
Dominika Parry is the founding President of 2CMississippi. She is an environmental economist, professionally and personally passionate about climate change. Dominika established 2C Mississippi to promote a bipartisan, science-based dialog and action on climate change in Mississippi. Dominika received her PhD in 2003 from Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she also trained as a Postdoctoral Associate, working on valuation of air pollution damages. She spent most of her career in academia as an Assistant Professor at the Earth and Environment Department at Boston University, Visiting Assistant Professor at the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at University of Kentucky, and a Researcher at the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she worked on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies for federally and state owned land management.
Since moving to Mississippi, in 2013, Dominika became an Independent Consultant in Environmental Economics and Policy working on a variety of projects including local support for Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Vicksburg, MS and publishing a report on the Economic Impact Analysis of the Lower Mississippi River. In 2016, Dominika founded a Jackson Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby. Currently, she is both the Jackson Chapter Leader as well as a pro-bono State Coordinator for CCL in Mississippi leading local efforts in support of federal climate change regulations.
Dominika received also a BA/MS in Sociology from Warsaw University in Poland and completed two years of PhD work in Political Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. She was a Research Fellow at the Warsaw Ecological Economics Center, Warsaw University conducting international valuation studies on eutrophication in the Baltic Sea; endangerment of Polish wetlands; and protection of lynx population in the Carpathian Mountains. In the summer of 1999, she participated in the Young Scientists Summer Program International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. She worked there on costing standard harmonization in the European Union.
Dominika is a native of Poland, but after 25 years of moving across the US, she and her family chose Mississippi as their forever home. She lives with her two sons, husband, two dogs, nine fish, hermit crab and an occasional toad in Ridgeland Mississippi.

Marqueta Perkins
Project and Office Manager
Marqueta joined our team in 2023. She is a native Jacksonian and a proud graduate of Jackson State University, where she obtained a B.S in Speech Communication & Rhetoric. She also holds a master’s degree from Belhaven University, in Organizational Leadership/Human Resource Management. Marqueta has an extensive experience working in the non-profit sector. Her work ranges from Human Resource Generalist with Hope Enterprise Corporation & Operations Manager with the Women’s Foundation of MS. She also has a background as an Administrative Assistant/Office Management at Jackson State University, supporting various departments within the College of Liberal Arts. When not working, she enjoys volunteering with the LadyBug Club, a non-profit Mother/Daughter organization in Jackson. Her passion is helping people understand they have a voice and encouraging them to use it. Marqueta, loves to try new foods, travel, and read. She currently lives in Jackson, MS with her husband, and three children.

Berneece Herbert, PhD
Director of Equity and Community Engagement
Dr. Berneece Herbert joined the 2C Mississippi team in 2020 as a member of the Board of Directors. In 2022, she stepped down from the board to become a part-time Director of Equity and Community Engagement. She holds this position while also chairing the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jackson State University (JSU). Dr. Herbert is an experienced educator and planner with over 20 years of academic, research and community engagement experience. As an Urban Planner, she focuses on socio-economic development, strategic planning and management, and public sector investment planning and policy formulation. Her research areas include urban health indicators, sustainable economic development and social equity concentrating on food security, climate change, and community engagement. As service to her local community, she served as President of the Caribbean Association of North Alabama, 2018/2019. She was also mentor to the winner of the small business innovation grant for the 2016 State Department’s Young Leaders of America Initiative. Currently Dr. Herbert is spearheading a number of activities with local organizations in Jackson MS. She is a member of Harword Public Innovators Lab Team.

Kayla Crossley
Health and Community Engagement Coordinator
Kayla joined our team in 2022, as a part time Community Engagement Coordinator. She grew up in Piney Woods, MS and graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in Sociology. Her experiences in rural & urban America have drawn her to pursue a career in public health. Her background in social sciences and interest in medicine has led her to look at issues of accessibility, equity, and the role that environmental exposures play in public health issues. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and enjoys exercising, cooking, and traveling in her free time.