Dionne Bussey-Reeder has worked in communities and across cities in the field of community relations and human capital development for over 25 years.

One of her major accomplishments includes the development and implementation of a college preparation program, which successfully assisted hundreds of District of Columbia high school seniors complete the arduous process of college admission and financial assistance. She also contributed to the development and management of the $9 million District of Columbia Local Law Enforcement Block Grant and the Youth Violence Prevention Initiative.

While serving in the District of Columbia’s Office of Neighborhood Services in Mayor Williams’ administration, she worked with community leaders to successfully close open-air drug markets in Southeast Washington, D.C. She also assisted several area churches in creating youth development curriculums and community programming to engage at-risk youth.

Bussey-Reeder has served with the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative (FSFSC) as the Principal Deputy, Community Engagement Director, and Program Director for the Ward 8 Drug-Free Coalition. Her work has included oversight of the community mini-grant and capacity building grant program, where she annually provided support and oversight of approximately $2 million for youth and family development programming in Ward 8. She served on the senior team that brokered the purchase of FSFSC’s new home office, and successfully closed the deal to bring Anacostia the first Busboys and Poets restaurant east of the Anacostia River.

Knowing the impact and power of entrepreneurship in underserved communities, in May 2015, Bussey-Reeder joined a partnership and opened a restaurant, Cheers @The Big Chair, in Ward 8. In 2019, Bussey-Reeder ran for the At-Large D.C. Council seat.

Bussey-Reeder currently resides with her family in Ward 1, Columbia Heights, in the home she grew up in as a child.