Akitas & Anti-Bias Auditing and Training
Confronting Discrimination from Breedism to Colorism
Bias manifests in many forms across society, including systemic colorism and breedism. DMS delivers comprehensive anti-bias auditing services and ratings to help organizations build inclusive environments. To educate audiences of all ages, we created our Diamond Dogs cartoon series. Featuring characters navigating ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, and physical differences like polydactyly, the series normalizes diverse experiences.
- Our Services: Concrete assessments and resources to transform corporate awareness into authentic diversity.
About the Founders & CEOs
Natalia Elizabeth Evans is a multi-disciplinary civil rights activist, anti-bias consultant, community organizer, and dedicated service animal advocate based in Delaware. As a Co-Founder of Diamond Mind State LLC, she channels her extensive lived experiences and specialized skill sets into robust community outreach, accessibility lobbying, and legal advocacy initiatives.
Background and Community Connection
Originally adopted from Russia, Natalia was raised in Reston, Virginia, by her mother, Carol Ann Evans, a dedicated medical librarian. Her unique personal journey as an immigrant and an adoptee deeply informs her professional intersectionality and civil rights worldview. Natalia actively leverages this background to build meaningful bridges and connect with immigrant communities, championing cultural equity, linguistic accessibility, and systemic inclusion across underserved populations.
Animal Welfare, Agriculture, and Veterinary Skills
Natalia possesses over a decade of versatile expertise in animal care, behavioral training, and agricultural operations. Her foundational experiences span various demanding roles:
Exotic Animal & Zoo Care: As the former Founder and Director of Live the Lights Animal Rescue in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, she successfully secured an Exotic Animal License. This allowed her to manage the complex care, specialized dietary needs, and rehabilitation of non-traditional and exotic wildlife.
Farm and Equine Operations: Natalia’s hands-on background on farms includes running integrated rescue facilities where she managed horses, coordinated livestock care, and executed skilled farriery (horse hoof care) support.
Veterinary Assistance: She expanded her clinical background as an Independent Veterinary Technical Assistant at Howell Animal Hospital, coordinating patient care and acting as a vital liaison for families.
Service Dog Training and Disability Advocacy
Living with epilepsy, Natalia has utilized her specialized training capabilities to personally train her own life-saving seizure alert service dogs. She completed Training Certification for her first service dog, Bernie, Who passed away in 2021. She trains her three seizure-alert and response service dogs.
This deep personal and technical understanding of animal-assisted tasks underpins her role as a leading service animal ADA advocate. Through Diamond Mind State LLC, she advises businesses, non-profits, and disabled individuals on legal compliance, public accommodation, and disability rights. Furthermore, she co-designed an innovative animal-assisted anti-bias training program to educate the public on service animal accessibility.
Active Legal Cases and Civil Rights Defendancy
In alignment with her public advocacy, Natalia is actively engaged in high-profile civil rights and consumer protection litigation to challenge systemic barriers. Her current legal roster features prominent cases aimed at establishing institutional transparency, fair housing, and accountability:
Evans v. Truist Bank: Focusing on consumer protections and financial institutional equity.
Evans v. Cuenca and Costantino: A federal civil rights and fair housing case addressing service dog discrimination, public accommodation restrictions, and retaliatory housing barriers.
Evans v. Superior Court of Sussex County: An administrative and constitutional challenge centered around judicial access, disability accommodations, and guardianship reform.
Through these legal fights and her community initiatives—such as the Sussex County S.T.E.A.M Bus and the #NoMowMay Accessibility Landscaping Initiative—Natalia continues to be an uncompromising voice for disability, immigrant, and socio-economic justice.
Rebecca Lane Evans is a distinguished civil rights activist, anti-bias policy consultant, and the Co-Founder of Diamond Mind State LLC. With a career spanning over 15 years in communications, regulatory auditing, and disability advocacy, Rebecca integrates deep institutional knowledge of housing and law with a lifelong commitment to cultural sustainability and systemic reform.
Ancestry and Personal Philosophy
Rebecca’s work is profoundly shaped by her heritage and a deep connection to her ancestors. Her lineage includes those who were enslaved and taken from their home countries, as well as those born on United States soil who faced displacement through acts of genocidal violence. Her ancestry also comprises those who were persecuted and fled to America in pursuit of a better life. Recognizing that her existence is intrinsically linked to these predecessors, Rebecca views her life’s work as a duty to honor them.
As she states: “I am all of the things that I know and therefore have a duty to modify, celebrate, mourn, expose, clarify, engage, and protect my existence.”
Ultimately, Rebecca strives for a peaceful existence filled with love for her “small tribe,” while actively challenging the corruption and lack of accountability she observes in the world. She believes that unchecked bias and discretionary powers represent a significant threat to every person in America.
Journalism and Literary Leadership
Rebecca’s dedication to narrative truth and societal reform was highlighted during her tenure at Boston University, where she was selected as a journalist for The Comment, a prestigious student-led publication known for its insightful cultural critique. Her work for the magazine included two significant features:
Personal Narrative on Childhood Racism: A poignant piece where Rebecca shared her lived experiences to shed light on the early impacts of racial bias.
Cultural Study of Pittsburgh Debutante Balls: An investigative feature exploring the historical role and evolution of debutante balls for young women in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Her selection to write for this publication—situated within a university system recognized for journalism accolades like the George Foster Peabody and Edward R. Murrow awards—reinforced her path toward earning her Master of Science in Public Relations and Corporate Communications in 2008.
Artistic Activism and the “In Chains” Series
In 2023, Rebecca was honored as the Delaware recipient of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF) Leaders of Color Fellowship (LoCF) for the Mid-Atlantic region. This highly competitive fellowship recognizes leaders who drive equity through excellence in the arts.
Her selection followed the creation of her profound “In Chains” series—a performance art and advocacy initiative that uses physical chains to symbolize societal issues requiring urgent reform. Rebecca wears these chains during focused protests to bring visibility to the weight of systemic injustice. The series is a deeply personal dedication to her children, born from the trauma of losing custody of her two daughters due to judicial abuse and unsubstantiated accusations.
By transforming her experiences with anxiety and depression into a public call for justice, she uses her art to highlight the inhumane nature of custodial deprivation and the absence of due process.
Professional Background and Public Service
Rebecca’s diverse professional history includes:
Corporate Technology & Communications: Serving at Bloomberg L.P. (2003–2006), where she gained insights into proprietary technology and the necessity of treating every individual with dignity. During this time, she also performed with the Harlem Renaissance Band.
Public Sector Expertise: Working within New Jersey law enforcement and Community Development departments, where she mastered zoning law, site auditing, and affordable housing markets.
Journalistic Integrity: Her company, Diamond Mind State LLC, operates on journalistic principles while providing radical transparency to help audiences understand the detrimental impact of societal bias.
Family Legacy and Cultural Roots
Rebecca’s advocacy is rooted in a rich family history tied to the American South and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Her parents, both graduates of Savannah State University, instilled in her an appreciation for agriculture—a legacy she honors by integrating farming into her business model to promote community stability. As a descendant of Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi family members, she continues to uphold the traditions of excellence and community service inherent in her heritage.
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