Dr. Shesha Joi Moon

Chief Diversity Officer, U.S. House of Representatives, 117th & 118th Congresses

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 sociopolitical and cultural strategist. Her coined philosophy is "Diversity is delegating our differences and inclusivity is celebrating our differences — but equity is elevating our differences."

Dr. Moon most notably served as Chief Diversity Officer for the U.S. House of Representatives within the United States Congress — leading the U.S. House Office of Diversity and Inclusion for the 117th and 118th Congresses at the pleasure of Speakers Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, and Mike Johnson. Prior to her congressional appointment, she enjoyed a career with the Office of the Secretary and U.S. Patent & Trademark Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce — before concluding her tenure as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at the National Institute of Standards & Technology.

Dr. Moon, whose career has been highlighted by ESSENCE, Forbes, and CNN, recently retired from the Federal Government after 15 years of public service and currently serves as Chief Strategist for Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett [TX-30], as well as Executive-in-Residence with the American Pride Rises Network, which was founded by Stacey Abrams, through her non-partisan consultancy — Moon & Associates, LLC.

In addition to completing executive education programs at Harvard University, Dr. Moon holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration & Policy from Old Dominion University, as well as a M.S. from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government Public Affairs and B.A. in African American Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is also 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, who was recognized at the United Nations as “100 of the Most Influential People of African Descent", is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 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 Executive Director 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."

Dr. Moon was named "2023 Top 40 Under 40" by PBS NPR VPM’s Style Weekly and Axios named her and her sister, Enjoli Moon, as the second "Most Powerful Richmonders of 2022." She resides in the Washington, DC area with her wife and cockapoo — but hails from Richmond, Virginia as the proud daughter of Dr. Michon Moon and the late August Moon.