Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Armando Rayo, United Way Capital Area, Austin

October 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

This is the third interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders who I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day. You can check out all of the interviews in the series here.

Meet Armando Rayo, Director of Community Engagement at United Way Capital Area, Austin

Armando Rayo is the VP of Engagement at Cultural Strategies and Director of Community Engagement at United Way Capital Area/Hands On Central Texas in Austin, TX. In this candid interview, he shares his path into the nonprofit sector and his ideas for how we can move forward in doing the work of social change.

Age (or what generation you belong to)

I’m 37, Gen Equis!

City, State where you live

Austin, TX

How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?

Like most people, I just landed in it. I always cared about the community and volunteered and when a job opened up at United Way, I applied. Been there for 13 years and really found my calling working with diverse communities and getting people mobilized in the community.

What is your current position and day-to-day work?

I am the director of community engagement at United Way Capital Area and v.p., engagement at Cultural Strategies. I develop and implement community engagement and multicultural engagement strategies that inspire people to become involved in the community, from grassroots to social media. I work with volunteers, nonprofits, churches, businesses, entrepreneurs and everyday people that want to do something to help their community. In my day to day, I develop new and innovative ways to engage people in the community through implementation of community engagement programming including LIVE UNITED Film Series, Latino Engagement Initiatives, Days of Service, Volunteer Leader and Nonprofit trainings. In my role at Cultural Strategies, I help nonprofits understand and reach out to Latino and Multicultural communities through communication strategies, campaigns and developing volunteer and board strategies that will make organizations more inclusive and relevant to these communities.

What is your educational background and area of expertise?

I specialize in building capacity & creating change with a focus on Hispanic Engagement, project management, leadership development & social innovation. I have over 13 years experience and expertise in community engagement, volunteerism & social media, and have developed innovative engagement strategies (grassroots to social media) & multicultural programming for many nonprofits & businesses including, United Way Capital Area, MPower Foundation/RISE, Hahn,TX, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Goodwill Industries of Central Texas, CASA of Travis County, OneStar Foundation & Active Life Movement. I develop and facilitate nonprofit capacity building trainings at local & national conferences that have included United Way Worldwide, Points of Light Institute/Hands On Network, OneStar Foundation, United Neighborhood Centers of America, Keep Texas Beautiful and Gov 2.0. Because of my role and expertise in the community, I have been fortunate enough to be sourced in the The Chronicle of Philanthropy, NPR’s MarketPlace, The New York Times, Austin American-Statesman and Austin Monthly.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does that mean for Latino leaders and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?

I think there’s a lot of opportunity! Latinos should embrace the opportunity to work and serve the nonprofit sector and open doors so more Latinos can participate in the sector and the greater community. I also think it needs to happen within the sector – nonprofits need to engage more Latinos, build real, authentic relationships with Latino communities and engage them as volunteers and board members.

What would you like to see changed in the nonprofit sector?  How can we take action to implement that change?

By 2050, 132.8 million Hispanics will live in the U.S., making Hispanics the largest ethnic-minority in America. The new America is a “multicultural America” and that change needs to be reflected in the nonprofit sector in order for it to stay relevant. I would like to see nonprofits engage more Latino and multicultural communities to serve in leadership capacities such as volunteers, board members and advocates.

The following are some ways nonprofits can start connecting with Latinos in their communities…

Relationships

Building relationships with Hispanics is not much different than building relationships with other groups. When you build authentic relationships with Hispanics, treat them as valued stakeholders and keep their needs in mind. Once the trust is built, they will support you and open doors for you and your organization. Keep in mind that we like our platicas so get to know us first before you engage us in the business at hand.

La Cultura

Hispanics are as diverse as the American melting pot; we have varied traditions and experiences. One thing we have in common is that we value culture; and not one culture fits all. Hispanics born and raised in the U.S. will have different experiences from newly arrived immigrants from Mexico, Central or even South America. A Latino living in Los Angeles will have different cultural traditions from other Latinos living in Miami, Houston and yes, even Akron, Ohio.

Go to la gente

Find out where Latinos live; where they gather and go to them. Hispanics live in rural and urban areas, Latino neighborhoods and they gather in places they trust. Do some research, show up and start building relationships.

Collaborate

Forge relationships (notice a common theme?) with organizations deep-rooted in Hispanic communities. Learn from organizations that were founded in Latino communities and ones that have built trust with this population (i.e Hispanic professional groups, Catholic Diocese, LULAC, El Concilio, NCLR, etc.)

Be a resource

It takes two to form the relationship. Nonprofits have needs and so do Hispanics. Take the time to listen & understand what the needs, wants and aspirations are for Hispanic communities. Ask yourselves, “How can I be a resource for Hispanics in my community?” By helping and being a resource, you’re showing that you care about this community and you’ll create advocates along the way.

You can follow Armando on Twitter @elmundodemando

Filed Under: Interviews, Leaders of Color, Leadership · Tagged With: , , , ,

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Victor Corral, Insight Center for Community Economic Development

September 28, 2010 by · 1 Comment

This is the second interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders who I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day. You can check out all of the interviews in the series here.

Meet Victor Corral, Program Manager at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development

Victor Corral is the Program Manager for the Insight Center’s Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, which is a national effort to close the racial wealth gap in a generation. In this candid interview, he shares his path into the nonprofit sector and his ideas for how we can move forward in doing the work of social change.

Age (or what generation you belong to)

27 – “Millennial”

City, State where you live

San Francisco, CA

How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?

An internship in college gave me a fellowship to work at a local nonprofit over the summer. I continued as a part-time employee after my fellowship was over, and eventually was hired full-time upon graduation.

What is your current position and day-to-day work?

What we do:

I’m a Program Manager for the Insight Center’s Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative, which is a national effort to close the racial wealth gap in a generation.

Our strategies are three-fold.

1) Educate the public on the racial wealth gap

2) Develop and promote policies (mainly at the federal level) that help families build assets and close racial wealth disparities and

3) Inject experts of color into public policy debates on economic issues because we believe that “diverse voices lead to more equitable solutions.”

My day to day:

I help coordinate and implement our federal policy strategy and our communications strategy, both internal (our Experts of Color Network) and external (public engagement). On the communication side, I help write our research reports and newsletters, maintain our social media accounts, find media opportunities for our members, and present at conferences. With my “policy” hat, I help develop our policy recommendations and strategy, write letters to Congress, set up Congressional briefings and meetings, build relationships with Congressional staff, and find opportunities for our members to engage with policymakers.

What is your educational background and area of expertise?

I have a BA in Political Science and an emphasis on social policy. My “expertise” is the development and implementation of policy and communication strategies that effectively raise awareness of an issue (the racial wealth gap), and the advancement of policy solutions to address that issue. I think this comes from having a strong “race” lens to all the work I do, and being an effective writer that can frame messaging appropriately for different audiences.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does that mean for Latino leaders and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?

Well, what it means is that there are not enough Latinos (and people of color) in the nonprofit world to move up the ranks, AND that the emphasis on leadership development is lacking in organizations. I know that there are several groups, like Rockwood, that are dedicated to rectifying this but it’s outside of an organization. Unless nonprofits put the time and resources to build their own leaders, a serious gap will remain. I know from my own personal experience that “leadership development” is not really a part of the core values of many organizations.

What would you like to see changed in the nonprofit sector?  How can we take action to implement that change?

Changes in the work

My wish is to have the nonprofit sector (including foundations) have a race and gender equity lens in all the work that they do. Differences in access, opportunity, and outcomes are found in every aspect of society and therefore, groups that are working to address any and all issues should make addressing disparities and ensuring equity an integral component of their work.

Changes in organizations

In my experience, I’ve noticed that nonprofits are very dedicated to the work that they do. And they should be, because for the most part, it is important work. But sometimes this comes at the expense of building a great organization. We should be dedicated to building great, visionary organizations with a strong sense of purpose and mission and leaders in organizations should be doing everything in their power to create a space that allows for creativity, innovation, collaboration, and excellence so that people within can perform at the highest level possible. If this is done right, an organization will be sustainable and able to keep pace with the field, because in the end, our work will always change (though vision/mission shouldn’t), but that change should spell the end of an organization.

Related to that, I feel the nonprofit sector is much less rigorous in its evaluation of its work and slower to change (proactively as opposed to changing b/c of funding cuts). We need to be adamant about keeping what works, and throwing out what doesn’t, otherwise we are wasting our time and other people’s money.

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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Alfonso Wenker, PFund Foundation

September 20, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

This is the first interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders who I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day. You can check out all of the interviews in the series here.

Meet Alfonso Wenker, Director of Programs at the PFund Foundation

Alfonso Wenker is the Director of Programs at the PFund Foundation and a nonprofit blogger at From Our Perspective. In this candid interview, he shares his path into the nonprofit sector and his ideas for how we can move forward in doing the work of social change.

Age (or what generation you belong to)

I am a proud Gen Y –er, age 23, born in 1986.

City, State where you live

I currently reside in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?

I started by doing student organizing during college at the University of St. Thomas – Minnesota. I was a leader with our LGBT student group and also worked with our student government around diversity and inclusion. Through the LGBT student group I met community and nonprofit leaders. In 2006 I was invited to a roundtable meeting of LGBT campus leaders. At this meeting we talked about the need for statewide work on college campuses around LGBT issues. We launched the Minnesota GLBTA Campus Alliance that month and I was one of its founding board members. As student co-chair of the organization’s first board I was in charge of finding funding, building partnerships, helping to plan a conference and securing a 501(c)3 for the group. It was a crash-course in “nonprofit 101” and I fell in love. I met so many people and was learning something new every day.

It was through my work with the Minnesota Campus Alliance that I met staff from OutFront Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest and most powerful LGBT advocacy group. During the 2006 – 2007 school year, as a sophomore, I interned for OutFront in the development department. I assisted with membership mailings and events as well as foundation and donor prospect research. I was especially intrigued by what I was learning about the foundations I researched. Philanthropy’s role in supporting social justice worked sparked my interest. I wanted to know more. That summer (2007) I volunteered at an event for PFund Foundation and met the executive director. I was so excited to meet the ED. PFund was doing LGBT grantmaking across the Upper Midwest and I had helped the Minnesota Campus Alliance and OutFront Minnesota prepare grant proposals to PFund in 2006.

Later that summer, I attended a conference for LGBT people of color during Twin Cities Pride weekend. The ED from PFund was there at the conference. He approached me with a flyer and said, “We’re hiring, you should think about it.” Two months later in August of 2007 (one month before my Junior year of college started) I was hired as the half-time programs manager for PFund Foundation. In this role I would facilitate grant and scholarship review processes, manage all the process files and paper work, and build the Foundation’s newly launched Racial Equity Initiative, part of a larger campaign by the national affinity group Funders for LGBTQ Issues, aimed at increasing the capacity of autonomous LGBT communities of color organizations through increased grantmaking and technical assistance.

What is your current position and day-to-day work?

In July 2010 I was promoted to director of programs at the PFund Foundation. In this role I provide oversight, strategic direction, planning and implementation of all foundation programs, including grantmaking, scholarships, leadership development, technical assistance and capacity building programs. Additionally, I manage the convening and reporting work PFund does. I most recently oversaw I project we were doing around LGBT aging that resulted in the report, “Equality as We Age.”

A large part of my time is spent working with LGBT nonprofits and programs working with them to strengthen the social justice work they do in the community.

What is your educational background and area of expertise?

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas – Minnesota in journalism and mass communication with a concentration in public relations.

I’m currently honing my facilitation skills and enjoy guiding groups and coalitions through strategic processes to define values, outcomes, goals and objectives for their work. I’ve also immersed myself in practices and frameworks that explore how a successful social justice movement works at the intersection of multiple identities.  So often we label things as a gay issues, a race issue, a gender issue, a class issue. But, what about folks living at the intersection of a multitude of identities? What about the working-class Latina lesbian? Which issues are hers?

I get excited about building the capacity of social movements to address the pervasive inequities faced by so many folks.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does that mean for Latino leaders and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?

It may sound trite, but we need to keep showing up. We need to show up in the places where maybe folks think we’re too brown, or too young or too gay. We need to assert our leadership, claim our accomplishments and not be afraid of “raising our hand” when we might be the experts on something. Older and white doesn’t mean smarter or better. We need to continue to write and offer critiques of the sector. We need to apply for jobs that have traditionally been held by white folks. We need to tell one another that we are worth it. We need to have serious conversations with the nonprofits we are involved with about what they value around diversity and inclusion.

I recently had a moving experience while at a conference. I was sitting next to another young man of color and he was encouraging me to take a career risk. He is only 10 years older than me but he said, “when I was your age, I didn’t have any other gay men of color telling me I could take risks.” This was inspiring, and we all need to do more of this.
We need to support one another in taking risks and challenge the nonprofit infrastructure that for too long has paid lip-service to increasing leadership of color. It’s about accountability. It’s about exploring the intersections of inequity and inequality and recognizing that if the role of social justice nonprofits is to create a more just and equitable society for those most marginalized, then those folks need to be at the helm of organizations making the decisions for the betterment of our communities.

Together we must challenge being tokenized. We should resist taking a job or volunteer role to fill a diversity quota (I recently blogged about this at From Our Perspective) but pursue and take on roles that give us a chance to excel in our areas of expertise.

What would you like to see changed in the nonprofit sector?  How can we take action to implement that change?

We are in a unique political moment; a time where I think folks are expecting nonprofits to be strategic, focused and results-oriented.

It is no longer enough for a nonprofit to have a diversity policy, say it’s “welcoming to everyone” or receive training around a certain community. It’s time to move from theory to practice. Many nonprofits tout having participated in extensive diversity and inclusion efforts, yet we rarely see leadership at the top change. If our organizations are going to continue putting time and resources into “diversity and inclusion” then we need to hold them accountable. When an organization creates its development plan, we don’t say, “hey it’s ok you didn’t make your revenue goal” or when we’re evaluating our programs we don’t say, “well we didn’t exactly get more teens off the streets and into jobs, but we’ll do it next year.” No, we set fundraising and evaluation plans and goals and stick to them. If we don’t meet them we ask ourselves hard questions about why, we hold our leadership accountable to the plans and we make organizational changes.

Why then, don’t our nonprofits hold themselves to the same standards when it comes to matters around diversity, inclusion and equity? Why is it ok not to act on new plans or training on these matters but not when it comes to things like fundraising or evaluation we hold ourselves accountable to the plan?

Our nonprofits should have clear and actionable plans about moving people of color, LGBT people and women into key, visible leadership and policy-setting positions. And in the same way we track our success each year along the lines of fundraising, program evaluation etc., we should also track our success in transforming our organizations and the sector as a whole.

This is a shared responsibility. As folks of color and LGBT folks we need to mentor one another, encourage new leaders, provide opportunities to succeed and usher in new leaders and ideas. And at the same time, white folks, straight folks and men need to hold ownership over the sector’s success. Together we’ll need to be accountable one another, to our constituents and to the sector. We all need to own the transformation or it won’t happen.

I’m working toward a day when the sector’s power dynamics have shifted. I’m striving toward seeing more CEOs of color, more LGBT CEO’s, younger CEO’s, poor and working-class CEOs. In order for this to happen there will have to be a shift in how we value leadership, who we see as leaders, how we define what a leader is and what it is we demand of our leadership.

You can follow Alfonso on Twitter @alfonsowenker

Filed Under: Interviews, Leaders of Color, Leadership · Tagged With: , , , , ,

3 Years, 16 Interviews with Young Nonprofit Leaders

May 24, 2010 by · 1 Comment

In case you missed it, I’m celebrating the three-year anniversary of my blog and giving away $100 for your ideas about what I should write about going forward. Continuing the spirit of celebration, I wanted to highlight all of the young nonprofit leaders I’ve written about since 2007. Some maiden names and job titles have changed, but I’m posting the original interviews (and photos!) here in all their glory. How do their views resonate with you?

Meet Rebecca Anderson: Representing the Future of African American Nonprofit Leadership (September 2007)

“After working in the for-profit sector for three years, I was starting to feel like my work did not have a purpose. I was spending very long hours assisting with banking mergers and software application deployment but that was not enough to fulfill me, I wanted to work at an organization that gave back to more than themselves. The best way I knew to do that was enter into the nonprofit sector.”

Meet Jamon Alexander: An Emerging Leader of Color Poised to Carry the Torch (October 2007)

“It is exciting that the nonprofit sector is billion-dollar field, and that more young people are seeing it as a rewarding career option, but the term “nonprofit” has not become mainstream. I feel that students are aware of the work of YMCA or Big Brothers/Big Sisters, but they do not know it falls under the auspice of the nonprofit world. Nonprofits should reach out to higher education students, high school students, etc. and build relationships. Nonprofit professionals should speak in classrooms and host panel discussions. Nonprofits should utilize Facebook & Myspace, YouTube and other modern forms of communication. It is incumbent upon our generation to bridge these gaps; and as young leaders poised to carry the torch, we are more than up for the task.”

Meet Janean Brown: A Young Leader of Color With a Clear Vision for the Future (October 2007)

“I would like to see communities of color take personal responsibility for the future of our communities and leadership. Leaders from generations before mine have picked themselves up by their bootstraps and gained knowledge, power, and success over the years. I would like to see a serious effort to mentor young people and share knowledge and experiences. I would like to see communities of color teaching younger generations how to save, earn, invest, and give back. It is a cyclical process that we can teach each other in an effort to ensure the wealth of our communities. Based on the past, it is obvious that our success is at the mercy of the majority. Thus as people of color, I would like to see us band together to create leaders who are undeniably dynamic.”

An Interview With Eric Giles: Emerging Leaders Need to Push Out of the Box (April 2008)

“In my opinion, the nonprofit sector operates within a very hierarchical structure. We see the ED/CEO/President as the leader of the organization, guided by a board of other leaders in the sector. One reason we are perceiving a “leadership gap” is that we equate leadership with the ED/CEO/President. I would like the sector to better recognize the leadership roles within other positions within organizations and tap into that latent strength. A flattening of the hierarchical triangle. I think it behooves the non-ED segment of the nonprofit sector to better express their skills and knowledge. Better yet, we need to learn how to demonstrate our ideas and skills in a way that allows those in charge to accept them without feeling threatened by them. In short, work on your negotiation and communications skills, then put them to the test.”

Elisa Ortiz to the Nonprofit Sector: “Change or Die” (April 2008)

“Of course, many younger leaders are limited in their ability to actually get those traditional leadership positions by a stale hierarchical structure or by current leaders who are reluctant to let go of any control. However, I think we younger leaders have to take some responsibility for not getting this recognition either. Many of us (myself included) have just taken it. We haven’t asked for or demanded more responsibility or pay and maybe more importantly, haven’t moved on from the places that restrict us. I really think the only way the sector is going to change is when ALL of us, Gen X and Y and Baby Boomers included, decide to stop taking it. Once we start either leaving organizations that don’t respect us and going to those that do en masse or changing our organizations to encourage leadership, the restrictive ones will be forced to either change themselves or die.”

An Interview With Keven Cotton: Nonprofits Need to Recruit More People of Color (April 2008)

“I made my way into the nonprofit sector through the AmeriCorps program. As a junior in college, I volunteered at a DC elementary school and was amazed at what I saw. In order to arrive at the school, I had to navigate drug dealers and individuals drinking outside of the school. I could not believe the environment that children had to overcome in order to attend school. I was partnered with a second grader who was reading on a late kindergarten/first grade level . . . It was this student that opened my eyes to inequalities that many families, especially families of color, face on a daily basis . . . I have worked in the nonprofit sector since 2002 and I continue to be amazed that while the majority of people being served by nonprofits are people of color, the majority of nonprofits are staffed and led by white women. I would like to see nonprofits increase their recruitment of and career advancement for, minority employees.”

Mazi Mutafa on Being a Young Executive Director (April 2008)

“I think one of the greatest gifts and challenges of being an ED is being able to bring my whole self to the work place. I don’t feel that my ideas need to be restricted by anything but the budget, and even that is only a temporary restraint. I am able to be as creative as I actually am and find people who I agree enough with that we can work together to make my ideas better and produce programs and outcomes that people usually complain about not existing, but don’t know how to build the systems necessary to achieve the desired outcomes.”

Melissa JohnsonInterview With Melissa Johnson: You Don’t Need a Title to Lead (May 2008)

“I think leadership needs to be reframed in our sector. I am a huge proponent of shared leadership as opposed to a traditional sense of one charismatic leader and a thousand followers. As our society becomes more diverse, more complex, and stratified in terms of class, there are many opportunities for involvement and all equally important. I would encourage Generations X and Y to continue to volunteer, learn, and lead in the sector in a way that is connected outside of our own circles. The more folks know about your activism and passion, the more folks you can invite to join you. Get involved in the political process and public policy issues. Think more about the collective change we want to see more than the change we want to see in our individual selves. It may start with one but it almost never ends with just one. We affect so many in our paths each day.” Editor’s note: In this interview, Melissa swore she would never become an Executive Director, however she is now the ED of the Neighborhood Funders Group!

Trista Harris on Re-Imagining the Nonprofit Sector (May 2008)

“I think Gen X and Y are stepping up in a major way but it isn’t always recognized because it doesn’t look the same as the way that Baby Boomers stepped up in the past . . . I want to see a complete shift in how results are measured at nonprofits and in foundations. I think results need to be about positive impact in the community, not by the number of hours that an employee spends at a desk. Flexible work schedules should only be a first step, I hope that results-only work environments are the future of nonprofit work.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Allison Jones (April 2009)

“My involvement in social change is not accidental and initially was not motivated by hope and positivity.  I was angry.  I was angry with a lot of what I saw and a lot of what I was learning in college–pervasive inequality, disinterest, and intellectual dishonesty that polarized discussions about what the problems are and how to solve them . . . The issue I am most passionate about is education. Education was my saving grace and has been for many low income people of color. So I channeled my energy into doing volunteer work and sought full time work in the education field. ”

We Are the Possible: Meet Kathrin Ivanovic (April 2009)

“I know that it sounds cliché, but I hope that our generation can more forcefully demand transparency and accountability from each other and from our elected officials. Accountability starts at home, with each and every one of us. We live in a world that is pervasively global – connected, due to the power and might of technological innovation.  More importantly, we are connected through our humanity and thereby universally accountable to and for each other. There are so many ways each and every one of us can step up and be the change we want to see in the world. It is my hope that we begin to give each other the courage and support to do so.”

img000851We Are the Possible: Meet Loryn C. Wilson (April 2009)

“I would like to see my generation expand on the older generations’ successes. We have so much technology and so much more access to opportunities, and if we can use our resources to better our homes, our work places and our communities instead of just increasing our own material wealth, we can truly be the people who our ancestors prayed and hoped for.”

We Are the Possible: Meet Lindsey McDougle (April 2009)

“I started blogging about 18 months ago.  A colleague of mine, Heather Carpenter (who was already an avid blogger) insisted that I share my “expertise” with others. At that time, however, I truly believed that I didn’t have much “expertise” to share.  I also didn’t know who would want to read about the things that I was interested in: leadership, nonprofits, and social change. But Heather really convinced me of the value in blogging… and so I began. Since that time I have built a reputation as an expert in my field.  Prior to blogging I was a bit hesitant to stake my claim as an “expert,” but, indeed, I am! I know what I know, and I know my field . . . Career wise, I think that Heather’s encouragement to begin blogging was probably one of the smartest things that I could have ever done.”

Samuel RichardWe Are the Possible: Meet Samuel Isaac Richard (April 2009)

“For me, it’s hard to separate my passion for social justice and a stronger sector from my love for [my wife].  I know that sounds cheesy, but I say it because I don’t believe that the priorities have to be “balanced.”  Maybe some see romantic relationships and marriage as barriers to success in a career, but my relationship with Kim has done nothing but aided and abetted my addiction to social change – and that won’t change anytime soon.  She is my biggest fan and extremely supportive, but questions my crazy theories and challenges my assumptions. She is honest about my faults, but only because she believes that I can be better.  And I’d like to think that I offer the same support and challenge for her.  We work really well together, mainly because we understand that we’re in this together – whatever “this” happens to be at the moment.”

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Ian Bautista, President of UNCA (September 2009)

“[People of color] have to look for mentors and examples of how to succeed a little harder.  Since there are fewer prospects for 1-to-1 mentors in our sector, we have to find mentors and role models from everywhere.  While I greatly admire many Latino and Latina nonprofit executives, I haven’t had the opportunity to mentor under many of them.  I have found great inspiration and nurturing mentors in the form of African-American men, Latinas in higher education, and many white leaders from various industries.  Some of these leaders have given me valuable opportunities to lead and have taught me life and professional lessons that have served me well.  I have made it a point to offer myself as a mentor – both formally and informally – to up-and-coming Latino and Latina nonprofit professionals as I meet them. ”

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Danielle Reyes, Program Officer at the Eugene & Agnes Meyer Foundation (October 2009)

“There are so many ways to be a part of positive change, all you have to do is explore the options and incorporate what suits you into your life.  For some people it might be through their career path, for others its writing a check, a 5k, volunteering once or committing weekly, serving on a board, organizing your friends and community to support a cause, for others it is all of those things, a lifestyle.  I tell people that I mentor that they need explore what they are interested in first and to choose a career in something they are passionate about.  If you don’t know what that is yet, keep exploring, you’ll learn a lot and do a lot of good along the way.  I am still exploring.”

Of course, I’ve also done a ton of radio shows featuring young nonprofit leaders that you might want to check out, including:

I definitely want to do many more interviews to highlight Generation X & Y nonprofit leaders. Who should I interview next?

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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Jean-Paul Chaurand, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation

October 15, 2009 by · 1 Comment

This is the fourth and final interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day.

Jean-Paul Chaurand is the Senior Vice President of Community Investment at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. From his first job in the nonprofit sector at 15 years old, Jean-Paul’s career spans years of work on behalf of the Latino community. In this brief interview, Jean-Paul shares the path he took to get to his position at the Foundation and his advice for young people following in his footsteps.

How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?

I grew up volunteering my time for nonprofit organizations. Giving back to the community is a value that was instilled in me at a very early age by my parents. My first job in the sector was when I was 15 years old. I was a counselor in an after school tutoring program in my neighborhood. After that I interned for a few different community based organizations and then I started working full time for a couple of them doing a host of things from development work to events and programs. In time I felt I had the skills I needed to run the organization and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to run a community development corporation. Eventually I joined the team at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

What is your current position and day-to-day work?

My current position is senior vice president. My day to day activities change but they include leading a team of people who oversee the Community Foundation’s grant making activities, helping donors establish charitable funds so they can begin organizing their giving, and providing knowledge about local nonprofits and community initiatives that will make the region a better place so donors can become even smarter investors in the community. Everything we do ties back to our mission of increasing giving, connecting donors and leading on critical community issues.

What is your educational background and area of expertise?

I received a bachelor of arts in urban affairs/urban planning from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and I am a graduate of UMKC’s Bloch School executive MBA program. Prior to coming to the Foundation, I was executive director of the Hispanic Economic Development Corporation where I worked to improve the quality of life for Latinos in Kansas City through the development and implementation of economic development initiatives. I’ve also served as economic development specialist for the National Council of La Raza in Chicago, Illinois; director of development and policy analyst for the Guadalupe Center; and I served as coordinator for the Coalition of Hispanic Organizations.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does that mean for Latino leaders and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?

I want all of those aspiring for leadership roles to know that opportunities are out there. I am seeing more and more agencies – no matter what the leadership ethnicity is – embrace a commitment to recruiting, retaining and cultivating people of color. At the Community Foundation we are firm in our commitment to diversity: As the community’s foundation, we are committed to promoting equity and inclusion throughout the region we serve, and it is our obligation to model diversity and focus the community conversation on racial equity.

What advice would you give to young people who want to change the world?

Do it. You can change the world. Just work at it one day at a time. Most importantly, don’t wait for the opportunity to come to you. There’s no better time than now to get started.

Filed Under: Interviews, Leaders of Color, Leadership · Tagged With: , , , ,
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