentry network, leading a dynamic team that spanned Rikers Island, and into neighborhoods, and communities across the city's five boroughs, serving hundreds of youth and families.

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After expansion into the DMV area, Mr. Hawkins has trained over 50 mentors for children and young adults in foster care. He facilitated numerous workshops and trainings on cultural competency, community engagement, and other relevant topics. As the affordable housing director Mr. Hawkins led one of four major business lines reaching across the mid-Atlantic region of the country, and working in collaboration with FEMA, Johns Hopkins University, and DCHA, he spearheaded community initiatives. These included organizing a drive that vaccinated over 200 vulnerable community members in Maryland and Washington, DC, during the height of the pandemic. He also led rental assistance initiatives that collected millions of dollars to support Maryland and DC residents facing eviction and financial crisis. In addition, he provided mentorship to dozens of interns from local reentry and job readiness programs and facilitated the donation of thousands of pounds of food per month to under-resourced community members. Mr. Hawkins also served proudly with the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE Leadership Academy), supporting and mentoring young people impacted by gun violence and also served as special assistant to the Director. Mr. Hawkins not only understands the impact of structural and institutional injustice, disparities and exclusion, but also believes fearlessly in the power of community and the duty to work toward a brighter future. 

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After launching this agency in the housing areas of Rikers Island in 2018, hundreds of sessions, workshops, events, and engagements later, A Righteous Way is innovative and proactive path to answering programming and engagement needs.