About Us
The Maggie L. Walker Foundation is a Black-led nonprofit incorporated in Virginia in June 2026. We are a family-founded organization — the founding board are Walker's great-great-grandchildren, and our direct family connection to her life, her home, and her community is the ground this work stands on.
We operate across economic empowerment, historic preservation, and civic leadership — the same three domains Walker worked in simultaneously. The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Jackson Ward is our anchor institutional partner. The Foundation serves as the philanthropic partner to the site — raising private and institutional resources for programming, interpretation, education, and community initiatives.
Our Mission and Vision
Historic Preservation & Awareness
National Park Service Partnership
Ensuring Walker's story, the history of the Independent Order of St. Luke, and the story of Jackson Ward are preserved, told accurately, and amplified nationally.
Economic Empowerment
Community Programming
Building the financial infrastructure and individual economic capacity that Walker modeled — from homeownership to entrepreneurship to financial literacy.
Civic Leadership
Voter Education
Developing the next generation of leaders in Richmond and beyond who understand that civic power and economic power are inseparable — as Walker did.
Richmond First
Local Action
Richmond is home. Our deepest commitments, our sharpest attention, and our most meaningful work begin here — in the city where Walker built everything she built.
Meet the Family
Liza Mickens, President
Liza has grown up sharing her ancestor's story locally and nationally for over two decades. In 2018 she joined Virginia's efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Her gender equality work has been recognized by the New York Times, PBS, and Style Weekly.
She currently manages Virginia Tourism's Black Travel Campaign, Heart & Soul, and creates captivating social content to share why "Virginia is for Lovers.”
Diallo K. Brooks, Secretary
Diallo is a transformational senior executive and movement strategist with more than 25 years of national leadership advancing racial and economic justice across philanthropy, public policy, and advocacy.
As Founder and Principal Strategist of Civic Vision Strategies, Diallo advises nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and philanthropic institutions on leadership development, strategic planning, and community-rooted systems change. Diallo is the author of the "Bold Quiet Warrior" leadership series.
Johnny Mickens IV, Treasurer
Johnny "Mick" Mickens IV is an experienced data security, risk, and compliance leader with a proven track record of managing complex regulatory environments and high-stakes compliance operations. As a great-great-grandson of Maggie L. Walker, he is proud to continue advancing her legacy, bringing his experience across the tech and finance sectors to further the Foundation’s mission.
He currently serves as the Compliance Lead for TikTok & Family Apps at the TikTok US Data Security Joint Venture, where he oversees the implementation of national security compliance requirements to safeguard the experience of TikTok's U.S. users.
The grandchildren of Maggie L. Walker. Left to right: Maggie Laura, Mamie Evelyn, Armstead, Elizabeth