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Rosetta Thurman
promoting now generation leadership for social change
Updated: 2 hours 32 min ago
Are You Satisfied with Your Nonprofit Salary? Why or Why Not?Professionals for Nonprofits has just released their 2009 data on nonprofit salaries for three metropolitan areas: New York, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. While many of the jobs in the surveys command a competitive salary on average, it’s obvious that not all locales pay their nonprofit staff at New York levels. In fact, it’s pretty much an accepted truth that most nonprofit professionals (of all ages) don’t make very much money. Is that true for you? If so, what kind of salary would you be happier with? Would you be happier with your salary if you had more benefits? Which ones? I want to know where all of you dear readers stand on this. Let’s talk. Photo credit: Call Centre Helper Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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Congratulations to Now Generation Leader Melissa Johnson, New Executive Director of Neighborhood Funders Group
NFG Announces
Melissa Johnson as New Executive Director
The Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Funders Group is delighted to announce that
Melissa Johnson will assume the role of Executive Director effective April 5, 2010. Ms.
Johnson succeeds Bettye Brentley, who served with the organization for eight years.
Johnson brings to NFG extensive knowledge of the philanthropic sector, having served as
Field Director for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), since
2007. While at NCRP, she had primary responsibility for membership development,
building a robust presence in the field, and educating foundations on the organization’s
research, policy, and publications.
As the new Executive Director, Melissa Johnson will effectively guide NFG’s mission to
strengthen the field of philanthropy and provide the organization’s membership with the
networking and knowledge needed to be more effective grant makers.
In 2008, I did an interview with my fellow young nonprofit leader Melissa Johnson where I asked her if she wanted to be an Executive Director when she grew up. Her answer was a resounding “NO.” Well, well, well, it just goes to show that you never know where your nonprofit career will take you! Melissa is not only an amazing young leader, but a dynamic and thoughtful sister who I greatly admire and look up to. Please join me in congratulating her in her new role at the Neighborhood Funders Group! NFG Announces Melissa Johnson as New Executive Director The Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Funders Group is delighted to announce that Melissa Johnson will assume the role of Executive Director effective April 5, 2010. Ms. Johnson succeeds Bettye Brentley, who served with the organization for eight years. Johnson brings to NFG extensive knowledge of the philanthropic sector, having served as Field Director for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), since 2007. While at NCRP, she had primary responsibility for membership development, building a robust presence in the field, and educating foundations on the organization’s research, policy, and publications. As the new Executive Director, Melissa Johnson will effectively guide NFG’s mission to strengthen the field of philanthropy and provide the organization’s membership with the networking and knowledge needed to be more effective grant makers. About the Neighborhood Funders Group The Neighborhood Funders Group is a membership association of grantmaking institutions. Our mission is to strengthen the capacity of organized philanthropy to understand and support community-based efforts to organize and improve the economic and social fabric of low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities. We provide information, learning opportunities, and other professional development activities to our national membership, and encourage the support of policies and practices that advance economic and social justice. Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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March 10: Join Me for Live Twitter Chat for Young Nonprofit ProfessionalsIntroducing Young Nonprofit Professionals Chat on Twitter! This Wednesday from 12-1pm EST on twitter join me and Allison Jones from Entry Level Living as we host the first ever live discussion for young nonprofit professionals! We both get asked similar questions from our peers about how to land a great nonprofit job and how young people can advance their nonprofit careers. So, we’re kicking off the series with a hot topic that we both covered on our blogs recently: how can young nonprofit leaders build their personal brands to enhance their careers? Other nonprofit leaders, like Hildy Gottlieb, have used this format successfully to build a community online where people openly exchange ideas and advice so we’re excited to try this out with fellow young nonprofiteers. We hope you’ll join us and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ynpchat for our discussion! What: Twitter Chat for Young Nonprofit Professionals Your Hosts: Rosetta Thurman @rosettathurman and Allison Jones @ajlovesya Topic: Personal Branding and Professional Advancement–How can young nonprofit leaders build their personal brands to enhance their careers? When: Wednesday, March 10, 12pm-1pm EST How: Search #ynpchat on Twitter, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or your favorite Twitter clien This Wednesday, March 10 from 12-1pm EST, join me and Allison Jones from Entry Level Living on Twitter as we host the first ever live Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals! We both get asked similar questions from our peers about how to land a great nonprofit job and how young people can advance their nonprofit careers. So, we’re kicking off the series with a hot topic that we both covered on our blogs recently: how can young nonprofit leaders build their personal brands to enhance their careers?
Other nonprofit leaders, like Hildy Gottlieb, have used this format successfully to build a community online where people openly exchange ideas and advice so we’re excited to try this out with fellow young nonprofiteers. We hope you’ll join us and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ynpchat for our discussion! What: Twitter Chat for Young Nonprofit Professionals Your Hosts: Rosetta Thurman @rosettathurman and Allison Jones @ajlovesya Topic: Personal Branding and Professional Advancement – How can young nonprofit leaders build their personal brands to enhance their careers? When: Wednesday, March 10, 12pm-1pm EST How: Search #ynpchat on Twitter, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or your favorite Twitter client Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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The Normative Problem with the Term ‘Next Generation’ LeadersEarlier this year, I profiled four “now generation” leaders to watch because they are, and will be, doing amazing things for social change in the next year. But the main reason I wanted to coin the term ‘now generation’ is because I think the ‘next generation’ moniker gives young people (and everyone else) the sense that we have to wait for some undetermined time before we can lead. We have to wait until someone hands us the baton. We have to sit on the sidelines until someone passes us the ball. And until then, we’ve got to sit quietly with the other kids and try to catch the crumbs of wisdom and power that fall from the big kid’s table. We’ve got to wait until we get “next.” If that’s what we mean by ‘next generation’ leaders, I sure don’t want to be one. To be clear, I don’t see anything wrong with the term in and of itself, but rather how it may be being used to reinforce the current distribution of power in the nonprofit sector. The Normative Problem In some ways, I see the term ‘next generation’ being used to further the normative problem we have in nonprofits. Harvard professor and scholar Ron Heifetz talks about how “normative issues” in leadership can make it difficult for new leaders to emerge. Basically, the term ‘normative’ means relating to an ideal model or standard for something, i.e. the “norm.” Heifetz says that we have a normative problem when a community believes collectively that leaders have certain characteristics like age, experience, pedigree, etc. And when a community believes that leaders come packaged in a particular way, they are more likely to wait for those types of leaders to come, instead of allowing different kinds of leaders to emerge. By saying ‘next generation’ leaders, I think we may be implying that young people are up “next” when we reach a certain age or level of experience, which is, in effect “the norm” for current leadership. ‘Next Generation’ Leaders are Not That Young Most characterizations of the ‘next generation’ assume that these leaders are much younger than current leaders. Hence, the waiting “until we get old enough” connotation. But the reality is that young nonprofit leaders who are typically referenced as the ‘next generation’ are not as young as people think. We’re not all college kids anymore. This year, the oldest of Generation Y will be 30 years old. We’re no longer the “baby” in the workplace, we’re managers and directors and CEOs of great organizations. In short, the young professionals I’ve been talking about on this blog for three years have quickly become the ‘now generation.’ But I’m not sure the term ‘next generation’ takes that into account. Who Decides When ‘Next Generation’ Leaders Become ‘Now Generation’ Leaders? Having a cadre of bright young leaders in the nonprofit sector is great, but typecasting us as the ‘next generation’can also indicate that we need someone from up on high to deem us “ready” to lead when our time comes. Using the term can make it seem as if young people will lead after all the Baby Boomers are gone, however we all know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon. Baby Boomers are staying in their jobs longer as a result of the economic downturn, and many are taking on “encore careers” as nonprofit leaders. So it’s up to us, the young nonprofit leaders, to redefine who gets to say when we’re ready to lead. It can’t be our bosses, our mentors, or some older and wiser colleague. It is we who must decide for ourselves whether and when we will lead. I’ve heard too many stories of young people who come into the nonprofit sector, do their jobs well, and wait to be promoted or included or at the very least, heard. What I’ve realized in hearing these stories is that if young people wait for approval from their organizations to lead, if we wait for someone to deem us worthy of leadership opportunities, it will never happen. We have to make our own opportunities. Malcolm X once said (my brackets), “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you’re a man [or woman], you take it.” I want to see us take it. So the new question I think we need to ask ourselves is not what we will do as ‘next generation’ nonprofit leaders, but what we are already doing to lead right now today. How do you answer that question for yourself? Do you consider yourself to be a ‘next generation’ leader? Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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Open Thread Thursday 3.4.10The doors of the blog are open. What is an open thread? An open thread refers to a blog post where readers may comment and discuss any topic that they choose. So, what do you guys wanna talk about? What’s challenging or exciting about your work right now? What are the burning questions you want to ask each other? What’s on your mind as you go about doing the work of social change? Let’s talk. Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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Do One ThingTomorrow is not promised to any one of us, no matter how much we try to trick ourselves into believing that it is. We carry that calendar, cell phone and laptop as a crutch to ensure that we’re so busy there has to be a tomorrow so we can finish up that project, send that email, schedule that meeting. But the reality is that for all of us, there will be one day when tomorrow will not come. There will be one day when we do not roll over in the bed to hit the snooze button on the alarm clock. There will be one day when we will not wake up to greet the golden sky. I heard author and motivational speaker John St. Augustine give a speech once at a book festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. He said to think of your life as a timeline. The average person lives to age 77. He said to think about where you are now on the timeline between your current age and 77. The space between is the unknown. The problem is that most people are afraid of the unknown. Most people are so afraid of the unknown that they live unhappy and mediocre lives until they aren’t living anymore. They have big dreams that they’re even afraid to speak out loud for fear they might have to make them come true. But deep down, we all want the kind of courage it takes to live what John St. Augustine calls “the uncommon life.” Deep inside of each of us, there’s a glimmer of wanting light that yearns to do something real. John says that living the uncommon life is about deliberately doing different things so your life will be better, more fulfilling. The uncommon life is not for people who say they’re going to wait until they get all their ducks in a row before they do what they really want to do. It’s not for people who insist that they’ll follow their dream of starting a business or spending more time with their family, or taking that trip to Paris…once they’ve reached a certain age or point in their lives. Because we all know that tomorrow is not promised. All we really have is today. So where do you start? Do one thing today to move your dream forward, even if it’s as simple as writing it down and taping it up on your computer. Do one thing today to remind yourself that life is too short not to do what makes you happy. Do one thing today to move yourself closer to living the uncommon life. Image credit: Wishful Thinking
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Alston Bannerman Fellowship Program Offers Sabbaticals for Long-Time Activists of ColorFrom the Foundation Center: Part of the Center for Social Inclusion, the Alston Bannerman Fellowship Program supports long-time activists of color by giving them the resources to take time out for reflection and renewal. Fellows receive a $25,000 award to take sabbaticals of three months or more. To be eligible, an applicant must be a person of color, have more than ten years of community organizing experience, be committed to continuing social change work in communities of color, and live in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or U.S. Virgin Islands. Both paid and unpaid leaders are eligible to apply. Beyond the basic eligibility criteria, the program seeks applicants whose work attacks root causes of inequity by organizing those affected to take strategic collective action, challenges the systems that perpetrate injustice and effect institutional and structural change, builds community capacity for democratic participation and develops grassroots leadership, acknowledges the cultural values of the community, creates accountable participatory structures in which community members have decision-making power, and contributes to building a movement for social change by making connections between issues, developing alliances with other constituencies, and collaborating with other organizations. Visit the Alston Bannerman Fellowship Web site for complete program information. Contact: Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: The Full RoundupI can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed learning about, and being inspired by, the 28 Black nonprofit leaders I chose to profile during Black History Month. I hope you will continue to read and share them with your colleagues. It was truly a labor of love for me to spotlight dozens of nonprofit leaders who look like me and are doing great work in communities all over the country. Of course, I could have gone on and on with the series, and in fact I will continue to highlight nonprofit leaders of color on this blog. Here are the full 28 profiles. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them!
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Michael WatsonMichael Watson is Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Girl Scouts of the USA. From the Girl Scouts website: “We cannot remain competitive as a nation or solve the country’s most challenging problems without tapping the full potential of girls and young women from every segment of our society. I joined Girl Scouts because we embrace diversity and help girls from every background become this country’s future workforce and tomorrow’s leaders.” Michael Watson, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, directs the development and implementation of strategies, policies, and programs in the areas of staffing, employee retention, workforce planning, diversity, compensation and benefits, organizational development, employee relations, and succession planning for Girl Scouts of the USA. Prior to joining Girl Scouts in 1999, Watson was a human resources partner for IBM Global Services, where he served as the senior human resources strategist for two businesses with combined revenues of more than $2 billion. Other positions he has held include manager-corporate human resources for Time Warner Inc. and manager-staffing and cultural diversity for GE Capital’s 7,500-employee Retailer Financial Services business. He was awarded GE Capital’s Pinnacle Club for top performance. Before joining GE’s Human Resources Management Program, Watson worked as an IBM marketing representative and received an IBM Golden Circle Award for ranking among the top performers in sales for the year. In 1997, Watson took a one-year self-financed sabbatical. He spent part of that year as a volunteer at two public elementary schools in New Brunswick, N.J. He has been a business coordinator and volunteer for INROADS and an Association of Yale Alumni delegate, and is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville and Leadership Canton. Watson is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the USA and the National Black MBA Association. Watson is chair of the National Assembly’s Human Resources Council, an association of senior human resources professionals from the nation’s leading national nonprofits in the fields of health, human and community development, and human services. He is also treasurer of the Nonprofit Sector Workforce Coalition’s board of directors. Composed of nonprofit organizations, associations, foundations and academic centers, the coalition focuses on identifying and addressing issues facing the nonprofit sector workforce. Watson has a bachelor of arts in economics from Yale University and a master of science in organizational management and human resource development from Manhattanville College. A native of New Brunswick, N.J., he now resides in Stamford, Conn. See also: Michael talks about the Girl Scouts as his “encore career” (text) Photo credit: Girl Scouts Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Thelma GoldenThelma Golden is the Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem. From The Black List Project: As a young child growing up in Queens, New York, Thelma Golden knew early in life she wanted to be a museum curator. She first learned of the role at age 12 when she read about the pioneering African-American woman curator, Lowery Sims, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Golden had her first hands-on training as a senior in high school, training as a curatorial apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum. In 1991, Thelma took a position at the Whitney Museum of American Art, one of the nation’s premier art institutions. Golden used her position to open up the museum to previously under-represented artists including women and people of color. Her willingness to think outside the box and show artists that might not have been shown anywhere else helped put her on the national map. See also: Thelma talking about her relationship to art and what she hopes for her legacy in 2008 (video) See also: Thelma’s 2005 interview with Gothamist (text) Photo credit: Gothamist Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Terri Lee FreemanTerri Lee Freeman is the President of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region in Washington, DC. From the Venture Philanthropy Partners website: Terri Lee Freeman was appointed president of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region (The Community Foundation) in July 1996. As president, Freeman is responsible for providing thought leadership and furthering the mission of The Community Foundation to facilitate individual, family, and organizational giving at all levels to improve the quality of life in the metropolitan Washington region. Since joining The Community Foundation, Freeman has led its growth from $52 million to more than $200 million in assets. The Community Foundation is the largest funder of local nonprofit organizations in the metropolitan Washington region. She has been at the forefront of regional philanthropy in Washington, housing two affiliate community foundations – Montgomery County Community Foundation and Prince George’s Community Foundation. Under her leadership the foundation has been instrumental in focusing attention and grant dollars on bridging differences between race, class, ethnicity, gender, and age, managing the only funding collaborative in the region focused on immigrant and inter-group issues. Additionally, The Community Foundation has spearheaded a youth philanthropy initiative in Washington, DC and Montgomery County, Maryland. Immediately following September 11th, The Community Foundation established the Survivors’ Fund as an LLC, the largest devoted to the needs of the victims and families of the attack on the Pentagon, with more than $16 million in contributions recorded. Prior to joining The Community Foundation, she was the founding executive director of the Freddie Mac Foundation, one of the five largest corporate foundations in the metropolitan Washington region. Washingtonian magazine recently identified Freeman as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington. A graduate of the 1996 class of Leadership Washington, Freeman serves on the board of directors of The Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest and Venture Philanthropy Partners; and is a member of the planning committee of the Potomac Conference; co-chair of the Potomac Conference’s Task Force on Regional Emergency Preparedness; and a member of the Strategy Group for New Ventures in Philanthropy. Additionally, she has served on the advisory board of the Washington, DC office of the Children’s Defense Fund and the board of directors of the National Association of Child Advocates. She is a past chair of the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers as well as past chair of the board of directors of the Association of Black Foundation Executives. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication arts from the University of Dayton and received a master’s degree in organizational communication management from Howard University. She is married to the Reverend Bowyer Freeman and has three daughters. See also: Terri’s 2009 interview on Fox 5 on what the economic downturn means for the community (video) See also: Terri’s 2003 interview with Philanthropy News Digest (text) See also: Read Terri’s Blog (text) See also: Follow Terri Lee Freeman on Twitter Photo credit: Terri’s Twitter Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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Open Thread Thursday: 2.25.10The blog is yours. What is an open thread? An open thread refers to a blog post where readers may comment and discuss any topic that they choose. So, what do you guys wanna talk about? What’s challenging or exciting about your work right now? Do you have any burning questions for me to answer? What’s on your mind as you go about doing the work of social change? Let’s talk. Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Susan Taylor Batten
Susan Taylor Batten joined ABFE as President and CEO in January 2009.
Prior to joining ABFE Ms. Batten was Senior Associate with the Annie E. Casey
Foundation.
Ms. Batten has more than twenty years of experience in directing, evaluating and
advising both public and foundation-related efforts to improve outcomes for
children, youth and families. At Casey, Ms. Batten served as staff in the
Community Change Initiatives Unit which provides communities and other
partners with information, resources and supports to help transform
neighborhoods into family supportive environments. She also coordinated a
portfolio on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In that role, she worked across the
Foundation to strengthen its focus on addressing racial disparities in its
grantmaking. Her duties also included assisting Casey in its efforts to build and
employ equitable and inclusive management and administrative practices
(workforce diversity, grantee diversity, vendor practices, etc.).
Prior to Casey, Ms. Batten served as Vice President at The Center for
Assessment and Policy Development where she directed projects for national
foundations in the areas of leadership development and supports for young
parents and their children. While working with the U. S. Department of
Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, she oversaw national evaluations of
federal child nutrition programs and helped to increase access to food programs
for the homeless population. Prior to USDA, Ms. Batten worked for several years
for the Government of the District of Columbia on comprehensive children’s
initiatives and, in particular, efforts to coordinate early childhood programs and
policies across the city.
Ms. Batten is also a member of the inaugural Class (2005-2006) of ABFE
Connecting Leaders Fellows, a program designed to foster the career
development of emerging leaders in the field of philanthropy. She is a member
of Hispanics in Philanthropy, serves as an Advisory Board Member to the
Diversity in Philanthropy Project, and Co-Chair’s the Steering Committee for The
Partnership for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Ms. Batten is a proud
graduate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, where she received her
Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from Fisk University, and
her Masters of Social Work degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Susan Taylor Batten is the President and CEO of the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). From the ABFE website: Prior to joining ABFE Ms. Batten was Senior Associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Ms. Batten has more than twenty years of experience in directing, evaluating and advising both public and foundation-related efforts to improve outcomes for children, youth and families. At Casey, Ms. Batten served as staff in the Community Change Initiatives Unit which provides communities and other partners with information, resources and supports to help transform neighborhoods into family supportive environments. She also coordinated a portfolio on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In that role, she worked across the Foundation to strengthen its focus on addressing racial disparities in its grantmaking. Her duties also included assisting Casey in its efforts to build and employ equitable and inclusive management and administrative practices (workforce diversity, grantee diversity, vendor practices, etc.). Prior to Casey, Ms. Batten served as Vice President at The Center for Assessment and Policy Development where she directed projects for national foundations in the areas of leadership development and supports for young parents and their children. While working with the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, she oversaw national evaluations of federal child nutrition programs and helped to increase access to food program for the homeless population. Prior to USDA, Ms. Batten worked for several years for the Government of the District of Columbia on comprehensive children’s initiatives and, in particular, efforts to coordinate early childhood programs and policies across the city. Ms. Batten is also a member of the inaugural Class (2005-2006) of ABFE Connecting Leaders Fellows, a program designed to foster the career development of emerging leaders in the field of philanthropy. She is a member of Hispanics in Philanthropy, serves as an Advisory Board Member to the Diversity in Philanthropy Project, and Co-Chairs the Steering Committee for The Partnership for Prince George’s County, Maryland. Ms. Batten is a proud graduate of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Political Science from Fisk University, and her Masters of Social Work degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. See also: Susan’s remarks at Minnesota Council on Foundations’ 2009 Annual Meeting, “Philanthropy’s Leadership Challenge” (text) Photo credit: ABFE Full disclosure: ABFE is a former client of mine Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Emery WrightEmery Wright currently sits on the Executive Leadership Team at Project South in Atlanta. From the Project South website: An Atlanta native, Emery is a community organizer with over 15 years of experience including: youth development, community and tenant organizing, leadership development, and nonprofit organizational development. Emery is an educator with experience facilitating Black studies courses, U.S. history, African studies, and leadership development in a wide range of settings including prisons, housing struggles, college campuses and youth organizing spaces. In 1999, He founded and directed The Nia Project for five years, a Black youth development and community building organization based in Boston, Massachusetts with projects in South Carolina and Atlanta. In 2002, he received the Arthur Ashe Youth Leadership Award from the Skinner Leadership Institute and the Drylongslo Award for Combating Racism from the Boston Center for Community Change. An accomplished writer and speaker on social movement development and grassroots leadership, Emery has worked closely with community organizers in East Africa and across the Southeast. He served on the Project Team at Building Movement Project, Inc. based in New York from 2006-2009 and currently serves on The Ordinary Peoples Society National Board, based in Dothan, Alabama. At Project South, Emery is responsible for Organizational Program & Leadership Development and directs the youth development work for community organizing including the Youth Community Action Project Youth Speak Truth radio program and the Septima Clark Community Power Institute. See also: Emery’s speech at the 2008 Atlanta Global Day of Action press conference Photo credit: Project South Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Sherece WestSherece Y. West is the President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Arkansas. Since 1974, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has supported programs and organizations that improve the quality of life for all Arkansans and that promote systemic change. From the Foundation website: Sherece is nationally known for her leadership in the areas of community development, public policy, and, most recently, disaster recovery. Sherece’s career path began at the Social Security Administration and wound its way through the Maryland Municipal League, the DC Department of Public Health, the Community Service Society of New York City, the Ford Foundation, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. At Casey, Sherece partnered with its Rebuilding Communities Initiative grantees and consultants to help the five RCI sites advance their community-building plans and achieve their goals. Her other grant making areas included housing, community development, race, culture and power and managing the foundation’s investments in youth mobilization, engagement, and leadership. It was her work at Casey that led the Carrier Foundation to invite Sherece to be its first President & CEO. The Carrier Foundation is dedicated to improving the life chances of disadvantaged children and families in the southwest region of Louisiana. Shortly after arriving there, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck, and after just two months on the job, Sherece was asked to help lead the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, first as a loaned executive and subsequently as its Chief Executive Officer. LDRF is committed to promoting equity and inclusion as communities build back in Louisiana, a mission that dovetails with the WRF vision of Arkansas as a state where economic, racial, and social justice is universally valued and practiced. Sherece holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; and a Bachelor of Arts from Bowie State University. She was a Fellow with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Policy Institutes and a 2003–04 Emerging Leaders Fellow – a joint program of Duke University and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Sherece is passionate about helping others, addressing the issues related to poverty, race and social justice; education; and community development. In addition to heading WRF, she currently serves on the boards of the Council on Foundations, Grantmakers for Children, Youth and Families, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and the National Urban Fellows. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. Sherece was a 2007 Telly Award Bronze Winner for her work as Executive Producer of Power in the People, a graduate of Leadership Arkansas Class II for 2007-08, and a current member of the Rotary Club of Little Rock and the Arkansas Women’s Leadership Forum. She was named to the Arkansas Business Journal Top 180 Power List in 2008 and 2009. See also: Sherece’s 2006 interview with Foundation News Photo credit: Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Trista HarrisTrista Harris is the Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice and a prolific blogger at New Voices of Philanthropy. From Trista’s blog: Trista Harris is nationally known as a passionate advocate for new leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. She is a leading voice for Generations X and Y and seeks to create professional development opportunities throughout the sector. Trista has been featured on CNN and her work has been covered by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the New York Times, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, Career Builder, and numerous social sector blogs. She writes about generational change in the foundation field in her blog, New Voices Of Philanthropy and is an international speaker on working across generations to create social change. In her professional life, Trista is the Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice. Headwaters is a community foundation with a mission to act as a catalyst for social, racial, economic and environmental justice. She oversees the Foundation’s grantmaking, communications, fund development and investment management activities. Trista came to the Headwaters Foundation from the Saint Paul Foundation, where she was a program officer and provided leadership on the Foundation’s initiatives related to civic engagement and philanthropy, as well as managed both scholarship funds and a grantmaking portfolio that reflected the Foundation’s interest in comprehensive solutions to community issues. Prior to her work at the Saint Paul Foundation, Trista was the Advancement Director for Portico Healthnet, an innovative nonprofit that provides health coverage and education to uninsured Minnesotans. A native Minnesotan, Trista received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Howard University and her Master’s in Public Policy degree, with a focus on philanthropy and nonprofit effectiveness, from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. See also: My 2008 interview with Trista Harris on “Reimagining the Nonprofit Sector” (text) Photo credit: Headwaters Foundation Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Anthony JewettAnthony Jewett is Co-Founder of the National Center for Global Engagement (NCGE) and Managing Director of NCGE’s K-12 Education Group. The National Center for Global Engagement is the resultant of a 2009 merger between the Bardoli Global Foundation and the BrownBell Foundation. From the NCGE website: Anthony founded the Bardoli Global Scholars Program in 2005 to provide global leadership and professional development opportunities for outstanding African American, Latino, and Native American youth through study abroad and service learning. From 2003-2005, Anthony served as a bilingual elementary school teacher in New York City with Teach for America. He has studied and worked abroad on a variety of assignments in South America, West Africa, China, and the Middle East. He is a 2006 Echoing Green Fellow and serves on the boards of the Collaborative for Diversity in Education Abroad and the editorial advisory board of International Educator magazine. Anthony earned a B.A. in International Studies from Morehouse College in 2003 where his passion for study abroad and community service earned him both the Freeman-Asia and Benjamin Gilman awards from the Institute of International Education. He is currently a Fellow in community and family philanthropy at The Zeist Foundation in Atlanta. See also: Anthony’s Echoing Green profile , Your Path in Eight Questions See also: 2007 profile of Jewett’s work, Study Abroad Isn’t Just for White Students Photo credit: Echoing Green Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Benjamin JealousBenjamin Jealous is President and CEO of the NAACP. From the NAACP website: Benjamin Todd Jealous grew up believing that there was no higher calling than to further the cause of freedom in this country and in the world. It is a mindset he inherited from of his parents and grandparents. Their drive for community betterment blazed the trail for Jealous’ own deep commitment to social justice, public service and human rights activism. Now, as the 17th President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP, and the youngest person to hold the position in the organization’s nearly 100-year history, Jealous is well positioned to answer the call. During his career, he has served as president of the Rosenberg Foundation, director of the U.S. Human Rights Program at Amnesty International and Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a federation of more than 200 black community newspapers. From his early days of organizing voter registration drives up until his nomination and election as NAACP president, Jealous has been motivated by civic duty and a constant need to improve the lives of America’s underrepresented. All things considered, Jealous’ leadership roles and active community involvement have well prepared him for his current duties as president of the NAACP. In fact, his path through journalism and the Black Press is not unlike several other former NAACP presidents, including Roy Wilkins, Walter White, Ida B. Wells and W.E.B. Dubois. As a student at Columbia University, he worked in Harlem as a community organizer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. On campus, Jealous led school-wide movements, including boycotts and pickets for homeless rights, a successful campaign to save full-need financial aid and need-blind admissions when other national universities were cutting such programs, and an environmental justice battle with the University. These protests ultimately led to the suspension of Jealous and three other student leaders. Jealous used this time off to work as a field organizer helping to lead a campaign that prevented the State of Mississippi from closing two of its three public historically black universities, and converting one of them into a prison. He remained in Mississippi to take a job at the Jackson Advocate, an African American newspaper based in the state’s capital. His reporting — for the frequently firebombed weekly — was credited with exposing corruption amongst high-ranking officials at the state prison in Parchman. His investigations also helped to acquit a small black farmer who had been wrongfully and maliciously accused of arson. His work at the Jackson Advocate eventually lead to his promotion to Managing Editor. In 1997, Jealous returned to Columbia University and completed his degree in political science. With the encouragement of mentors, he applied and was accepted to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar where he earned a master’s degree in comparative social research. Jealous eventually went on to serve as Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). While at the NNPA, he rebuilt its 90-year old national news service and launched a web-based initiative that more than doubled the number of black newspapers publishing online. Most recently, Jealous was President of the Rosenberg Foundation, a private independent institution that funds civil and human rights advocacy to benefit California’s working families. Prior to that, he was Director of the U.S. Human Rights Program at Amnesty International. While there he led efforts to pass federal legislation against prison rape, rebuild public consensus against racial profiling in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, and expose the widespread sentencing of children to life without the possibility of parole. Active in civic life, Jealous is a board member of the California Council for the Humanities, and the Association of Black Foundation Executives, as well as a member of the Asia Society. He is married to Lia Epperson Jealous, a professor of constitutional law and former civil rights litigator with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. They presently reside in Washington, DC with their young daughter. See also: Benjamin’s 2009 interview with the Chronicle of Philanthropy (video) See also: Julian Bond’s interview with Benjamin during University of Virginia’s Explorations in Black Leadership series (video) Photo credit: NAACP Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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2.24: Join Me for Live Discussion on Nonprofit Organizational SustainabilityJoin me on your lunch break this Wednesday at 12pm EST for All Nonprofits Considered on BlogTalkRadio! This week is the third conversation of the State of the Nonprofit Union, a series of live (and lively!) discussions about the current state of the nonprofit sector with a special focus on careers, fundraising, and organizational sustainability. This is free, real-time professional development where you will get to learn about what’s happening right now in the nonprofit field, as well as chime in with your questions, thoughts and ideas. Please mark your calendars! Tell all your friends. And your friends’ friends. February 24, 12:00-1:00pm ESTState of the Nonprofit Union: Organizational Sustainability Listen to perspectives from three different nonprofit voices around what organizations are doing to stay afloat in the economic downturn. Is there increased competition or increased collaboration? We’ll share thoughts on how the economy has impacted leadership decisions and mission integrity in the nonprofit field including layoffs, program cuts, and innovation. GuestsNelson Layag, Projects Director, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services As Projects Director, Silicon Valley, Nelson leads the development and programming of CompassPoint’s Silicon Valley site and Resource Center. He was formerly the Director of Technology at CompassPoint, where he lead the development of innovative technology projects for the nonprofit sector which include an online and interactive training resource for community organizers and an e-learning course for Cisco employees who are about to join a nonprofit board. He has served in a number of positions at CompassPoint, including Director of Education. Prior to joining CompassPoint, Nelson was the Accounting Operations Coordinator at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco and Group Home Supervisor for Star House in San Jose. He was a social worker serving at risk youth in Baltimore before coming to California. Nelson has a BA in Business Administration and Marketing from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD and was one of the first student coordinators for the Center for Values and Service at Loyola, which connects student and faculty volunteers with community nonprofit organizations in Baltimore. Joe Brown, Human resources and management consultant to nonprofits at Slope Resources and Taproot Foundation volunteer Joe Brown, Slope Resources’ founder and principal, is committed to providing organizations with effective, high quality, and creative management consulting services, primarily in the areas of nonprofit human resources management, organizational effectiveness, information collection and reporting, training, communications, and technology. Since founding Slope Resources in 1998, Joe has focused primarily on the compensation, performance management, and related human resources management needs of nonprofit organizations, primarily in the New York region. Prior to founding Slope Resources, Joe spent nine years with the New York office of the Hay Group, an international management consulting firm, focused primarily on providing compensation and other human resources consulting services to organizations in numerous industry sectors. During this tenure, he accumulated broad experience in work measurement, compensation (including base salary as well as cash, non-cash, short- and long-term incentives), performance management, employee opinion research, work culture diagnosis and change, and internal/external customer satisfaction He also helped develop a number of innovative information- and technology-based client solutions and product offerings. Joe attended the University of Chicago and New York Institute of Technology, and is a member of World at Work (formerly American Compensation Association), the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. He also provides pro bono consulting services as a volunteer with the Taproot Foundation. Joe is an avid scuba diver and instructor, as well as a certified first aid and CPR instructor. He resides in Roselle, New Jersey with his wife, Kristin Miscall Brown, a psychotherapist in private practice, and their menagerie of dogs and cats. Patrick Sallee, Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City and a Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) national board member. He also has a fantastic blog.
Patrick’s experience in fundraising started with a national nonprofit, American Humanics and continued as a consultant with Hartsook Companies. Patrick is passionate about building strong relationships with donors, colleagues and other nonprofit professionals. He is addicted to social media and constantly looking for new ways to share info. Outside of the office he currently serves on the board of directors of Nonprofit Connect and recently joined the national board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN). On a personal level, Patrick is an avid reader and golfer.
Don’t Forget to Join the Live Chat Room! About 10 minutes before the show begins, I open up the live chat room that appears right below the audio player. Be sure to log-in to the chat room during the show to share your questions and comments. Talk live with me, my guests and the other listeners! Remember, you can both listen online or call in – this is a LIVE show! Can’t listen to the live show? No worries – each show is archived for you to listen to later online or you can subscribe to the show in iTunes and get it in your iPod. P.S. You may want to grab my RSS feed or subscribe by email to make sure you get announcements about upcoming discussions delivered right to your inbox or feed reader. And for more nonprofit links and daily inspiration, you should follow me on Twitter! Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Michael LomaxDr. Michael L. Lomax is president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), From the UNCF website: As president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Michael L. Lomax heads the nation’s largest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization. Through its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, and 24 field offices across the country, UNCF annually provides operating and program funds to its 39 member private historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their 60,000 students. In addition, it manages more than 400 scholarship programs that support nearly 10,000 students at over 900 of the nation’s colleges and universities. In the course of its 62-year history, UNCF has raised and distributed over $2.5 billion and has assisted over 300,000 students in earning undergraduate degrees. In 1999, UNCF received over $1 billion, the largest private gift to American higher education, from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to administer the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which provides outstanding minority students with an opportunity to complete their undergraduate and graduate college educations. Dr. Lomax joined UNCF after serving in a series of high-level academic and political positions. Immediately before joining UNCF, he served seven years as president of Dillard University in New Orleans. Dr. Lomax went to Dillard after thirty years in Atlanta, where he pursued simultaneous full-time careers as a university professor and public servant. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Atlanta’s Morehouse College (the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King) and, after receiving his M.A. degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. in American and African American literature from Emory University, taught literature at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges and the University of Georgia. At the same time, he became a prominent figure in Atlanta government and politics. He began his public service as an assistant to Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first African American mayor, and went on to serve as the first head of Atlanta’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs. In 1978, he was elected to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. Two years later, he became the Board’s chairman, the first African American ever to hold that position and served in that position for twelve years. Dr. Lomax is a trustee of Emory University, a member of the founding Council of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and a member of the Boards of Directors of Teach for America, The KIPP Foundation, The Carter Center, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Studio Museum in Harlem, The Bill T. Jones Dance Company and the National Black Arts Festival, of which he was founding chair. President George W. Bush appointed him to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He has also received numerous awards including The Laurel Crowned Circle Award from Omicron Delta Kappa (2006), the distinguished Emory Medal, the Candle in the Dark award from Morehouse College and several honorary degrees. Dr. Lomax and his wife, Cheryl Ferguson Lomax, have two daughters, Michele and Rachel. His oldest daughter, Deignan, graduated from Dillard University in 2000. See also: Michael on NPR in 2009, Funding Cuts Put HBCUs On The Chopping Block (audio) See also: Michael speaking at Morehouse College’s 143rd Founder’s Day Convocation in 2010 (video, Michael’s remarks begin at 38:27) Photo credit: UNCF Share and Enjoy:Related Posts
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