Dontá Council, Ph.D. is a Community and Economic Development adviser on stressors and shocks to low-to-moderate-income communities at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where he elevates best practices to achieving economic resilience for people and places across the Southeast. His research and practice focus broadly on the impacts of weather disasters on communities who are disproportionately impacted, including low wealth communities and people of color. Dr. Council believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion in capital deployment are critical components to solving for the economic inequities of groups who have systemically marginalized from participating in the economy.
Dr. Council has dedicated his career to public service with a focus on improving the economic wellbeing of communities of color through strategic capital deployment and interventions. Before joining the Atlanta Fed, Dr. Council spent more than a decade working in philanthropy across the Southeast and Midatlantic regions addressing several core issue areas affecting low wealth families and workers including workforce development, housing, access, physical and mental health, food insecurity, immigration, and disaster recovery.
Council serves on the board of directors of Park Pride and advises several agencies through his consulting practice, Nelcrum Solutions, LLC., where he supports nonprofits and small business firms pursuing grant funding and strategy development.
Council completed his bachelor’s degree in political science and Ph.D. in public administration and policy from Old Dominion University and his master’s in public administration from Jacksonville State University. He lives in Atlanta with his partner and aussiedoodle Mocha. He has a fraternal twin, Shonta.
