Journey to Josiah / About

One family’s journey.
A purpose that reaches further.

We believe 2SLGBTQIA+ young people deserve understanding, opportunity, and a community that stays with them as they grow.

Meet our founder

Sound starts off.

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Our story

A name rooted
in belonging.

Journey to Josiah began with David’s experience of becoming an adoptive father.

Josiah joined his family through adoption in 2017. In 2021, David established Journey to Josiah, naming the organization for his son.

That family story is the starting point for a wider mission: helping 2SLGBTQIA+ youth impacted by foster care, adoption, and aging out—and equipping the institutions responsible for serving them.

What guides us

OUR MISSION

Equip people.
Expand possibility.

Journey to Josiah empowers communities to create safe, affirming environments for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth impacted by foster care through trauma-informed education, training, and advocacy, while increasing opportunities for affirming adoption and fostering.

OUR VISION

A future with
lasting support.

A world where 2SLGBTQIA+ youth thrive in safe, affirming spaces, surrounded by communities empowered to support them.

DAVID D. MARSHALL, CPC

Founder & CEO

Meet David

Lived perspective.
Purpose in practice.

David D. Marshall, CPC, is the Founder and CEO of Journey to Josiah, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer, more affirming environments for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth impacted by foster care through education, training, and advocacy.

David is also the Founder and CEO of The Purpose Room Life Coaching LLC, where his work centers on purpose, happiness, personal alignment, and navigating life’s difficult seasons. He is the author of Happiness in Hard Seasons and Getting to Happy: A Journal of Purpose & Joy and is a member of the International Association of Professional Recovery Coaches (IAPRC).

At the center of David’s work with Journey to Josiah is the A.C.C.E.S.S. Framework™, an identity-affirming, trauma-informed training framework he created to equip professionals, caregivers, educators, and service providers with practical tools for supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth impacted by foster care. ACCESS focuses on six essential areas: Affirming Culture, Confidentiality & Consent, Communication, Environment & Safety, Supportive Practices, and Systems Navigation.

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David’s professional biography

A life shaped
by service.

The ACCESS Framework has been introduced at the Morgan State University School of Social Work as part of Journey to Josiah’s growing work to strengthen culturally responsive and affirming practices across child welfare, education, and human-service settings. Through professional development, caregiver education, community partnerships, and advocacy, David works to strengthen the systems and communities surrounding young people so they have greater opportunities to thrive.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Musicology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Shenandoah Conservatory.

His professional journey began as a music educator in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and later Baltimore City Public Schools. In 2009, David relocated to New York City to pursue a professional operatic career, performing principal and ensemble roles with Bronx Opera, Garden State Opera, and Opera Ebony while maintaining an active concert and recital career.

After returning to Baltimore in 2013, David resumed teaching before transitioning into business leadership. In 2017, he became President and CEO of Marshall Jr. Inc., his family’s multigenerational refuse-removal company and the oldest Black-owned refuse-removal company in Baltimore County, Maryland. Under his leadership, David emphasized employment opportunities for individuals returning from incarceration, reflecting his longstanding belief in second chances and creating pathways for people too often overlooked. His work earned him recognition as Employer of the Year by the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group in 2017, and he served as a facilitator during Baltimore City’s inaugural Work Baltimore initiative.

In April 2017, David’s life changed when he became a father to his son, Josiah through adoption. His experience navigating foster care and adoption became the catalyst for a new calling. In March 2021, he founded Journey to Josiah, Inc., naming the organization in honor of his son and transforming their personal journey into a broader commitment to children, families, and communities.

Since its founding, Journey to Josiah and David’s story have received local and national recognition, including features in People Magazine, GMA3, and the AFRO. David was also recognized as a 2023 Baltimore Changemaker. Through speaking engagements, professional training, higher-education partnerships, and community advocacy, he continues to expand the conversation around identity, belonging, foster care, adoption, and the responsibility communities share in creating spaces where young people can thrive.

David also serves on the Citizens Review Board for Children in the State of Maryland, advocating for permanence, stability, and equitable outcomes for children in foster care.

Across his work as a father, advocate, educator, author, coach, speaker, and artist, David remains guided by a simple belief: our lives have greater meaning when they are used in service to others.

Board of directors