Jessi Maness
About
I am a systems builder, organizer, and founder of Resilience Relief & Recovery Reach (R4), a 501c3 focused on breaking down silos so more resources reach the people they are meant to serve. I became known for building real-time coordination infrastructure during disaster response in Western North Carolina, connecting hundreds of organizations, volunteers, and distribution sites to move food and supplies where they were actually needed.
My work centers on building community-owned coordination tools that function as community infrastructure. I believe the people closest to the problem are closest to the solution, so I structure everything to shift decision-making power back to communities instead of institutions.
My leadership is rooted in lived experience. I have navigated poverty, custody courts, health instability, and broken bureaucratic systems personally, often simultaneously. That experience shapes how I build. I am direct, transparent, and deeply committed to non-extractive models of nonprofit work. Data should not be harvested. Communities should not be used for funding narratives. Infrastructure should serve people, not the other way around.
Metachrysalis represents the transformation I live in daily. I do not wait for permission to build what should already exist. I step into the tension between what is and what could be, and I build toward the latter.
Social Roles
Initiator
You start things. You act when others are still thinking. You’re good at sensing what needs to happen and taking the first step—even when the path isn’t clear yet. You often rally people before there’s a plan.
When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, supplies were piling up in parking lots while families were standing in lines …
Strategic Challenger
You’re willing to question what others avoid. You notice blind spots, power dynamics, and flawed assumptions. You push for truth, clarity, and change—not because you want conflict, but because you care.
In state-level housing conversations, I asked a question no one wanted to answer: “What are people in tents supposed to …
Pattern Tracker
You zoom out. You notice patterns over time, across systems, or under the surface. You help others see root causes, not just symptoms—and you often warn of risks before they arrive.
As supply distribution scaled, I saw the same issue everywhere. Organizations were working hard but operating in silos. One county …
Meaning Maker
You create clarity, resonance, and shared purpose. You use story, ritual, metaphor, or reflection to help people connect. You bring the “why” into the “what.” Without you, things feel flat or transactional.
As a keynote speaker at a journalism conference, I’ve called out disaster tourism directly. Communities are not content. Trauma is …
Resource Mobilizer
You know how to find what’s needed—funds, tools, talent, space. You move resources where they’ll have the most impact. You’re pragmatic, creative, and often the person who knows a person.
We moved tens of thousands of supplies without owning warehouses or fleets. I connect drivers to distribution hubs, tech partners …
Metacrisis Facets
Power Pyramid
Growing inequality, both within and between countries, is another critical element of the metacrisis. The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few, coupled with the disenfranchisement of large populations, fuels social unrest, destabilizes political systems, and hinders collective action to address global challenges.
We have seen how centralized control slows response while local leaders move faster with fewer resources and less authority. In …
Interwoven Harmony
A resilient global network of systems—economic, political, environmental, and technological—where interdependencies foster cooperation, mutual support, and adaptability. This harmonious interconnection creates a world where local disruptions are mitigated, and cascading failures are prevented by strong, decentralized solutions and proactive, agile governance.
When systems can see each other, chaos decreases. When data is shared ethically and locally governed, trust increases. My work …
Pitfalls
Self-Sacrifice
The belief that you should voluntarily give up of your own needs for the sake of others, usually to a point which is excessive.
During peak disaster response, I worked through exhaustion so my team didn’t have to. I absorbed pressure, handled escalation, and …
Unrelenting Standards
The belief that you need to be the best, always striving for perfection or to avoid mistakes.
I hold systems to a high bar because the consequences of failure are real. In disaster work, the margin for …