WeThrive: Meet the Leaders from Cohort 4
Our WeThrive 2022 cohorts are off to a great start! What started as a pilot program less than a year ago, has flourished into an integral part of our Community Cultivation pillar offerings. Co-led by Meme Styles and Madge Vásquez, the program focuses on power-building and peer support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofit EDs and CEOs.
This project came to fruition after Mission Capital and other partners commissioned the 2020 Race to Lead (R2L) Central Texas research project, conducted by our national collaborator the Building Movement Project. The findings indicated that BIPOC nonprofit leaders face challenges in attaining senior leadership roles and in securing intentional mentorship and funding support.
While most nonprofit executive coaching cohorts are designed and normed on dominant culture strategies and structures and do not address needs specific to people of color, WeThrive focuses on BIPOC peer support, healing, and shared wisdom.
Meet four of the leaders from WeThrive cohort 4, as they share their experience and what they would say to their BIPOC peers.
Phillip G. Eaglin, PhD
Founder and CEO, Changing Expectations
Dr. Phillip Eaglin has 32 years of experience as a middle and high school science teacher and STEM and computer science education professional development provider. Dr. Eaglin is the Founder of Changing Expectations, a 501 c3 nonprofit organization that provides STEM and computer science education programs for traditionally underserved youth and their teachers. He is committed to equity in action, particularly for increasing the number of Black and Hispanic students in inclusive STEM and computer science education.
What has your experience been like with WeThrive?
My experience with WeThrive has inspired me to persevere in the work to increase the numbers of Black and Hispanic students participating in STEM and computer science education and to support their interest, engagement, learning, knowledge, and intentions to persist in STEM and computer science education and careers, including artificial intelligence, information technology, and cybersecurity.
What strategic priority are you focused on as a BIPOC leader, and how has WeThrive supported you and your organizational goals?
Changing Expectations’ mission is to provide the highest impact STEM and coding programs to broaden the participation of Black and Hispanic youth in STEM and computer science education and careers. We focus our work on reaching out to young people who might otherwise not have access to quality computer science education programs to close the opportunity gaps they face. Current priorities include our National Science Foundation project on Computer Science for ALL for Black and Hispanic students with disabilities and the My Brother's Keeper Coding Makerspace for Black male students. WeThrive encouraged Changing Expectations to expand our network of supporters and to seek sponsors and funding to provide computing programs for more Black youth, their teachers, and their families.
Amanda Johnston
Founder/Executive Director, Torch Literary Arts
Founder and Executive Director of Torch Literary Arts, Amanda Johnston has 20 years of experience as a creative arts leader, community organizer, educator, and writer. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem Foundation, Hedgebrook, Tasajillo, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Watermill Center, and the Austin International Poetry Festival. She is a former Board President of Cave Canem Foundation, a member of the Affrilachian Poets, and cofounder of Black Poets Speak Out.
What has your experience been like with WeThrive?
Being part of WeThrive has helped me connect with other nonprofit leaders in Central Texas and share information in support of our common mission to make a positive impact in our community. I've greatly enjoyed our weekly sessions and the professional guidance we received from our facilitators, Madge Vasquez and Meme Styles. It is a heavy lift to do this work, but my WeThrive cohort made me feel supported, revived, and ready to build collaboratively.
What strategic priority are you focused on as a BIPOC leader, and how has WeThrive supported you and your organizational goals?
Two strategic priorities for Torch Literary Arts are 1) increasing visibility, and 2) sustaining our programs for the Black women writers we serve. My WeThrive cohort members and facilitators have generously shared information and connections to resources that will aid in addressing these priorities. I look forward to staying connected with these amazing leaders and strengthening our organizations together.
AJ Majd
Executive Director, Embrace Austin
AJ Majd (he/they) is a polyglot Moroccan-American community leader and activist in Texas. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Embrace Austin, an LGBTQIA2+ nonprofit in Central Texas that aims to foster connection and community, and set a new standard of cultural competency. Additionally, they recently joined the leadership of Texas Rising, a program of Texas Freedom Network, that organizes and builds power with young people of color through a multi-issue, intersectional social justice framework, as a Field Manager overseeing the Houston, DFW and Central Texas regions.
What has your experience been like with WeThrive?
I was very grateful to join the empowering and healing space of WeThrive that Mission Capital has curated. I was able to build relationships with other BIPOC nonprofit leader, which I believe will help me be a better organizer person.
What strategic priority are you focused on as a BIPOC leader, and how has WeThrive supported you and your organizational goals?
As a BIPOC leader, I am focused and committed to skill-sharing and community building. I was able to participate in a format that champions it with WeThrive.
Kelle' Martin
Executive Director, allgo
Currently Kelle’ (he/they) is the Executive Director of allgo, an organization that celebrates and nurtures the Queer and Trans BIPOC community by building, educating, and mobilizing its members through programming rooted in health and wellness, social justice and the cultural arts. He earned a Bachelors in English Literature with a minor in Woman’s and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Masters in Social Work with a concentration in political Social Work from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. He seeks to use his experience in community organizing, education, analyzing policy and project management to shape a world where the LGBTQIA+ BIPOC can operate from a mindset of sustainability.
What has your experience been like with WeThrive?
WeThrive enabled me to meet like-minded BIPOC leaders in Austin in a setting that enabled us to have deep thought-provoking conversations. All aspiring leaders should be afforded such an opportunity.
What strategic priority are you focused on as a BIPOC leader, and how has WeThrive supported you and your organizational goals?
I am looking to grow my organization, and WeThrive connected me to resources that will enable me to do so.
Alisa De Luna
Executive Director, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas
Alisa De Luna empowers teams to find their strengths in order to succeed, which, coupled with a nonprofit organization's and community's needs, makes a mission come to life and a vision become reality. She currently serves as Executive Director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, a non-profit organization focused on helping clients with low income access the civil justice system. Prior to joining VLS, Alisa successfully led teams and programs in non-profit management and fundraising with CASA of Travis County, CASA of Williamson County, Austin (Lyric) Opera, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association for a combined experience of nearly 20 years.
What has your experience been like with WeThrive?
Connecting with other Executive Directors in the Austin area is so critical, and especially so for those of us who identify as BIPOC. As I continue to gain tenure and experience, my best teachers have always been colleagues. I am especially grateful for those connections at the Executive Director level, so I was excited to find out that Mission Capital offered WeThrive, specifically for EDs/CEOs who identify as BIPOC. Madge and Meme created an open, safe environment for us to share our thoughts and ideas in a way that fostered inspiration, hope, and healing. My fellow EDs in the Cohort are incredible human beings, all doing amazing and much needed work! Each week, we learned more about each other’s struggles and triumphs. I am humbled and grateful to be a part of the WeThrive Cohort 4.
What strategic priority are you focused on as a BIPOC leader, and how has WeThrive supported you and your organizational goals?
We are in a moment of re-focusing, transition, and re-building. The pandemic has done so much harm, but it has also created an opportunity for reflection and much needed change. Personally, I have thought more about my role and responsibility in holding systems accountable. Organizationally, VLS will go through strategic planning this year, so we are focused on the strategic priority of assessment and planning. Participating in WeThrive reminded me how to bring my whole self to these conversations when using my voice, to wear my equity lenses, and to remain curious and ready to give and receive grace.
Mission Capital congratulates WeThrive Cohort 4 on the extraordinary work Phillip, Amanda, AJ, Kelle’, and Alisa are leading to advance equity and opportunity in Central Texas. Meet the leaders from cohort 1, cohort 2, & cohort 3.
Interested in participating in a future WeThrive cohort?
We have limited spots available for Cohort 5, join today!