As faith-based practitioners grounded both in theology and in economic development, we want to leave a lasting impact in our communities, to make good in the world every single day. We live from the fundamental belief that a different — better — world is possible.
But in a post-Christian secular environment, the faith-based organizations that have always blazed a trail of good are struggling with their mission and message. They’re questioning their relevance when they’re surrounded by the changing landscape of Church in this new world.
RootedGood is on a mission to affirm leaders of influence in these organizations. We believe firmly that God created everyone to do good work, and the role of faith communities in the world today is still relevant. And more needed than ever.
We’re on a mission to equip leaders with the resources and processes they need to build their confidence and capacity as we collaborate to help the Church imagine and become something new for the good of the Other.
RootedGood was launched in 2019 by Matryoshka Haus, a collective of talented, entrepreneurial, passionate folk that start courses and create tools so that non-profits, faith centers, and social enterprises achieve more impact with their work.
We’re excited to see how over a decade’s worth of work, passion, and learning will live on and take new shape in the US through RootedGood as we partner with many faith-based organizations doing good in the world.
Rev. Joe Daniels Jr. will be providing some of our coaching and consulting. Joe is the Lead Pastor of The Emory Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He is a nationally sought after preacher, teacher and speaker on the topics of congregational, community and economic development. He and the Emory congregation recently built a $59 million, 99-unit affordable rental housing, commercial and community development project called The Beacon Center on church-owned land. Joe believes that we can all live a WHOLE life and is an advocate for peace and economic stability for families and communities globally.
Rev. Mark Elsdon lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, author, and speaker. He is the author of We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry (2021) and editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (2024). In addition to his role as a Director with RootedGood, Mark is also Executive Director at Pres House, where he led the transformation of a dormant non-profit into a growing, vibrant, multi-million dollar organization.
Mark has a BA in Psychology from the University of California - Berkeley, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin School of Business. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA, and lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark is an avid cyclist and considers it a good year when he rides more miles on his bike than he drives in his car.
Shannon Hopkins is an extreme networker and social entrepreneur living in East London. Her passion for community and individual transformation has launched or influenced the formation of fifteen campaigns, projects, and organizations — and trained over 200 social entrepreneurs. In 2008, Shannon was awarded the Women of the UN and UK’s Annual Woman of Peace Award for The Truth isn’t Sexy, a campaign that addressed the demand side of human trafficking.
A Texas native, in 2004 Shannon moved to London and founded Matryoshka Haus. Part incubator, part community, part training organization, Matryoshka Haus was born of a fundamental belief that a different world is possible. Shannon is excited to see how over a decade’s worth of work, passion, and learning will live on and take new shape in the US through RootedGood. Shannon’s mission-centered focus on bridging the gap between partners, funders, and cause-related champions in a post-Christian secular world is rooted in one powerful concept: inspiration. In her words, “I think we undervalue what inspires us and moves us to act… but once someone is inspired it can really set a whole host of things in motion.”
Equity and justice, driven by faith, motivate Angela to action. Angela is dedicated to helping people thrive.
Volunteerism and travel are Angela’s passions. She has volunteered and launched many volunteer projects in many countries, including house building, cultural immersions, clothing closets, and donations of school supplies. At her place of worship in Atlanta, she launched a food pantry donation initiative for a neighboring university’s pantry.
For almost 17 years, Angela cultivated her career with Habitat for Humanity International, working on brand promotion and brand strategy, supporting the organization’s goal to eliminate poverty housing. In her role, she managed ecommerce and launched a portal for 1200 Habitat affiliates nationwide to support operations and branding while enhancing national brand compliance.
Angela holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Theological Studies from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
As Director of Sharing, Angela brings her experience in brand building, communications, ecommerce, sales, marketing, and engagement with diverse groups to RootedGood.
Tito Ponce, a tech-savvy operations leader, thrives at the intersection of insight and play. Motivated by community building and positive change, he draws inspiration from human-centered design and the divine mundane.
Before joining RootedGood as Director of Operations, Tito honed his skills as a research associate for the Social-Emotional Teaching & Learning lab while earning a BA in Applied Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His prior role as Director of Communications for the Inclusive Collective, an ecumenical campus ministry, allowed him to co-create and nurture a beloved, inclusive Christian community for college students and young professionals in Chicago.
Currently serving as Director of Operations at RootedGood, Tito also lends his creative talents to Yates Creative, a strategic communications agency dedicated to amplifying the stories of community-centered businesses and nonprofits, with a shared commitment to advancing Black liberation.
Outside of work, Tito is a tea connoisseur, fitness hobbyist, and passionate sharer of delicious meals with close friends and family.
Mark’s professional career spans the spectrum from profit to non-profit, from start-up to established, and his academic ‘side-hustle’ has focused on the intersection between theology and our contemporary socio-economic context. Mark has a Doctorate in Theology and Economics from King’s College London, with his thesis focusing on social enterprise as ‘faithful economic practice’. Prior to this Mark studied at Regent College, Vancouver, where Mark gained a MA in Theology and Culture and where Mark was also the Interim Director of the Marketplace Institute.
Mark is the former KLICE award holder for business ethics. Mark has a background in management consultancy and was the director of Cocreate Consulting, a co-operative social purpose consultancy. Prior to RootedGood, Mark was a director of Matryoshka Haus and the Transformational Index Group. Mark was the co-founder of The Paradise Cooperative, an urban farming and education charity in central London. Mark is also a non-executive director of The Curiosity Society. Mark’s dwelling place is outside Detroit, Michigan where he lives with his wife Katie and his three children Ember, Lucas and Elora. Prior to Michigan, the family lived in Mark’s native land, England.
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