J’vanete (Jay-vuh-nay) Skiba will share her perspectives from her role as the Assistant Director for Equity, Education, and Engagement for the New Hanover County Resiliency Task Force in Wilmington, North Carolina. The vision of the task force is a more resilient and compassionate New Hanover County. J’vanete serves the community through the idea of “functional compassion.” “Functional compassion” is the act of engaging in public and personal practices that spur change on a systemic level out of direct concern for the suffering of others. This kind of compassion grows and learns and changes and has the potential to be powerful and impactful. It requires hope for healing and invites us to build our own personal resilience while identifying and addressing the need to change systems that can cause suffering. In her work, J’vanete strives to help her community make meaningful connections to realize the task force vision.