ABOUT HER

---

Chlo’e I. Edwards is a rare kind of changemaker—one who blends policy innovation, cultural healing, and community artistry to build movements that last. She is the Founder and CEO of Her Changes and the Co-Executive Director of Transformative Changes, a nonprofit pioneering a healing justice approach that unites systemic reform with collective care—a model that is transforming how communities respond to harm, leadership, and liberation.

For over a decade, Edwards has operated at the cutting edge of policy design and movement building, championing solutions at the intersection of public health, racial equity, education, and community violence prevention. She is the architect of Virginia’s first Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week, later recognized by the Governor, which evolved into the Racial Truth & Reconciliation Virginia Campaign—groundbreaking work that helped make Virginia the first Southern state to declare racism a public health crisis in 2021.

Her leadership extends beyond advocacy into creative ecosystem building—designing initiatives like the Heal Her Leadership Collective, Community Cocoon, Artivists of Color Alliance, and Rapid Responders Network. These spaces don’t just address immediate needs; they shift culture, empower historically marginalized voices, and embed healing into the DNA of civic action.

A sought-after strategist and mentor, Edwards serves as Policy Director at New Virginia Majority, Adjunct Faculty in Social Justice at Southern New Hampshire University, and creative guide as DMV Youth Slam Team Coach and Youth Poet Laureate Advisor at Words, Beats, and Life—using poetry, performance, and storytelling as tools for healing and civic engagement.

Her work has earned numerous honors, including:

🏆 Richmond History Maker – The Valentine
🏆 YWCA Outstanding Women Leadership Award
🏆 Virginia AEYC Media Award
🏆 Style Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40
🏆 RVA Mic Share Top 34 Black Women Trailblazers

Edwards holds a Master of Public Policy in Leadership from Liberty University and a B.A. in English with a Social Justice minor from Hollins University, along with advanced training from the University of Richmond, the Virginia Progressive Leadership Project, and UVA’s Sorensen Institute for Political Emerging Leaders.

A performance poet, gospel singer, faith-driven fitness instructor, and proud dog mom to Leo, her therapy dog, Edwards lives out her belief that true transformation happens when art, policy, and healing meet—and she is building the future where that convergence is the norm, not the exception.