Becoming The Vision

The Freedom Dreamers welcome Daniel Lee, Director of Philanthropic Transformation at Solidaire. The discussion delves into Daniel's exploration of lineage and its various dimensions, from his family's immigrant journey to his professional path in philanthropy. Daniel's reflections offer a deep dive into the responsibilities of being an 'ancestor in training' and the transformative power of embracing one's humanity and history. Daniel Lee is the Director of Philanthropic Transformation at Solidaire, leading efforts to transform philanthropic culture and practice toward long-term structural change by engaging senior-level executives in our network. He recently served as Executive-in-Residence at the Council on Foundations. Daniel spent 17 years in a variety of roles at the Levi Strauss Foundation, including service as Executive Director from 2008 to 2021.

Chera, Efrain and Trinel welcome Lulete Mola, Co-Founder and President of the Black Collective Foundation MN. The discussion centers on the foundation's mission to foster Black-led change and build holistic well-being within Black communities. Lulete shares insights on the broader social fatigue permeating our work and world right now. The dialogue offers a powerful reflection on the roadmaps our ancestors have left us and future visions for what we want to build.

In this bonus episode, Chera and Efrain from Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy engage in a heartfelt reflection on the elections. They explore themes of grief, resilience, and the concept of surrender amidst political and social uncertainty. The conversation covers the impact on various marginalized communities, personal anecdotes, and strategies for maintaining hope and humanity. They emphasize the importance of setting boundaries, self-preservation, and fostering a compassionate future while navigating personal and collective challenges.

In the third episode of our second season of Becoming The Vision, we welcome Carly Hare, incoming CEO of Headwaters Foundation! In this episode, we reflect on the meaning of “Solidarity,” as a practice, an ongoing process, and one that’s sometimes painful as we allow vulnerability and navigate differences. Carly grounds the conversation in her indigenous roots, her Pawnee namesake as a “kind leader of men,” and a vision of community that feels as warm and pragmatic as an elder’s love. #Philanthropy #FreedomDreaming #CollectiveLiberation #NAHM #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #Indigenous 

In our second episode of Season 2 of Becoming the Vision, we’re excited to welcome Ryan Easterly, Executive Director of the WITH Foundation! In this episode, Ryan articulates a vision for freedom that fundamentally involves being "in relationship"—with all the identities that shape who we are and with others in the safety of community. He powerfully argues that this vision requires full inclusion of people with disabilities, moving beyond tokenization. Ryan also highlights that community can sometimes harm, emphasizing the need for ongoing adjustments to ensure everyone is accommodated. When disability inclusion is real, we all thrive!

We’re kicking off Season 2 of Becoming the Vision with a powerful conversation featuring Tonya Allen, President of the McKnight Foundation! In this episode,Tonya shares why kindness is essential to her life and leadership—delving into the profound difference between kindness and niceness, and the former's power to bear truth and foster change. She also explored how we can transform philanthropic practice by focusing less on following trends and more on leaning into our personal and professional power to rewrite the rules.

Chera, Efraín and Trinel look back on the first season of Becoming the Vision and look forward to the next one. They discuss how the words from Season 1's guests...crossroads, democracy, remember, open-heartedness, sparks and inspired...are connected and how they begin to outline a path toward racial justice and collective liberation. They also take a question from a listener about staying the course in light of rollbacks on commitments to justice.

In this episode we explore inspired leadership; how channeling our faiths and the spirit of those proximate to injustice can get us closer to Dr. King’s dream of “beloved community,” and to the philanthropy’s roots in love for humankind. Robert K. Ross is president and chief executive officer of The California Endowment, a private statewide foundation established in 1996 to address the health needs of Californians. Before he joined the endowment in 2000, he served as director of the Health and Human Services Agency for the County of San Diego. He has an extensive background in health philanthropy and as a public health administrator and clinician. He has served as a commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; medical director for LINK School-Based Clinic Program in Camden, New Jersey; an instructor of clinical medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and as a faculty member at San Diego State University’s School of Public Health. He has been involved in community and professional activities at both the local and national level. He is a member of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans and co-chair of the Diversity in Philanthropy Coalition. He is a past member of the California Health Benefit Exchange Board, the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Board, National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and the boards of Grantmakers in Health, the National Marrow Donor Program, San Diego United Way, and Jackie Robinson YMCA. In addition to serving on the PPIC Statewide Survey Advisory Committee, he is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pediatrics and has served on the President’s Summit for America’s Future. He chaired the national Boost for Kids Initiative and was honored by the Council on Foundations as the Distinguished Grantmaker of the Year for 2008. He received his MD, MPA, and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.

In this episode, we explore the path from community organizing to philanthropy leadership with Rickke Mananzala, President of the ⁠New York Foundation⁠. Rickke Mananzala has been active in grassroots organizing, advocacy, and social justice philanthropy in service of racial, economic, and gender justice movements for more than two decades. He currently serves as the President of the New York Foundation, which supports community organizing and advocacy towards a more just and inclusive New York City. He previously served as Vice President of Programs at Borealis Philanthropy, a philanthropic intermediary that brings funders together to support leaders, organizations, and grassroots movements in their efforts to build power for transformative change. Rickke’s roots are in grassroots organizing, including serving as an organizer and eventually the Executive Director of FIERCE, a grassroots organization for LGBTQ youth of color in New York City that spearheaded campaigns to challenge youth criminalization. He was a New Voices Fellow at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project where he worked to integrate legal services, litigation, and policy advocacy to support organizing by and for low-income transgender people in New York City. Rickke was a founding board member of the Right to the City Alliance and served on the board Funders for LGBTQ Issues and the Third Wave Foundation (now Third Wave Fund) where he helped develop grantmaking strategies to support feminist youth organizing work across the U.S. He is currently a board member of the Public Welfare Foundation and Philanthropy New York. Rickke received his B.A. in political science from Columbia University and Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs with a focus on urban policy. --- Learn more about ⁠Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy⁠

In this episode, we explore servant-leadership and it's connection to mission, values and democracy with Fatima Angeles. We also get real about philanthropic shenanigans and what we can do to transcend them. Fatima Angeles is the executive director of the Levi Strauss Foundation, which advances pioneering social change in the areas of worker rights and well-being, democracy, reproductive justice and immigrant rights in communities touched by Levi Strauss & Co.’s business. Before joining LSF, Fatima was vice president of programs at The California Wellness Foundation where she provided executive leadership and strategic vision for the foundation’s programs in grantmaking and program-related investments. --- Learn more about ⁠⁠Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy⁠⁠

In this episode, we explore what it means to walk through the world with an open heart, the opportunities it creates for connecting across our differences, and for strengthening resilience as we manage the long work of building beloved community. Dennis Quirin is the executive director of the Raikes Foundation. Dennis oversees the Foundation’s work in advancing equity and sets the organization’s priorities on strategy, grantmaking and partnerships. In 2023 he established the Resourcing Equity and Democracy (RED) department at the Foundation to compliment the foundation's long-standing and successful focus on improving youth serving systems. RED focuses on building a representative, multiracial democracy through base organizing. While at the Raikes Foundation, Dennis has overseen the grant approval process moving 125 million dollars to hundreds of nonprofits to advance the Foundation’s work.    Learn more about ⁠Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy⁠

In this episode, we explore what it means to lead with authenticity and why it's important. By tapping into the deepest parts of ourselves, defining and embodying our values, we can spark radical change in the sector and free others to do the same. Brenda Solórzano is the founding CEO of the Headwaters Foundation and incoming president & CEO of The California Endowment. Change maker, believer in the power of community, driver of innovation and learning and always makes time for play. Brenda has spent her career working for good in the philanthropic world on issues related to health policy, the health care safety net and community health issues affecting vulnerable populations. She is a strategy, evaluation, program and grant making guru with an eye toward local collaboration and a keen sense that change happens when communities come together to engage in good work. She is invested in the work of the Headwaters Foundation because she believes every child deserves a healthy start to life. She left her beloved San Francisco to move to Montana to re-invent philanthropic practices at Headwaters and live in Big Sky Country with its slower pace of life and stunning beauty. Brenda holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, a juris doctorate, is a member of the California state bar association and is a Terrance Keenan Emerging Leader in Philanthropy Fellow. Living in Montana, Brenda is learning to be an avid lover of nature and the great outdoors, along with her husband and two children.

In this episode, we explore how to embrace the opportunities presented by crossroads in our lives and careers. By honoring the insights of our bodies, communities, and becoming more human, crossroads can set us on a path of growth in the direction of our dreams for society and the self. Crystal Hayling is the Executive Director of the Libra Foundation. Growing up a Black girl in the South, Crystal’s survival depended upon her navigating social hierarchy, where she had to fight to be seen, heard, and taken seriously. Despite the fact that both of her parents were professionals, Crystal’s family experienced racial terrorism that endangered their existence and stripped away generational wealth. Early on in her life, Crystal committed herself to naming and correcting that injustice for all communities experiencing anti-Blackness, exploitation, and oppression.  “The frontline communities Libra supports are my teachers. At the foundation, our goal is to listen. We honor interdependence, disrupt philanthropic patterns that prioritize productivity over humanity, and support a new culture that centers justice and liberation,” says Crystal. As executive director, Crystal is cementing Libra’s dedication to being the type of funder that social movements need to bring forth progressive wins. She has brought together a team of empathic, knowledgeable, and curious individuals who are executing on that vision. With 30+ years of philanthropic and nonprofit experience, Crystal likes to say, “I’ve pretty much made all the mistakes already.”  With Libra, Crystal has brought a fresh vision of philanthropy that rejects business as usual and is responsive to the needs of frontline communities. Since 2017, Crystal has worked with the Libra board to advance these goals, including doubling Libra’s grantmaking in 2020 in light of the global pandemic and uprisings, and launching the Democracy Frontlines Fund, a new aligned giving strategy that raised $36 million in unrestricted, multi-year support for a slate of Black-led organizations.  Crystal is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Prior to Libra, Crystal served as CEO of the Blue Shield of California Foundation, where she spearheaded work to achieve universal health coverage. She was also part of the founding team at The California Wellness Foundation, where she led a groundbreaking initiative to shift youth violence prevention from a criminal justice issue to a public health effort. Crystal currently serves on the boards of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Essie Justice Group, and Community Change. She frequently writes and publishes on leading edge topics in philanthropy, and Inside Philanthropy named Crystal “2021 Foundation Leader of the Year" and "One of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy" in 2023. Outside of Libra, Crystal can be found in her garden, reading, listening to music, and going on long walks with her dogs. She’s looking forward to live music and movies again. Crystal lives in San Mateo, CA with her husband and their two teenage sons. Learn more about Freedom Dreams in Philanthropy

In the sixth episode of Becoming The Vision, we welcome Don Chen, President of The Surdna Foundation. In this episode, Don frames commitment to racial and social justice as an “oath”— a long-term pledge to stay grounded in vision, focused on root causes, and sustain a shared identity and purpose despite our differences and disagreements. Don shares how this oath guides his leadership at Surdna, and we acknowledge the personal qualities and competencies that support it.

A show about practicing the future we deserve.