About MCARE

David Peery, JD, MCARE Founder, Chair and Executive Director

Despite having a law degree, David Peery found himself homeless and living on the streets of Miami due to a bizarre intersection of a false arrest, unlawful self-help eviction, the loss of all of his possessions, and a job lay-off during the height of the 2008 recession. It became clear that homelessness isn’t due to personal irresponsibility, addiction or mental illness, but is deeply rooted in racism and our societal failure to ensure that housing is a fundamental human right. David became the federal class representative in the Pottinger v City of Miami consent decree that protected rights for unhoused persons in the City of Miami. He is active in several social justice and national homeless rights organizations, including serving as co-chair of the National Consumer Advisory Board for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. David has a law degree from George Washington University and works as grant writer and health care
regulatory compliance consultant.

Adrian Madriz, Vice Chair

Born in New Orleans and raised in South Florida, Adrian is a community organizer by trade, with political, campus and non-profit organizing experience. His past causes include both of Barack Obama’s Presidential campaigns in Florida, student organizing at the Episcopal Chapel at the University of New Orleans and Housing Organizing in Liberty City through the Miami Workers Center. Through his housing organizing, he has become a local leader on the issues of gentrification and slumlords, and on the technical aspects of affordable housing development for extremely low-income residents in Miami. In addition to his role with MCARE, Adrian also serves as Executive Director of SMASH Miami.

Matthew Marr, Ph.D. Secretary

Matthew D. Marr, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies and the Asian Studies Program at Florida International University. His research focuses on homelessness in the US and Japan, exploring how urban marginality is shaped by social conditions operating at multiple levels, from the global to the individual. His first book is Better Must Come: Exiting Homelessness in Two Global Cities (Los Angeles and Tokyo) published by Cornell University Press. At FIU, he teaches courses on urban sociology, research methodology, and Japan to stellar undergraduate and graduate students.  

Jordan Brooks, MPH

Jordan Brooks, MPH is an MD/JD candidate at the University of Miami, who is currently in his fourth year of medical school and third year of law school. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Kenyon College. He graduated with his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society of Public Health. Currently, Jordan is a Governing Council member and the Legislative Chair for the Florida Medical Association and a Civic Health Fellow for Vot-ER. He is also a Board of Directors member for Buddy Systems MIA. Jordan works with numerous social justice organizations including the University of Miami Department of Community Service, the Human Rights Clinic of Miami, the Ladies Empowerment and Action Program, Catalyst Miami, Legal Services of Greater Miami, and the Florida Health Justice Project.

Kwanaiya Marshall

Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, but raised in Miami, Florida Kwanaiya is a product of the Miami Dade County Public School System and a proud graduate of Miami Dade College. She continued her studies at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), earning a Bachelor’s of Criminal Justice. Lastly, she obtained my Master’s of Criminal Justice Degree with honors from Capella University. Proud Wife of TB Gibson SR and proud mother of Mackenzie and Travis Jr.

Stephen Schnably, JD

Stephen J. Schnably is  Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, property, international human rights law, and criminalization of homelessness. He was a cooperating attorney with the ACLU in Pottinger v. City of Miami. The Pottinger consent decree, approved by the federal district court in 1998, modified in 2014, and terminated in 2019, has been hailed as “the gold standard” in civil rights litigation to protect the constitutional rights of homeless persons. He currently works as a cooperating ACLU attorney in other matters relating to the criminalization of homelessness, including challenges to anti-food sharing ordinances.

Jeffrey Agron, JD

Jeffrey Agron is the Social Justice Program Director of Temple Beth Sholom, Miami Beach. He is also a lawyer and community organizer. Jeff has lived in Miami-Dade County most of his life. He graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and received his law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. Jeff also received a certificate in community organizing and leadership from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he studied with Marshall Ganz. He is on the Board of the South Dade Area of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Board of Directors of Temple Beth Am.

Jonathon Poley, MD

Cortés Marià Lewis, Treasurer

Cortés Marià Lewis is a serial AdvocatePreneur™️ with over thirty-five years of advocacy experience. She lives by the motto, “Be Healed Be Delivered Be Free.” Her greatest accomplishment to date is conquering cancer after her diagnosis in mid March 2013. Cortes is the owner and Chief Motivational Advocate for CMLEnterprises, LLC Advocacy Consultants, which was birthed as she publicly lived her prison testimony, being a domestic violence survivor and conquering cancer. She is also a servant leader, advocacy aficionado, spoken word artist, motivational speaker, activist, organizer, and returning citizen. She is the President of Women’s March Florida, and the Director of Advocacy at Women’s March Miami. She currently sits on the board of Dignity Power, Inc. providing guidance to the CEO and the community. As an advocate and former healthcare practitioner, Cortes serves on the Fatal Infant Mortality Review Team and Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team & Child Abuse Death Review Team here in Miami-Dade County.

Soribel Genao, Ph.D. MCARE Special Strategic Advisor

Dr. Soribel Genao is a Professor of Educational Leadership at CUNY, Queens College and a trained bilingual researcher and consultant with community and place-based research and evaluation experience using both qualitative and qualitative methods. Throughout her career, she has consulted on initiatives focused on organizational culture, leadership, diversity and inclusion with an equity lens within private, higher education, private and non-profit sectors globally.  She holds a doctorate in Public Administration from Rutgers University.