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About Us

Who We Are

Founded in 2018 and led by Principal Vedette Gavin, Verge Impact Partners (VIP) is a national public health equity consulting firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. We are your trusted guide and preferred public health equity partner, equipping local leaders with the data, insights, and strategies to transform communities into more equitable, healthy, and just places, by bringing the lived experience and leadership of the people most impacted to the table.

What We Believe

We believe everyone's a "VIP"; that the well-being of all people and their emotional health is a shared responsibility, and that their opinions and expertise are essential to the work we do.
We believe all people are connected; we value everyone's shared and valued humanity, and the role everyone plays collectively in building strong, healthy communities.
We believe all communities can control and determine their own future.
We believe that in order to get to a healthy future, we have to eliminate the root causes of racial inequities.
We strive to understand the best ways for humans to live, putting their aspirations, lived experiences and perspectives at the forefront of everything we do.
Mission
To power the path of health equity with the lived experience and expertise of communities of color.
Vision
A world where communities of color have the opportunity to chart their own future and live full and healthy lives.

Our Team

We are a team of organizers, scientists, researchers, and innovators dedicated to bringing the expertise of people who have been pushed to the margins of society to the mainstream of how we plan, invest in, and develop healthy communities and cities. We're determined to improve health equity, environmental justice and equitable community development for communities of Color.
Together, we are proving the power of community-led solutions, while building healthy, thriving communities of color.
Vedette

Vedette R. Gavin

Founder and Principal of Verge Impact Partners

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Vedette R. Gavin is the Founder and Principal of Verge Impact Partners. A seasoned health equity researcher and strategist, she infuses community knowledge, insight, and action into the planning and development of healthy and equitable communities. She holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MPH from The Ohio State University, and a BS in Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park.
César García López

César García López

Senior Consultant for Learning and Community Impact

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César García López is a Senior Consultant for Learning and Community Impact at Verge Impact Partners. Drawing on nearly a decade as an organizer and consultant, César supports public health, planning, and grassroots groups work together to advance health and racial equity in neighborhoods. César holds a Master in City Planning from MIT and a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale.

Shayanna Hinkle-Moore

Healthy Communities Consultant

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Shayanna Hinkle-Moore is a Healthy Communities Consultant at Verge Impact Partners. As a planner, researcher, and community organizer, she works to empower residents across urban, suburban, and rural contexts to design and fight for the future they desire. She holds a BA in Public Affairs and majored in City and Regional Planning at The Ohio State University.
Paige Emling

Paige Emling

Program Assistant

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Paige Emling is a Program Assistant at Verge Impact Partners. As a public librarian, she sees firsthand the health and quality-of-life impacts of structural racial inequities, and works to help anyone who wants to make transformative changes to these systems.

Our Clients and Collaborators

Lighting the path to health equity with bold leaders in housing, community development, environmental justice, healthcare, higher education, and more.