NGO A Go Go

Lina Sheth partners – to facilitate, coach – offering insights to strengthen organizational effectiveness. She knows leadership transitions and the imperatives of DEIA work for the relevance of our work.

Lina builds on culture and sustainability, all through a lens of equity, inclusion, and belonging. Lina works to support executive transitions both as an Interim Executive Director or transition consultant. She also brings extensive strategy experience to support organizational vision and impact with her clients, while also providing professional coaching to support development to boards and staff.

For over 25 years, Lina has played an executive role as staff or interim executive in multiple sectors from health, human services, affordable housing, racial justice, and public policy both here in the U.S. and abroad. She has broad experience of working within and along with BIPOC communities in these different sectors. Lina holds a Master in Public Health from Boston University and is a Certified Leadership Coach from the Coaches Training Institute. Listen to her wisdom.

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For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2022 Philip Arca

Jan Cohen has been a Consultant, Interim executive, and Trainer who has worked with more than 200 nonprofit organizations over more than 30 years. She has served in 18 Interim Executive positions in nonprofit organizations in the SF Bay Area, especially those with an earned income, workforce development, or disability services focus, during periods of transition in leadership. Her training and consulting focus is customized work sessions and consulting services for nonprofit organizations for diversification of revenue, earned income, and marketing strategy.

Jan partners with Academies for Social Entrepreneurship as the Lead Social Enterprise Trainer & Coach having worked with over 120 participating agencies in customized Social Enterprise Academies. In addition to having worked with over 150 organizations in her own Interim Executive/Consulting/Training business, Jan was the Director of New Business Ventures at HOPE Services for 3 years, an affiliate consultant with CompassPoint Nonprofit Services in the Bay Area for 6 years, a senior consultant with the National Center for Social Entrepreneurs for 5 years, and Chief Executive Officer of Project HIRED, a nonprofit employment service serving individuals with disabilities, for 10 years.

Jan continues her commitment to serving on the Boards of, and volunteering for, local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the Bay Area Interim Executive Director Group and the Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s Executive Transition and Leadership Committee. She also currently serves on the Board of CalNonprofits Insurance Services, a subsidiary business of California Association of Nonprofits.

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For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2022 Philip Arca

Gayle Hilleke, Executive Director of Kentucky Campus Compact (KyCC), gracefully expounds on over forty years of experience in strengthening communities through work in nonprofits, educational institutions, and government agencies.

KyCC is a membership organization of Kentucky college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. As the founding director, Gayle has led KyCC over 15 years in supporting approximately 1000 faculty and staff, 10,000 high school and college students, and 20,000 community members.

Gayle has 27 years of experience supporting the national service program, AmeriCorps. She worked as a state program officer for 3 years at the Ohio Governor’s Service Commission, 9 years at the national headquarters – the Corporation for National and Community Service (now called AmeriCorps), and 15 years as an AmeriCorps sponsor at KyCC. As a sponsor, KyCC focuses its AmeriCorps programs on college access/student success and community impact, placing 150 members annually.

Gayle also works as an adjunct professor in the Northern Kentucky University College of Business master’s program, Masters of Business Leadership and Innovation (MBLI). In the First Year Practicum, Ms. Hilleke teaches strengths-based methodologies for students to use in service-learning projects. In her consulting work, Gayle is a senior advisor for Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, helping individuals and organizations build social enterprise skills. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gayle has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in Organization Development from American University in Washington, D.C.

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For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Alison Lingane has dedicated her career to enabling business to be a force for good. She is the co-founder of Project Equity, a national leader in the movement to harness employee ownership to maintain thriving local business communities, create quality jobs, and address income and wealth inequality. Her passion for creating quality jobs and an economy that works for everyone was fueled in her early career by her role designing and leading micro-enterprise programs for urban youth.

Alison spent 15 years in senior leadership roles in mission-driven companies that are designed to create human impact at scale. She now brings those scaling lessons back full circle to her work at Project Equity, turning businesses into community change agents through employee ownership.

Alison has her B.A. from Harvard University and her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. She has been selected as an Echoing Green Fellow, an Aspen Institute Job Quality Fellow and an Ashoka Fellow.

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For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Jane Fischberg is an experienced social sector leader with a deep commitment to social justice and dismantling systems perpetuating poverty. She was the longtime CEO of Rubicon Programs, a San Francisco East Bay workforce services organization with a whole-person approach, prioritizing antiracist principles and practices. She led Rubicon through several major changes, including a restructure to sharpen its focus on ending poverty, adopting a theory of change, innovating new service models, and increasing advocacy.

Jane has a deep understanding of workforce development and economic mobility approaches. Under her leadership, Rubicon evolved into a high performing organization well regarded for its whole-person approach, recognized for its establishment of an unequivocal antiracism stance, and with a strong financial position.

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For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Irene Kao, Executive Director of Courage California, shares her progressive vision, pandemic background noise and all. Happy kid voices sprinkle this conversation about what it means to have a truly representative democracy, courageously committing to transparency, equity and justice.

Irene has helped pursue more than a hundred positive state, local legislative and regulatory outcomes and has led with creativity and tenacity. And with 2021 being an opportunity to define a new normal, her skills and insights are ever more needed. She maintains deep relationships and broad networks with key decision makers in the legislature, the executive branch and with key stakeholders.

Irene joined Courage California, in 2020, as the first woman of color to lead the organization.

She brings more than twenty years of experience working with and advocating for low-income communities of color, including in immigrant and refugee support services, public housing, early childhood education, media, philanthropy and politics.

Prior to joining Courage California, Irene was a strategic advisor to the leadership of California Donor Table, Way to Win, Native Americans in Philanthropy, California Native Vote Project, and Vision Maker Media, focusing on community engagement, program strategy, development, and organizational transitions.

We'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you!

For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Sharon Lawrence joined the staff of California CASA in November 2017, and in the period since, has seen the organization grow significantly, from $780,000 when she arrived, to $1.9 million in FY2019-2020. During her tenure, she has been able to secure more than $5 million annually for distribution to the local CASA network through VOCA.

In the past year, California CASA has had to pivot from program growth to helping the network deal with COVID-19 and the economic and health crises that have gripped California and the nation over twelve months. We talk about those, and other realities of the foster youth system.

For 20 years, from 1997 to 2017, Sharon Lawrence served as President/CEO of Voices for Children, the Court Appointed Special Advocate program for San Diego and Riverside Counties. She is a member of the California Child Welfare Council and the Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee to the California Judicial Council.

Sharon received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Speech Communications, and Political Science from the University of Denver in 1985 and her law degree from the University of Texas in 1988, where she served as a student attorney for the Children’s Rights Clinic and managing editor of the Texas International Law Journal.

For more information go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Ben Gilbarg and Angel Diaz are mobilizing youth through digital media, helping individuals explore career paths and ultimately find their voice in a noisy world. Big Picture Anthems was founded in 2016, but its model has been developed over the past two decades.

Ben is a creative catalyst and communications visionary with a passion for social impact, and Angel has been engaging youth to pursue their passion in Southeast Mass.

In 1998, Ben co-founded 3rd EyE Unlimited and for 13 years engaged young people through mentoring, community building, and hip hop cultural events such as the nationally recognized 3rd EyE Open Festival.

From 1998-2010, Ben produced a TV show entitled “Put Out the Word,” which aired on the Dish Network and public access tv eclipsing a reach of twenty million homes. Ben has worked with thousands of youth since 1998 and therefore has the pulse on what young people respond to. Ben has produced dynamic projects for the National Park Service, Green For All, the University of Rhode Island, the Mass. Department of Public Health, Yes We Code, and many others. He is a graduate from UMass Amherst, and has a Master’s Degree in Media Ventures from Boston University’s College of Communication. Ben is a husband, father of three, and grandfather.

Angel Diaz has worked with many youth community organizations in Southcoast Mass. for over a decade. Angel has found and developed his skill set for engaging youth to pursue their passion. With Big Picture Anthems and STEAM the Streets, Angel travels to schools to engage students in an interactive assembly including his turntables, profile videos, music video, and dynamic images.

He showcases the many careers that involve STEAM and encourages students with motivational speaking to pursue these career paths. He currently serves as head of the music department and STEAM teacher at Our Sisters’ School, an independent non-profit, tuition-free school for low-income girls. Angel formerly served as Program Director for The Dream Out Loud Center for the Arts. Angel is a DJ/Producer while also being an educator. Using this medium of “Edutainment,” he engages all types of crowds and communities to help develop their greater potential.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Bernard Boudreaux, Co-Director of the Georgetown Business for Impact Program brings the power and innovation generated by cross-sector partnerships to bear on the world's most pressing problems by emphasizing implementation and measurable social change.

Based on his long career in corporate philanthropy, and a compelling personal narrative, Bernard walks us through those realities. He is as charming as ever.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Kevin Lynch, former CEO of Social Enterprise Alliance, holds nothing back as he shares his personal story and the realities of what does and does not work with respect to social enterprises and social impact investing. He is a passionate, highly effective business and nonprofit leader, writer and speaker for the common good. He has been around long enough to figure some things out, and humble enough to want to learn more. His presentations and publications include:

• CEO, Social Enterprise Alliance, 2011-2015. CEO, Rebuild Resources, 2003-2015. Founder/CEO, Lynch Jarvis Jones, 1989-2001.
• Primary Co-Author, Mission, Inc., The Practitioner’s Guide To Social Enterprise.
• Keynote speaker on 5 continents, 11 countries.
• Writer and blogger, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-lynch/social-enterprise-and-the_b_5646091.html
• Introducing SECEO (Social Enterprise CEOs) — A trusting community of social enterprise CEOs who multiply their collective impact by sharing, learning and growing together.
• Launching Mission, Inc. Basecamp social enterprise training course.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Julie Baker, from a broad perspective of the arts, with a commitment to equity, speaks to the importance of arts in our civic spaces -- urban and rural. From a professional gallery, to arts administration to arts advocacy, her expansive view of the possibilities is intriguing and inspiring.

Prior to becoming Executive Director of Californians for The Arts and California Arts Advocates in October of 2018, Julie served on the board for four years as chair of the membership committee and of Confluence, an arts advocacy conference. She serves as the California State Captain to Americans for the Arts', National Arts Action Summit and is chair of the visibility committee for the State Arts Action Network. From 2009-2017, Julie served as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival located in Grass Valley, CA.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Jennifer Fearing founded Fearless Advocacy in November 2014. She has helped pursue more than a hundred positive state, local legislative and regulatory outcomes and has led with creativity and tenacity. And, with 2021 being an opportunity to define a new normal, her skills and insights are needed even more.

Jennifer maintains deep relationships and broad networks with key decision makers in the legislature, the executive branch and with key stakeholders. She has been named multiple times by Capitol Weekly as one of the 100 most powerful people in the California capitol community.

In 2019, she was honored with a Golden Bear Legislative Award for “Public Interest Lobbyist of the Year.”

As a homework assignment, please check out Jennifer's writing on these issues, in this book chapter: https://lnkd.in/gpkri4Z

Listen and learn.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Alnoor Ebrahim, professor at Tufts University, and author of Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World, shares his personal narrative and gracefully conceptualizes evaluation methodology so that it is relevant and applicable to the realities of the nonprofit sector.

Alnoor's book is definitely a must read and is a winner of the 2020 Terry McAdam Nonprofit Book Award. His capacity to explain complex concepts, and to be so charming – simultaneously - is a delight.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Beautifully framed by insightful family stories, Zach Norris, lawyer, social movements leader, author -- with a strong family focus -- speaks to how we can keep each other safe. Spoiler alert -- much like a family, there is much more that we can do for each other, and ask of the public sector. And yes, philanthropy can and must do more, as various clocks are ticking. Along the way, issues of equity and justice are discussed in the context of economic development efforts, particularly in the East Bay.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Cort Gross is a community finance and development consultant, and the founder and principal of several consulting firms. He focuses his efforts within two broad areas of expertise —- community investment and the financing and development of community controlled real estate.

Cort brings close to 25 years of experience in the field, working for more than 13 years as a consultant, and, before that, as CFO of nonprofit housing developer BRIDGE Housing Corporation, Vice President of Affordable Housing with mortgage banker TRI Capital Corporation (now known as PNC Mortgage), and as Program Manager for Lending with community development financial intermediary the Low Income Housing Fund (now known as LIIF).

Gross has served on several nonprofit boards and finance committees and published occasional articles. He currently sits on the national loan committee for the Nonprofit Finance Fund and serves as treasurer on the board of the Northern California chapter of the US Green Building Council. A former Coro Fellow in public affairs, Mr. Gross received his A.B. degree in history at Stanford University and his M.Div. Degree in liberation theology at Yale University.

He explores the role of money in the work we do. And from there conversations move into issues of equity, justice, and music.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2021 Philip Arca

Tim Cynova, co-founder and co-leader of Fractured Atlas and Work Shouldn't Suck, shares his insights on leadership, teams, creativity, anti-racism efforts and newspaper routes. In this podcast, we explore the question - "How can we lead differently, more equitably?" And yes, we both talk about the newspaper routes we had as kids.

Tim wears a multitude of hats, all in service of creating anti-racist workplaces where people can thrive. He currently is co-CEO of the U.S.-based non-profit Fractured Atlas, a 20-year-old organization that in 2013 committed to becoming anti-racist in its work and operations.

Relatedly, he is a Principal of the consulting group Work. Shouldn't. Suck. that assists organizations of all sizes and sectors with the “how” of creating anti-racist workplaces.

Tim serves on the faculty of Canada’s Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity and New York's The New School teaching courses in People-Centric Organizational Design; he's a trained mediator, and a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

He also co-hosts a popular podcast under the Work. Shouldn’t. Suck. moniker. Earlier in his career, Tim was the Executive Director of The Parsons Dance Company and of High 5 Tickets to the Arts in New York City, had a memorable stint with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, was a one-time classical trombonist, musicologist, and for five years in his youth he delivered newspapers for the Evansville, Indiana Courier-Press.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2020 Philip Arca

Amanda J. Stewart is an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University in the School of Public and International Affairs, Department of Public Administration. Mandi has her Master’s degree in social work (macro focus) from Boston College and her Bachelor’s in business administration from Birmingham-Southern College. She has over ten years experience working in nonprofit organizations ranging from small, local efforts to large, international organizations. Her research centers on nonprofit organizations, including leadership continuity, career development, and organizational capacity.

During COVID-19, she spent five months being the preschool-at-home director for her 3-year old son alongside faculty responsibilities, giving her new insights into role conflict theory.

She explores the question of careers in the sector and the interests of a next generation of potential leadership. COVID and its implications for nonprofits, their capacity, their technology needs is also discussed. And finally, what about Boards?

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2020 Philip Arca

Sal Bednarz, entrepreneur, founder of Product Lab, Elevator Works, Oakland Fab City Chair, and small business advocate – explores fact and fiction regarding FabLabs and the intersections with the nonprofit sector. From his own lessons in leadership, to visions of the future – intriguing. Along the way, issues of equity and justice are discussed in the context of economic development efforts, particularly in the East Bay.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2020 Philip Arca

Junious Williams, attorney, activist, long-time leader of Urban Strategies Council in the Bay Area, Senior Advisor to The Collective Impact Forum, and Co-Founder of Oakland Community Land Trust speaks bluntly on where to go from here, after a difficult 2020, and an unpredictable 2021. Initial questions explore generational perspectives on social justice and equity, and well, just get more interesting from there.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2020 Philip Arca

Jennifer Johns, singer/activist has always found power in her voice. For many years she has sung with an array of professional musicians, while continuing to honor her homegrown Oakland roots. And her voice is powerful – musically and in offering ways to heal the ills that ail us. She speaks honestly of broken systems and practices that need to be rearranged, to new lines of thinking, being. The nonprofit industrial sector that feeds arts and yet also eats away its artistic energy is explored. Enjoy the journey and end in song.

For more information and available downloads, go to http://arcaandassociates.com/

© 2020 Philip Arca