Today we’d like to introduce you to Latanya E. Peterson.
Hi Latanya E., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story starts in the classroom. I’ve spent more than 15 years in education, most of it in secondary education, and that’s where my sense of the work was shaped up close, with students. In 2015 I stepped out of the classroom, but not away from education. I wanted to help shape the conditions students and teachers were working within, so I moved into the educational policy conversation and began working on campaigns.
That path led me to Washington, where I was appointed as a legislative assistant serving as the liaison between the White House and AmeriCorps. It was a front-row seat to how policy actually gets made and how national service connects to the communities it’s meant to serve. From there I began consulting in educational policy, which eventually brought me back to Florida as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Florida Department of Education.
That role was really about relationships. I worked with nonprofits across the state on behalf of the Department, helping these organizations understand how we could support them from the educational side. I spent nearly three years there before returning to consulting, this time focused on educational program work.
More recently, I’ve transitioned into grant compliance. It’s a natural extension of everything before it: I partner with organizations to manage the compliance deliverables that come after they’ve received a grant, so they can stay focused on their mission while meeting every requirement along the way. Across all of it, the through-line has been the same helping the people and organizations doing this work have what they need to succeed.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges was learning to navigate political spaces that weren’t accustomed to seeing a Black woman with natural hair in a leadership role, especially across the state of Florida. I often had to work to establish my creditability in rooms where my presence itself was unexpected, and that meant being intentional about how I showed up, how I communicated, and how I built trust. It wasn’t always comfortable, but it taught me a great deal about resilience, about staying grounded in who I am and who’s I am, and about leading authentically rather than shrinking to fit anyone else’s expectations.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Grant Stewards Llc. ?
Grant Stewards LLC exists to help organizations do their best work without being weighed down by the fine print that comes after the award. We specialize in grant compliance and compliance reporting partnering with nonprofits, agencies, and schools to manage the deliverables, reporting, and requirements that follow once a grant has been received. In other words, we come in after the celebration of “we got funded” and make sure that funding is stewarded well from start to close-out.
What sets us apart is the perspective I bring from both sides of the table. I’ve spent more than 15 years in education and educational policy, including my time as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Florida Department of Education, where I worked directly with nonprofits across the state and saw firsthand how funding decisions and compliance expectations actually operate. That means I understand not just what compliance requires, but why it matters and how to translate it into something an organization can genuinely manage.
Brand-wise, what I’m proudest of is simple: helping organizations keep the funds they worked so hard to get. So much effort goes into winning a grant, and it’s heartbreaking to see an organization put that funding at risk simply because the compliance side felt overwhelming. That’s the gap we fill. What I want your readers to know is that Grant Stewards is built on exactly what the name says: stewardship. We treat every organization’s grant as if it were our own, because when compliance is handled with care, our clients get to stay focused on their mission and the communities they serve.
What does success mean to you?
For me, success isn’t measured in dollars or titles it’s measured in impact and integrity. Success is knowing that the organizations I work with are able to keep and fully use the funding they fought so hard to secure, so they can pour it back into the communities they serve. It’s seeing a nonprofit or school stay focused on their mission instead of drowning in paperwork.
On a personal level, success also means leading authentically showing up as my full self, staying grounded in my values, and opening doors for others who don’t always see themselves represented in these spaces. If I’ve helped someone do their work with more confidence and less fear, and I’ve done it with honesty and care, then I consider that a success.
Contact Info:
