Category Archives: Intentional Communities

As we wrap up Womens History Month, we wanted to share a Q+A we had with the women behind one of Columbias organizations Camp Cole. As the team of local ladies gears up to welcome the first campers to the new facility (T-76 days away), we wanted to get to know them a little better.

For those who dont know, Camp Cole was created by Kelsey Carter + Margaret Deans Grantz after Cole Sawyer passed away childhood cancer. Most camps and facilities are designed with able bodied individuals in mind so to meet the need the idea began to create a place that was built for children (or adults) like Cole.

This summer, Camp Cole will offer programs and services for children and other members of the community, including children experiencing homelessness, children experiencing a wide range of life challenges, and potentially a camp for children with cancer.

This fall we are working with a potential partner to create a wellness retreat for women as well as another organization for a Survivor Summit for women who have experience sexual assault or domestic violence. Margaret Deans Grantz

Until Camp Cole opens, lets get to know the team behind the one-of-a-kind space.

Margaret Deans Grantz and Kelsey Carter | Photo via @campcolesouthcarolina

Kelsey Carter, Co-Founder & Executive Director

Margaret Deans Grantz, Co-Founder & Director of Marketing and Development

Cassidy Green, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Kelsey Carter After graduating from the University of South Carolina, I moved to Dallas, TX to pursue a teaching career in low-income communities. After 2 years of teaching, I relocated back to Columbia to be with my family. I have always loved calling Columbia home I grew up attending Gamecock games and have always had a healthy appetite for boiled peanuts!

Margaret Deans Grantz Fifth generation Columbia woman and have never thought about leaving. It has always felt like home.

Cassidy Green I was born and raised in Columbia, then attended the University of South Carolina. Once I graduated, I looked for jobs in Columbia because its close to my family and I love the city.

Kelsey Carter Id love to see a greater emphasis on accessibility of public places and transportation.

Margaret Deans Grantz We need more affordable daycare options for working moms!

Cassidy Green I would love to see more people supporting the awesome small businesses we have here in Columbia. As the daughter of a small business owner, I always love to shop + support local organizations when I can.

Kelsey Carter Grouchos every sandwich on the menu is delicious

Margaret Deans Grantz You can find my husband and I at Casa Linda at least 2x a week but also huge fan of everything at il Giorgione.

Cassidy Green I love the Devine Street Cinnamon Roll Deli! My go-to is a build-your-own breakfast sandwich, which comes with a cinnamon roll. Its so affordable, the food is delicious, and the staff is really friendly.

Kelsey Carter I hope that Columbia keeps its vibrancy, neighborly feel, and energetic atmosphere. May our Columbian friendly smiles always create a community of courageous laughter.

Margaret Deans Grantz I hope that our roads are better first of all. I hope that Columbia is a place where people can feel safe, parents can know their children can get a good education, our districts, Five Points, Vista, Main Street, Trenholm Plaza (and more), are thriving, and my family is all still here!

Cassidy Green I hope Columbia is still actively growing! I hope small businesses are thriving, people feel welcome, safe, and included, and the gamecocks are having winning seasons.

Kelsey Carter Music: Jess Glynne, Book: Wonder by RJ Palacio, Movie: Step Brothers

Margaret Deans Grantz Music: Avett Brothers, Book: The Giving Tree and A Good Night for Mr. Coleman

Cassidy Green Movie: Pride and Prejudice (2005), Book: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, Album: Seasons Change by Scotty McCreery

Kelsey Carter My parents have always taught me to show others kindness, empathy, and compassion. Both my mother and my father were deeply rooted in giving back to our community, and they instilled a deep sense of service from a young age. We often had friends over for dinner from diverse walks of life, you quickly became family in our home. Having lost a child to cancer at the age of 11, my parents addressed the effects of grief and heartbreak daily. For me, their constant acknowledgement that grief is hard, gruesome, and difficult, but ultimately, from grief there can also be spring great blessings made a large impact in the way I choose to live my life.

Margaret Deans Grantz My parents have taught me so much. My dad and mom are 100% my role models and heroes. My dad has taught me the art of giving back and that Nothing is fair in life but a ground ball through first and third. My dad is the most selfless person I know. He is always quietly giving to others whether it is supporting a nonprofit or helping someone in need. My mom has taught me, among so many other things, how a mothers love is one of the strongest things in this world. My mom has six children who are all different. She has never given up on any of us, supported us through highs and lows, and has sacrificed everything to give us the world. The influence they have had on me has shaped me into the person I am today.

Cassidy Green Ive learned so much from my parents and Im still being influenced by them today. My dad has taught me to never stop learning. Not a day goes by where he doesnt seek more information about the things hes passionate about. Whether its listening to a podcast, reading, or attending classes, hes constantly learning, and I try to do the same. My mom has taught me how to treat all people with kindness. My mom has never met a stranger. My childhood was full of her making conversation with people at the grocery store, at church, or anywhere else. She makes everyone feel at-ease, whether shes known them for a lifetime or five minutes, and I try to be as inclusive and intentional as she is.

Kelsey Carter I have overcome a great deal of hardships and heartbreak in my life. I have lost two of the most important people in my life before the age of 25, my brother to cancer and my mother to a neurological stroke. When speaking with friends, my heart still skips a beat when a conservation gets brought up about Mothers Day or simply calling your mom after a long day at work. I have learned that obstacles in life do not define you, you are so much greater than your current circumstances. The only person who has the power to change your life, your outlook, your story is you.

Margaret Deans Grantz I really wanted to be a Child Life Specialist after college but I got a Business Economics degree in college. I went to apply for internships to become a CLS and learned that things had changed and I needed a degree in something more related to child life. I was pretty bummed as becoming a Child Life Specialist was something I really decided I wanted to do. I decided to take a step back and work in the nonprofit sector. It is crazy how everything works out just how it is supposed to. Camp Cole is exactly where I should be and feel so blessed that my dream job of being a Child Life Specialist did not work out and give back to the community through Camp Cole.

Cassidy Green I graduated in May of 2020, which is right after COVID began. As you can imagine, it was a really difficult time to look for jobs. I began to get discouraged, but after speaking with some mentors, I decided to make the most of my free time by volunteering with a local organization. This is how I got connected with Camp Cole! I started as a volunteer, then turned into an intern. After interning for 6 months, I got my job as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Camp Cole. COVID certainly affected the job market, but because I decided to utilize my time wisely by volunteering, I ended up with a job with an incredible organization!

Kelsey Carter Always be kind, you do not know the battles someone is facing.

Margaret Deans Grantz An epiphany I had one day when in the grocery store, I was just in one of those moods where I didnt really want to stop and talk to anyone but saw someone I knew on an aisle. I could have easily avoided the hello but I realized and thought to myself: how hard is it to just stop and smile and say hello to someone. You never know who might need a smile or a hello that day.

Cassidy Green Ive learned that it costs nothing to be kind. There has never been a time in my life when I have regretted making someone feel special or loved. There will always be times when we fall short, but if we always strive to do our best to be kind, the world will be a better place.

Kelsey Carter Patricia Polacco, Marilyn Monroe, and Kid President.

Margaret Deans Grantz Taylor Swift, my best friend, Elizabeth, who died when I was in second grade, and my Dad.

Cassidy Green Reese Witherspoon, Dolly Parton, and Lee Wyndham, my grandmother. They are all strong southern women, so together, theyd be a force to be reckoned with.

Kelsey Carter Ashley Thomas, Founder of the The Hive Community Circle. Nonprofit dedicated to serving women experiencing or have experienced partner domestic violence. The statistics for our state are terrible regarding domestic violence, Ashley is committed to educating teens on healthy relationships, as well as providing intentional services to deserving women.

Leadership Columbia Class of 2021 Leadership Columbia was an incredible experience where I learned a great deal about the Midlands community. Especially with COVID this year, the class has had to be resilient and preserve in a difficult environment. I appreciate their focus and project this year at Midlands Fatherhood Coalition.

Margaret Deans Grantz I am always watching Homeless No More and how they are impacting the community with the work they do with homeless families. The work they do is so important. I am always watching Aja Wilson and following her. I think Columbia is pretty lucky to have someone like her for our young girls to look up too. I love that she makes time to come back and make a difference in the community that raised her. Lastly, I am always watching business leaders like Joe Taylor who work hard to bring businesses to Columbia and make it a place where people want to live.

Cassidy Green Bhavna Vasudeva has been a family friend of ours for years. She is so active in our community, always supporting nonprofits that mean a lot to her. I admire her drive and passion for helping others. Dawn Staley is someone who I and so many others look up to. Her commitment to equality, her players, and the community is incredibly inspiring to me, so she is someone who I am definitely watching. Amanda Harter and Neal Coats are Camps Coles Project Manager and Superintendent with Hood Construction. They have done such a wonderful job making sure that Camp Cole is exactly what we dreamed it would be. After Camp Cole is completed, I know they will continue building many more impressive buildings in the Columbia area. Im excited to see what comes next for them!

Kelsey Carter Sharon Bryant, Christy Davis, Amanda Harter, Cassy Shea, and Elizabeth Nkuo Johnson are all women who inspire me. They dedicate themselves to serving our community, removing barriers in the workforce, and show up everyday with poise and class.

Margaret Deans Grantz Right now I think MacKenzie Scott is pretty inspiring. She is Jeff Bezos ex wife who gifted $4.2 Billion of her own worth to non profit organizations across the country. But also, my best friends grandmother, Bebe, is someone I really look up to and admire. She lives in Greenville, SC and is one of the most giving women I have ever met. I hope I can raise my children to be as kind as she raised her children, to be able to give back and serve my community in the way she has, and have the heart of Jesus that she has.

Cassidy Green I have been immensely blessed by the strong, intelligent, generous, and grace-filled women in my family. From my youngest relative to my oldest, I have learned so much about how to respect myself and others. I also look up to Kelsey Carter and Margaret Deans Grantz. Im beyond thankful that I get the chance to work alongside them. They are determined to create an environment in which every single person will feel included, special, and worthy, and I am lucky I get to witness their hard work every day.

Kelsey Carter You are worthy of the success you accumulate. You are valuable and you are capable of great things. Do not let anyone dim your light.

Margaret Deans Grantz That you can do anything as long as you believe in something bigger than yourself. A lot of people did not think two girls in their 20s could raise $10 million dollars, build a camp, and create something that has never been done in Columbia before but we have raised $13 million dollars, built a state of the art camp, and have created programs that are already impacting lives and our doors havent even opened yet.

Cassidy Green I want to tell future local women about the importance of being kind to yourself. I really like the expression, you cant pour from an empty cup. Its much easier to take care of others once youve taken care of yourself first. Its so important that we take some time each day to reflect on what we love about ourselves!

Margaret Deans Grantz To change the lives of people through the camping experience. We hope to create programs where there are gaps in our community for children and adults who deserve the chance to connect with people going through similar experiences.

Cassidy Green Our next big step is welcoming campers this summer! We are so excited to see children, teens, and adults make memories at this place that so many people have dreamed about for such a long time. Im just blessed that I get to be a witness to the great things that will happen at Camp Cole!

Kelsey Carter Ashley Thomas, we need to be talking more about women of diverse backgrounds in leadership positions.

Cassidy Green You should interview Darci Strickland, a journalist with WLTX. My senior year of college, she came and spoke during one of my journalism classes. She had so many interesting stories about her time as a journalist!

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COLA Q+A with the women behind Camp Cole | COLAtoday - COLAtoday

As the COVID19 pandemic has upended everything at UC Santa Cruz, the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning has stepped forward to help.

The center, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, has played a vital role in providing resources and research to faculty to aid them in redesigning their classes for the new reality.

Founded in 2016 to continue and refresh the universitys long tradition of educational experimentation, CITLs goal is to help educators and students thrive through use of the latest research and educational technologies.

Susan Strome, a professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology, said working with CITL has been transformative for her. Because of advice she received through CITL, she redesigned her syllabus to be more engaging and welcoming. She emphasized that she believes all students can succeed, and she outlined what she will do in partnership with students to help them achieve their goals. CITL also provided critical guidance in how to redesign her course for remote instruction.

CITL is having a profound impact on teaching on campus, Strome said, adding that many faculty members have looked to the center for help on offering remote instruction classes. When we go back to in-person instruction, we will be better instructors.

Over the last year, CITLin close collaboration with Online Education and Information Technology Serviceshas offered numerous webinars and a teaching newsletter with ideas on such things as how to manage Zoom classes, incorporate videos, provide inclusive teaching and how to facilitate active learning. CITL also provided information on how to offer trauma-informed teaching. Faculty were encouraged to regularly ask students how they are doing during the pandemic and to ask about their needs.

What were trying to do is have everyone learn, said Jody Greene, the centers founding director and associate vice provost for teaching and learning.

Prior to the pandemic, it was harder to get faculty engaged with the centers efforts because they were so busy with their many responsibilities, Greene said. Understandably, they didnt have endless hours to rethink how to run their courses. But with the onset of COVID19, everyone had to rethink how they run their courses. Greene said shes pleased to hear that Strome and many professors felt they benefited from the process.

If youre real clear on what you want students to learn and you design what you do in class and how you affect their learning in an intentional way, then youre going to get a lot more learning than out of a really entertaining performance, as one example, Greene said.

Because of encouragement from CITL, some professors have been willing to try things they never have beforelike allowing students to retake exams until they got it right. The idea is to stop using tests as a way to sort students into good and bad, and to instead use them as assessments to help students learn.

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, an astronomy professor, said that the way UC Santa Cruz approaches teaching and evaluates teaching can be divided before or after CITL.

It has changed the mentality around here, he said. Its generated a really beautiful, supportive, intellectually brilliant community of learners and teachers.

Ramirez-Ruiz, who has been a CITL fellow for many years, particularly appreciates how the center encourages professors to be better mentors to students.

Good teaching, good mentoring practices are going to be rewarded and are essential to the way people are promoted, he said.

He said CITL has also played an important role in getting departments to look at where they are losing students of color, and to take steps to correct that problem.

CITL will celebrate its fifth anniversary April 14 with a convocation featuring Estela Bensimon, professor of higher education at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education and director of the Center for Urban Education, which she founded in 1999.

Bensimon is known nationally and internationally for her role in promoting equity in higher education. She developed a toolkit, which Strome used, to help faculty redesign their syllabuses in a more inclusive way.

Bensimon asks faculty members to be race-conscious and to pay attention to how minoritized students do on homework assignments. As an example, Latinx students in a class might have good attendance but might not be handing in homework because they think its optional.

A lot of this is hidden curriculum, Greene said. Its about making everything transparent so that everyone has an opportunity to navigate the course expectations and succeed.

Bensimon also encourages faculty members to look at the strengths of minoritized populations. For example, faculty members should become conscious of the collaborative skills from communities less individualist than white culture. Shes very adamant about a strengths-based approach, Greene said.

Greene hopes people who hear Bensimons talk will come away inspired to continue working with CITL and the many partners with whom they closely collaborate to improve teaching and support equitable outcomes for students on campus.

CITL is not changing teaching but changing the culture of teaching, she said. This is something we expect people will develop over the course of their careers.

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Marking fifth year, Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning plays vital role in campus mission - UC Santa Cruz

By Joe Powers and Ben May

Are We Courageous Enough to Create Our Own Future Now?

Walt Disney said: Courage is the main quality of leadership. Leadership in the fire and emergency services today defines the truth of his statement. Courage is one of the defining characteristics for every man and woman who takes the oath to serve and protect our citizens day and night. There is no nobler mission. But its not as easy as it was some years ago. We dont mean easy in the challenges to do the job. Thats never been easy. It takes a special kind of person to be a firefighteror any kind of first responder. Its an extremely high bar in mental and physical ability and dexterity. The decision to lead firefighters and officers is the high ground of courage. Its never easy to lead. Its messy; sometimes we dont know if weve made the right decision until years later. Today we are faced with every possible emergency facing our citizens and now are in the middle of a global pandemic. It seems like our services just keep expanding in the face of budget cuts and layoffs.

Shaping a New Future

Courage in leadership is defined by shaping the new future, maintaining traditional brand values, creating a foundation for sustainability through fostered innovation, and thinking differently to ensure tomorrows success. The fire services future relies on courageous leaders; however, the success of individual departments providing fire and emergency services hinges on the willingness of those leaders to step out, understand community needs, and begin to adapt now.

21st Century White Paper

The recent 21st Century Fire and Emergency Services White Paper from the Center for Public Safety Excellence is a blueprint for this adaptation. Released just a few months ago, the White Paper is one of the most comprehensive roadmaps for our service at exactly the right time. However, the future it describes is now. The actions it describes need to be taken now because our future is meeting us today. The 21st Century White Paper is exactly the kind of leadership so necessary for our profession and the safety of our citizens. It is visionary, strategic thinking grounded in the reality of the challenges we face with real solutions. This white paper should be a working document for every departments strategic planning process.

A Change in the Wind

In the mid-2000s, the industry began a transformation. Little by little, fire department leaders across the United States started thinking differently and viewing their communities problems not in generalities but in specifics. Fire departments began to understand that, although fires are a high-risk problem, it is not the only risk experienced in the neighborhoods they serve. Todays top fire departments hold the distinctions because their leaders stepped out of line, supported innovative thinking, and used their brand to build a foundation for long-term success in the community.

Community Risk Reduction

One of the key opportunities emerging from the 21St Century Fire and Emergency Services White Paper is the convergence of citizens needs for our service. The growth of community risk reduction (CRR) is the key that unlocks this opportunity for pinpoint service whether emergency or preventive, whether fire and rescue or some other agency that we bring into the equation. Incidentally, its a marketers dream. CRR begins with the brand: Fire Department or Fire and Rescue or Fire and Emergency Services.

In a recent conversation with one of our finest young chiefs, she mentioned how one of her challenges in bringing in new firefighters was the reality that only 7% of the job included actual firefighting. Yes, this is generally true, but wedo not see this as a problem. Its the evolution of our profession to an all-hazards mitigation service. Our heritage and history have served us well. It is rich in traditions as the stimulus for innovation, and CRR is that next step, with the White Paper to expand well beyond that.

Defining Risk and Creating a Point of Difference

The mindset of departments using models of CRR is different from all others, and rightfully so. The fundamentals of CRR drive departments to be different from all the others because the communities they serve are individual. Traditionally speaking, the fire service may provide some of the same services throughout the industry. However, we achieve the highest level of positive outcomes when we serve our residents with the programs and services most needed. We best serve our community best by first understanding risk.

Its Not a Name Change

First and foremost, regarding CRR, lets be on the same page. Throughout the industry, CRR may be one of the most misunderstood terms. For those leaders who understand CRR, there is long-term success in operations, community outcomes, and funding. For those who dont understand it, CRR is simply a static name change and an unimpressive replacement for either fire prevention or the fire marshals office. What is the most significant risk to CRR? The lack of understanding by fire service leaders.

Opening the Firehouse Doors for a Transformative Model

CRR is not public education, fire code inspections, fire prevention, or more work for firefighters. It is a complete transformation to a model of risk assessments, prioritization, resource deployment, and evaluation. In the simplest of terms, CRR is all about opening the doors of our firehouses, looking into the neighborhoods, seeing the problems, then going out and helping to reduce the impacts of the biggest problems.

Understanding Enough to Tell the Story

In many cases, CRR uses firefighter perceptions, reliable data, and community insights to better understand the risk faced by residents and visitors. Collecting and studying the information create fantastic opportunities for fire service leaders to tell neighborhood-based stories. When fire departments can understand and articulate the unheard stories, they can use their trusted brand to impact communities positively, save lives, and write the organizations future. This is where we start to see the opportunities of CRR in our departments. Telling the stories of an industrial area may drive changes to our training academy, the information we collect and share during preincident planning, and how command officers allocate emergency resources. Within a multi-family community, the stories may lead us to tailor curricula in that specific school district, improve on messaging during public events, and develop partnerships with social services to improve service delivery.

A Multidisciplinary Approach

CRR, depending on the neighborhood, may have elements of code enforcement and public education. However, true CRR is not fire prevention or kids wearing plastic fire helmets. CRR is community-specific services, programs, partnerships, and organizational changes to improve outcomes. CRR may impact physical fitness training and requirements where wildland and even high-rise risks occur. It may alter how company officers develop riding seat assignments or how home health care providers interact with their at-risk clients.

Is It Worth It? Yes, and Heres How to Do It

CRR sounds like more work, right? Well yes, and no. Creatively collecting information to tell the stories is an additional workload. However, as you begin to define the risks, the models of CRR drive increased efficiency and decreased organizational workload while doing more in the community. Although it sounds like a pipe dream, there are several benefits to CRR that most leaders dont realize. By conducting a risk assessment and understanding the neighborhood stories, departments can better provide the risk-reduction activities communities need. However, CRR works the opposite way, too, by identifying what services communities dont needtrimming citywide programs down to only those communities that require the services to increase efficiency and decrease workload. Also, providing the right services to the right community or population may reduce emergency response demand.

Dig Deeper to Understand the Real Risks in Your Community

Whats also important to understand is this: The first time you try to develop a risk assessment, you may not find the real story. Good risk assessments are the product of trials, innovations, evaluations, and perseverance. Risk assessments are not a one-and-done document you put on a shelf. Useful risk assessments use data, the Web, and even interviews to gather experiential data from firefighters, police officers, social works, and more. Evaluating progress can shed light on improvement opportunities and additional risk assessment elements to better tell the story.

Its a Partnership that Can Work

Being everything for everybody is fiscally impossible, andlets be honestthe fire department doesnt need to try to do it all. There are vast opportunities to partner with government and private organizations to improve communities. Linking up and communicating with social service and mental health resources may improve the holistic response to frequent 911 utilizers. Partnering with in-home health care, property maintenance, or meal-delivery services puts a number of advocates in homes, which the fire service cannot otherwise achieve. Even working with local schools and outlining their students specific risks can drive changes in morning announcements, lunchroom posters contents, and to-home messaging. There are so many capable organizations and people who can make a difference. Provide them with the information and let them do the job.

The Fire in Fire Department

As leaders, we have the responsibility to imbue young firefighters with the evolution of our profession and their responsibility as leaders to take it further. The brand equity and public loyalty are symbolized by the Maltese Cross, our uniforms, and our carenot just in time of need but in a comprehensive, interactive approach to safety and prevention with the citizens we protect in the middle. In our opinion, the name Fire and Rescue or Emergency Services is critical. Our citizens trust us in the way they know us. They know us first as the Fire Department, and it is an undisputed market and brand position.

Comprehensive Safety 24/7

In CRR, the Fire Department is leading and coordinating this comprehensive safety equation. That is marketing leverage from an unassailable position. Its our responsibility to maintain that high ground of brand loyalty and equity. We do this daily in the specific actions with ourselves, the public, and the other agencies and professions we involve in CRR.

The fire service has the opportunity to capitalize on its brand and create a sustainable future through CRR. Risk-matched services, strategic partnerships, and continuous evaluation for improvement can drive outcomes to build our future through strengthening the fire department brand.

Courageous with CRR

Being courageous enough to intentionally instill CRR elements with the trusted brand of your fire department will put firefighters at the forefront of community change. Funding for your organization is no longer a government liability, as is seen in a traditional firefighting department; its an investment in intentional community change. Community investments that drive positive outcomes while reducing workload are a sustainable model for our industries future. The outcomes of CRR in one department cannot be duplicated in another. CRR requires leaders courage to step up and intentionally understand the communities served to tell the stories for successful outcomes.

Leading the Evolution of Our Future

The future of fire, emergency services, and comprehensive safety is in our hands if we have the courage to lead and shape it. Every fire officer, firefighter, and probie has the intelligence to embrace the shifting paradigm that includes the wellness of our citizens as well as their emergency needs. As the 21st Century White Paper notes: We will have specific data drawing a picture of the hazards and needs of every building, business, and family by jurisdiction and location. We are building a safe future for all our citizens with the fire service in the lead as the master builder.

Joe Powers is a 27-year veteran of the fire service and has a masters degree in public administration and a bachelors degree in health sciences.He works with fire departments to improve operational response, reduce operational workload, and tie data to strategic decision making.Powers is the deputy chief of community risk reduction at the Charlottesville (VA) Fire Department.

Ben May is a board director of the Center for Excellence in Public Safety and recently retired global director of corporate alliances for the Walt Disney Company. He has been a marketing consultant to Fire Service Publications (IFSTA) of Oklahoma State Universitys School of Fire Protection Technology, the U.S. Fire Administration, and metro fire departments across the country. He has a master degree with honors in international communication and Russian.

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Taking the Long View - FirefighterNation - Firefighter Nation

Canvas Ventures closes CV3, a $350M fund to offer visionary founders early-stage capital and go-to-market expertise.

Intentional Approach to Thesis-Driven Investing

Canvas engages in thesis-driven investing in fintech, digital health, marketplaces, and logistics, primarily leading Series A rounds with check sizes ranging from $5 million to $15 million. The four partnersRebecca Lynn, Paul Hsiao, Mike Ghaffary, and Gary Littletake on a select number of companies, ensuring that each investment receives maximum support. The Canvas partners proactively scout and select founders who demonstrate they are best-in-class technologists focused on building impactful companies.

"In today's market, nothing is more important than focus. At Canvas, that means honing in on strategic sectors so that when we see a company, founder, or idea we believe in, we can move quickly. This intentional approach is how we find, support, and grow transformational companies," said Rebecca Lynn, co-founder and general partner at Canvas Ventures. "I've spent my career in go-to-market. We've now seen, through successes in our past funds, that our deep operational background paired with our thesis-driven approach produces strong results and allows us to make successful, bold bets. We're doubling down with CV3."

Canvas Ventures' first fund, CV1, includes Luminar Technologies (Nasdaq: LAZR), a global leader in automotive lidar technology that went public via SPAC in December 2020; Zola, online wedding registry, planner, and retailer; Vida Health, virtual care for chronic conditions; and Transfix, a digital freight management software. Notable investments from CV2 include logistics companies MasonHub and Flowspace, proptech leaders Roofstock and Flyhomes, and fintech pioneers Possible Finance, Gabi, and Skyflow.

One of the venture industry's earlier female-founded firms, Canvas has an investment and platform team today composed of 40% women. And across the Canvas portfolio, 1/3 of its companies are founded or led by women, including Zola, Transfix, Thrive Global, Casetext, Platform9, and Vida Health, among others.

Founders' First Call for Growth Guidance

Canvas Ventures' four General Partners take a hands-on approach to each investment, lending early-stage growth guidance drawn from a collective 45 years of operational experience:

Rebecca Lynnworks with early-stage founders to refine their product-market fit and expand their go-to-market strategy. Rebecca has a passion for unlocking new channels for growth and building out consumer and brand marketing, drawing from early career experience at Procter & Gamble and operational experience scaling fintech companies from early-stage to IPO.

Paul Hsiaoapproaches investing with an innate respect for how founders and leaders build meaningful companies. Paul draws on deep experience as a two-time founder and leverages hard-won wisdom scaling companies from garage-scale to IPO. His unique skill is in helping early-stage companies identifyand landtheir most valuable customers.

Mike Ghaffarybrings a unique perspective as a founder and operator with a particular focus on marketplaces and business development. Understanding how BD can be a lever for growth, Mike counsels portfolio companies with firsthand advice from his experience as an executive at Yelp and CEO of Eat24. He helps companies with early business initiatives including new revenue lines, strategic partnerships, and go-to-market strategy and execution.

Gary Littlehas several decades of experience operating and investing in enterprise companies. Gary has a particular interest in innovative software and services, and lends portfolio companies his deep expertise in product-led growth and developer marketing for products with strong open source communities. He has helped his portfolio companies grow from pre-revenue to IPO and multi-billion dollar exits.

"In an environment where expectations have never been higher, the team at Canvas is fortunate to be investing in founders building companies that facilitate true digital and physical transformation. Each partner lends extensive operating experience, ultimately helping our portfolio companies scale and succeed. We know first-hand what it takes to grow a company from $1M to $1B, and we work tirelessly to ensure the best outcomes for our portfolio companies," said Paul Hsiao, Co-Founder and General Partner at Canvas Ventures.

A Growing Team to Support Growing Companies

With CV3, Canvas Ventures is launching a GTM Council to provide portfolio companies with advice and insights from best-in-class marketers across B2B and B2C disciplines. The Canvas GTM Council is an elite group of proven operators with experience guiding early-stage growth across sales and marketing at industry-leading tech companies.

The Canvas team has grown significantly, with new hires spanning the investment team, talent, and marketing. The team scouts new investments, offers guidance to new and existing portfolio companies, builds the Canvas brand, and supports portfolio marketing.

Grace Isfordis an investor with a passion for scouting humble and ambitious entrepreneurs across sectors ripe for innovation, with a focus on B2B business models in fintech, digital health, and enterprise. Prior to Canvas, Grace worked in product at Handshake, in growth equity at Stripes Group and on the LP side at the Stanford Management Company. She holds a BS/MS from Stanford where she was a Mayfield Fellow.

Evan Hatchis an investor interested in the modernization of infrastructure within financial services and enterprises. Prior to Canvas, Evan worked at Insight Venture Partners and Global Founders Capital.

Harrison Lieberfarbis an investor enthusiastic about connecting with mission-driven, category-defining entrepreneurs. His focus as an investor is on consumer and B2B marketplaces, fintech, and software. Harrison was previously an investor at Softbank Group and worked in business and corporate development at Yelp.

Ripley Hartmeyeris head of talent & community, with a focus on sourcing, cultivating, and placing top talent across the Canvas portfolio, as well as building the Canvas entrepreneurial community ecosystem. She also plays a key role in investor communication and relationship building. Ripley previously worked at Spencer Stuart, a leading global executive search firm.

Nina Willdorfis head of marketing & communications, where she works closely with Canvas portfolio companies to develop their brand narrative and marketing strategy, in addition to helping position Canvas's brand. Nina brings years of marketing storytelling experience at tech companies including Coinbase, Airbnb, and Trulia, along with working as an editor and journalist for national media outlets such as All You and Travel + Leisure.

About Canvas Ventures

Canvas Ventures is the boutique firm for visionary builders. Leading Series A investments in transformative companies, Canvas follows a thesis-driven approach to investing, scouting, and securing fields ripe for disruption, including: fintech, digital health, marketplaces, and logistics. Canvas Ventures' investing partners are Rebecca Lynn, Paul Hsiao, Mike Ghaffary, and Gary Little. Founded in 2013, Canvas Ventures and its partners have been named to Forbes Magazine's Midas List several times over. Visit http://www.canvas.vc to learn more and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact: [emailprotected]

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Canvas Ventures Closes Third Fund at $350 Million to Offer Visionary Founders Early-Stage Capital and Go-To-Market Expertise Proven to Accelerate...

In this moment, Rachel Cargle is resting in her joy. Shes just moved into her favorite apartment in Brooklyn, New York; shes enjoying the solitude of the new (virtual) normal and shes finishing up writing her debut book. The multi-hyphenate activist, educator, entrepreneur and writer is known for her examinations of the intersections of race, feminism and womanhood, and does so through social media and her plethora of initiatives: The Great Unlearn, the Loveland Foundation, Elizabeths Bookshop & Writing Centre and Rich Auntie Supreme. Though her work contains many facets, each arm of Cargles portfolio reveals a singular objective: to center and protect her Black community.

Speaking with kindred spirit and fellow businesswoman Tamu McPherson of beauty, culture, fashion and wellness blog All the Pretty Birds, Cargle discusses her upbringing near Akron, Ohio, finding a non-traditional path to purposeful work and using her talents for empowerment, of others and self.

Tamu McPherson: What in your experience as a young person in Greene, Ohio put you on your pathway to what youre doing now?

Rachel Cargle: Ohio was a really wonderful place for me to grow up because of my mother and the way she raised me. I had a very pleasant childhood, even in the midst of not understanding that we were very, very poor, and the experiences that I was having as a Black woman living in a very white space. But my mother instilled in me so much curiosity, and so much confidence, that I really enjoyed the experience of navigating the world. I also feel like she knew the type of world that I was existing in before I could even really comprehend what it meant for me to be the only Black girl in my elementary school, or to move through spaces without really having reflections of myself.

I think about Ohio springs and summers a lot. Even though New York City is the love of my life, and I cant fathom ever leaving here, I definitely have a very soft spot for Ohio forever.

TMP: I hear you. As you know, I migrated to New York from Jamaica, and we were quite poor. I didnt know that we were poor. And it just makes me feel like poverty is a state of mind and what your parents are nurturing you with is really what determines how you experience your life as a young person. What about your relationship with your mother and your older sisters? I get a sense that those relationships deeply shaped the way that you love women today.

RC: Thats very challenging to me. My relationship with my sisters is very complicated. My sisters are twelve years older than me and their whole adult lives have been in and out of drug addiction and in and out of alcoholism. For me to be able to go on to do something like this, and for my sisters to have gone on to make their decisions makes me think a lot about nature versus nurture, and has influenced my decision not to have children. I think that my sisters in particular are a constant reminder for me of the ways that Black women exist in the world. It informs how I love Black women and the sometimes fragility of our survival.

Rachel Cargle at home. Interiors by lr Interiors. Dress by Mara Hoffman, earrings and necklace by Bulgari, bracelets by David Yurman & Bulgari.

TMP: I obviously did not know about that. But I think that the great thing is that even though youve had those challenges in such intimate relationships, you are whole and that you want to continue to give love and to nurture women that you dont even know. The Loveland Foundation is an example of that: youve created healing for Black women, for women like your sisters. Youre giving the gift of mental health to so many women and in such a critical way. And youre dismantling the taboos and stigma that surrounds mental health and therapy.

RC: I think that a lot of my intent, and a lot of my motivation in my work, and particularly in the approach that the Loveland Foundation is recognizing that it definitely could have been me and I am deeply grateful that I was able to exist on the path that I am. When I started the Loveland Foundation, I imagined a ripple and I chose Black women and girls as the people who would be getting our initial support because they are the bedrock of families of communities, of churches, of organizations.

TMP: Your path has also led you to academia. How did your experiences at collegiate institutions propel you to create your own direction as a scholar?

RC: Learning was always a pillar of my existence. I enjoyed it; I leaned into it and I was always looking forward to it in one way or another. So, particularly in my experience attending Columbia University as an adult older than most college students, I was, again, very excited to be on campus and in the classroom. Then, at orientation when the dean is walking us around she says, Oh, when youre on campus grounds, its just like youre back in 1842. And I thought, No, thats actually not where I prefer to be.

Its those microaggressions that wither away at you that really make you question so much. Columbia just continued to not show up for the Black students and the Black community. But, I also have to acknowledge the privilege that I had in that moment. I had been getting momentum with my writing so I already felt a lot more autonomy around my learning. What it ended up looking like was me curating my own syllabi: reaching out to these mainly queer BIPOC scholars and experts, and learning what I wanted to learn in the way I wanted to learn it from who I wanted to learn it from. The really fun part of the autodidactic and pursuing things as a public academic is the ability to pull resources that you might not have always even considered within the constraints of the institution. It was really revolutionary for me and its been really wonderful to witness other people see how Ive been trying to move into this space, and then creating their own learning experiences, as well.

TMP: I did it like I was supposed to do it: I went through school, and then I figured out, at 26, that I didnt want to be a lawyer, or I didnt want to work in finance, and that I wanted to work in fashion. Its taken me this long to even realize that Im an entrepreneur because I went to all those institutions that trained me to work for someone. I think that were kindred spirits in terms of getting to where we are today.

RC: I love that you had that realization, as well.

Dress by Wray, shoes by Christian Louboutin, earrings and necklace by Khiry, bracelet by David Yurman.

TMP: As an entrepreneur, youve structured your brand in such a way that from a sociological and anthropological standpoint is genius. The majority of your audience is white. Youve figured out your brand of social justice, social activism and you know who you hold space for for healing.

RC: I was very methodical about how I built my company, once I started in the entrepreneurial world, even when I was just a babysitter and I was learning about womens empowerment and pay equities. I took a lot of time pouring into how Oprah built Harpo Productions, and how Beyonc built her brand. There are so many things that I disagree with both of those women in a variety of areas. Theres also so much that I adore of and learned from them in how they decided to build their careers on their terms. I decided early on that I was not going to be only known for surviving whiteness, or helping white people be less racist. I started to be intentional in being vulnerable and showing other aspects of me: this is me walking in fashion week; this is me writing about love; this is me moving into the world of philanthropy and doing something that centers my community. I am very proud of how I have been able to define myself within any industry Ive decided to explore.

TMP: I feel that we are definitely in a space where people identify with one category, but I dont think its sustainable or healthy. On social media now, there are a lot of pedestals, and I feel uncomfortable with all of those pedestals.

RC: In the most literal sense, starting Elizabeths Books & Writing Center was me diversifying to a physical business. If we could no longer connect to each other over the web, I could still do my meaningful work for the community.

TMP: I feel thats what a lot of people are suffering from now. Theyre proverbially putting all their eggs in one basket, which is fine, because this is a game of trial and error. Its just the power of social media to put you there. I worry about what happens after.

RC: Especially in thinking about the anti-racism space, no one deserves to stay here for too long, because it will kill you. Itll kill you with overwhelm.

TMP: As a female entrepreneur, how did you reconcile the work you do with actually structuring compensation? This is a public service, but you absolutely have to be compensated, and then you have to compensate your community that supports you.

RC: In stereotype, activists are supposed to fit in the struggling artists beat. I believe that we actually should be pouring resources into them so that their art can continue to serve us. It was new and scary, but it was necessary to explore the ways that we exchange this community, particularly within the Black and white audiences. And I hope that my demanding to be paid for the work opens lots of doors for other people to come here to be paid for their emotional labor, too.

TMP: I really want to talk about Rich Auntie Supreme because while society doesnt dictate a picket fence anymore, were definitely pressured into getting married and were pressured into having children. How did this emerge, your desire to uplift women in your community who choose to not have children?

RC: You know, a phrase that has come up in my mind a lot is a Renaissance of my own. I decided a while ago that I knew I didnt want children. I was a nanny for a very long time and so I felt like it was an educated decision. Instead, Id like to join a group of women who are dedicated to their experience of enjoyment and luxury, and using all of the resources that come from not having children to pour into the community that we do love. Thats where the Auntie part of it comes in because I love being able to show up in ways that often our parents arent able.

TMP: The healing never stops for our community. We live in the families and the communities that we build. Something that feels so indulgent is going to liberate so many women.

RC: You know, I walked away from a marriage that was good. I just knew I wasnt supposed to be there. We were such a celebrated couple and he was making six figures very young. There were all of these things that made it check every single box. When I got my divorce that was me saying, This is good, but its not for me, and I trust myself to know whats for me. So Im going to walk away until I find whats for me. That is what Rich Auntie Supreme is.

TMP: What is bringing you joy in your life right now? I think its being a Rich Auntie Supreme.

RC: I am deeply enjoying that, but Im also enjoying solitude. I think that it is so glorious to wake up knowing I dont have to jump on the train to go to a meeting in SoHo. And I just moved into the apartment of my dreams in New York. I feel like Im existing as a special version of myself right now in my work, in my personal space, in my love life and in my creativity. Im really resting in it, and Im grateful.

TMP: Im so relieved, because as we said before, a lot of activists are currently suffering due to the stress and demands of the work. I always say to people, Ive worked in fashion, Im a fashion person, I create content, and people say, Oh, youre an activist. Im not. All I can do is build critical lenses for us to think because no one thinks critically anymore. I feel like social media is really dulling us.

RC: I first have to address the realities of people assuming that however a Black woman exists in the world that shes an activist, that she is fighting for her life, that she is responsible for educating people. Like me, or any Black person finding ease, that is revolutionary. Existing is a political act, and I hate that you cant just exist to be in fashion, that clothes on your body cant just be on your body for joy; they have to be in resistance. Who would we be if our genius didnt have to be applied to surviving white supremacy? Im hoping that Black women, and Black people in general, can continue to explore how to use their skills, their joys, their passions in ways that have nothing to do with surviving whiteness.

TMP: Exactly. I definitely feel that were all woke right now. And on social media, were all sharing stuff to prove it. But I wonder, are we really breaking down and making sure that we truly understand what were sharing? Even if its the best piece of advice, the best theory, the best critical thought, at the speed with which were sharing, are we processing?

RC: Yes, and are we engaging with it? Are we considering what role we might play within this issue at hand? I think that that is critical for the learner and for anyone who is looking to be a meaningful part of their community. I think my core values show up in every single venture I have. My company is very rooted in a matriarchal system, not as in gender, but the values of education, support, rest, being intentional in who we partner with. Each brand is a new way to show up for my community.

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In Life and Work, Rachel Cargle Is an Architect of Community - Cultured Magazine

Violence and pain change the way we experience our surroundings and the way our bodies move: our eyes become wide in search of potential dangers, our bodies become tense.

What is the power both negative and positive of understanding such violence and pain with numbers? There are dangers in reducing our pain to numbers, but at the same time, we can use mathematical literacy for social causes by revealing hidden violence, such as the violence against migrant racialized women.

Mathematical literacy doesnt just mean mastering mathematics defined by school curriculum; it also means gaining a sense of how to apply mathematical concepts to everyday life, for social causes and gaining insight into how numbers and data have inherently political resonances. It can also provide us with the opportunity to listen to historically marginalized voices to analyze interlocking systems of violence and oppression.

The recent mass shooting in Atlanta that violently took the lives of eight people, six of which were Asian American women, sparked demonstrations against anti-Asian racism that have long been silenced through the model minority myth which minimizes and undermines the experiences of racism among Asians.

Read more: The model minority myth hides the racist and sexist violence experienced by Asian women

The intersection of racism and sexism and other interlocking systems of oppression, like migration, geo-economic politics and the criminalization of sex work are considered to be at play in the violence that happened in Atlanta.

Read more: The Atlanta attacks were not just racist and misogynist, they painfully reflect the society we live in

A lens of intersectionality shines light on the violence against Black women, Indigenous women and racialized women at large. And it also reveals the violence against Asian women who have been stereotypically hypersexualized and deemed submissive, disposable and consumable.

Understanding intersectional violence through numbers can help make visible the invisible.

In an era of protests, the political neutrality of mathematics is being questioned.

The power of mobilizing mathematical literacy for local policy changes became evident in my work with Virgie Aquino Ishihara, a longtime volunteer and community activist, at the Filipino Migrants Center, in Japan.

The Filipino Migrants Center worked tirelessly with migrant communities to redress violence rooted in human trafficking in the urban entertainment industry. It countered official data on domestic and work-place violence that did not reveal historically marginalized voices and violence against their bodies, through the numeration of hidden violence. Mobilization of mathematical literacy became a powerful tool in the context of social movements to redress human trafficking associated with entertainer visas.

By analyzing the economic impact of remittance from migrants in relation to governmental policies, the Filipino Migrants Centre was able to contextualize what pushed women to migrate as entertainer visa holders. These big-picture understandings led the activists to see historical and macro-economic dilemmas around domestic and workplace violence against migrant women something that has been historically construed as personal problems.

When violence against racialized womens bodies is reduced to a number (one incident), and discussed simply as one more violent act against an anonymous racialized woman, elements and stories that women embody begin to be erased.

In this light, movements such as #SayHerName are important in centring stories of Black women who have been victimized by racially charged police violence from becoming a number (as seen in the recent killing of Breonna Taylor). Journalist, Shiori Ito, who led Japans social movement to fight against sexual violence chose to de-anonymize herself in order to challenge media that reports and speaks for these numbers whose stories and bodies end up erased through anonymity.

Such politics of de-anonymization, however, should also respect the choice of silence. To stay silent and to endure the hardships toward dignity a notion captured by the Japanese term shinbo was a choice made by some Japanese Canadians and Japanese Americans who experienced internment during the Second World War.

Numeration can also risk reducing our intersectional histories and experiences to deterministic categories. Binary and categorical frameworks (e.g. women versus men) inscribed in statistics can perpetuate genderism and queerphobia that privileges those who can conform to gender norms, cisnormativity and heteronormativity.

The complexities of human stories and the voices that deviate from the norm shouldnt be lost in the process of numeration and mathematization.

In our study, the Filipino Migrants Centres efforts to make visible the invisible by exercising mathematical literacy brought consequential changes in the urban entertainment district.

As we walked around the district, we noticed significant changes that took place in the public park migrant women and allies came together. And as people came together, resident-led safety efforts developed as an alternative to institutional policing and surveillance. Creating a safer outdoor place required changing the actions of bystanders who can intervene in violence.

Mathematical literacy can allow us to listen to historically marginalized voices that are less heard yet powerful and strong to analyze interlocking systems of violence and oppression. However, numeration and mathematization have to be done through a non-hierarchical distribution of power with people who are directly impacted by historical oppression with respect to pain that cannot be reduced to numbers.

Intentional design of spaces toward solidarity, backed up with ethical mobilization of mathematical literacy, could move us toward healing our collective pain of violence.

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Power in numbers: Making visible the violence against racialized women - The Conversation CA

Byron Shire Council are seeking to prohibit secondary dwellings on MOs and CTs.

A new group promoting intentional communities on multiple occupancies (MOs) and community titles (CTs) is calling on councillors to reconsider staffs hard line proposal to prohibit secondary dwellings on all MOs and CTs by Byron Shire Council.

MOs and CTs are a unique living arrangements suited to those on low to middle incomes. In these arrangements, large rural land parcels are managed by a company, whose directors inhabit the land with dwelling entitlements. Despite the lower entry cost for housing, financial institutions do not generally lend on MOs, but will on CTs.

Avital Sheffer, from Northern Rivers Intentional Communities (NRIC), told The Echo her new group is a reincarnation of older, now non-active organisations like PAN and the Rural Landsharing Communities Association (RLCA).

Ms Sheffer said, Councils amendments to LEP 2014 propose to blanket prohibit secondary dwellings on all MOs and CTs.

It was presented as minor housekeeping and has us deeply alarmed. The proposal just went on exhibition and is open to submissions till April 16.

She told The Echo, We think the proposal, if passed, will strongly impact CTs and some MOs and the community at large, exacerbate an already grave housing crisis, and stress the social fabric of our community.

These are definitely not minor amendments and the public should know.

It is part of a complex multifaceted reality that needs to be responsibly studied and addressed.

CT lots are privately owned, but communal assets are managed in common. This is where CTs are engaged in large scale ecological repair and most have the adequate social and environmental infrastructure to accomodate secondary dwellings.

Councils proposal is vague and full of contradictions; it presents the misleading claim that converted Community Title lots were merit assessed for their capacity to sustain a certain number of dwellings. This assessment was never conducted.

Also, it claims to not blanket prohibit secondary dwellings on communities, but in the same sentence, conditions the option on consent conditions of communities, which means that no community can have the possibility for secondary dwellings.

She added, That Council is engaged at this moment in depriving the community of an unexploited source of modest housing that is available, rapid and at no cost to the public, goes against the common good and is contrary to good planning.

The amendments, which were instigated by Council planning staff, are buried within proposed Housekeeping amendments, which are available through Byron Shire Councils website.

To view them, click on Public Notices on Councils home page, then Open for feedback Housekeeping review LEP 2014.

The changes are called controls for secondary dwellings and dual occupancies on multiple occupancy and rural community title.

According to the proposal, the aims for the changes are to correct out of date information and achieve desirable planning outcomes.

Staff say within their justification, Permitting this type of development on rural community titles can significantly increase the housing density of these sites beyond what was envisaged as part of their original approval.

This needs to be carefully considered on an entire site/catchment basis, rather than in an ad hoc manner when a development application is submitted for an individual lot within one of these developments.

To have your say, contact planner Sam Tarrant on [emailprotected] or call 6626 7216.

Take a look at the recently launched Northern Rivers Intentional Communities website.

Tweed Shire Council has actively removed the option of Rural Land Sharing Communities (RLSC) or MOs from their shires LEP and are seeking to have themselves removed from the NSW State SEPP that facilitates these types of communities.

One of the reasons put forward by Tweed Mayor Cherry early in March was that because of the changing land values of the region the MO platform is being used by developers to set up large developments rather than facilitating intentional communities of like minded people as was the original intention of the development model, as reported by The Echo at the time.

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Objections raised over CT, MO dwelling restrictions in Byron Shire The Echo - Echonetdaily

March 2021 marks the end of the first quarter of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) fully managing its administration and operations of the agency. For the first time in the agencys history, all rail and bus operations are managed directly by the RTA, increasing its direct employees from 70 administrative staff to more than 800 employees in various maintenance, operations and administrative roles. With this historic change, the RTA is poised to make good on its commitment to create a world class transit system that is both equitable and reliable.

NORTA's executive leadership team, left to right: Mike Smith, Gizelle Banks, Jose Ruiz, Mark Major, Katherine Bush Felton, Alex Wiggins, Thomas Stringer, Lona Hankins, Darwyn Anderson, and Robert Hickman.Zack Smith PhotographyIn December 2020, the RTA completed the final steps to bring all operations and maintenance staff in house. This accomplishment comes 18 months after the Board of Commissioners hired Alex Z. Wiggins as the agencys first publicly appointed CEO since 2009. The board felt strongly that, moving away from the delegated management model, it could empower local leadership to make operational changes to improve the transit experience for New Orleans riders.

Transit equity is the driving force behind the decision to bring RTA operations in house, said Flozell Daniels, Jr., RTA Board chair. "We understand the importance of transit and the role it plays in the viability of families. We are excited about the intentional culturally appropriate community engagement conducted by the RTA to understand and meet our ridership needs. The RTA Board will always prioritize our riders first as we develop policies, implement service and innovate to meet the needs of our community.

An entirely new leadership team was brought on board in 2020 and was poised to successfully take the reins of the agency and intensively focus on safety, customer service, on-time performance and equity.

This past year, the nation experienced a collective reckoning with the lingering impacts of institutional racism and its impacts on communities of color. More than ever, words like equity, inclusion, diversity and privilege were tossed around in every industry in the country, including transit. The RTA is no exception.

The new leadership team realized that it had to rebuild credibility and trust within the community, and quickly. Talking about equity and diversity would not be enough. New Orleans residents demanded action, transparency and results.

While the new RTA is committed to building an equitable public transit system, we know that to be successful we must acknowledge the injustices within public transits history in this country and here in New Orleans, said Wiggins. Streetcar segregation, facilitated by black star streetcars which were reserved for colored passengers and the later use of screens to separate passengers, are part of that history. By understanding and acknowledging this past, we are better positioned to do the work to undo any lingering institutional damage to the people and the communities we serve - and most importantly, to make sure this dark history never repeats itself.

In the more recent past, the prevailing sentiment of local New Orleanians is that the RTA prioritized visitors and tourists over its workforce and transit reliant families who endure long commute times from New Orleans East and the West Bank, often without the benefits of adequate shelter and comfort facilities. Sizable investments were made in streetcar expansions, which primarily serves tourists, while the RTA continues to operate skeleton bus service with only 38 percent of the pre-Hurricane Katrina bus fleet.

The trust between riders and RTA was dismal. Not dismayed, the new agency leadership understood the importance of rebuilding confidence with riders as it headed into a new era.

Today, the RTA has placed an intense focus on putting New Orleans residents first and is quickly making good on the promises to build a world class transit system that met the needs of all riders. To build trust and credibility with its riders and community, the RTA went to work to reduce headways from 60 minutes to 15 minutes on critical routes serving transit dependent communities, entering the agencys two new passenger ferries into revenue service, scheduling CEO listening sessions in communities throughout the city and beginning to install bus shelters to protect riders from the weather.

Staff review Race and Social Justice Toolkit data.Zack Smith PhotographyLed by Wiggins, the team at the RTA knew that systemic changes were also needed to dismantle the historic bias within the system. A team of staff volunteers developed the agencys Race and Social Justice Toolkit, modeled after what was used by the city of Seattle where Wiggins spent the early part of his transit career. The toolkit features a series of questions that encourages decision makers to consider critical demographic data on race, income, access to vehicles and other pertinent indicators that could influence transit outcomes. This toolkit is now used whenever the agency considers operational or policy changes that could negatively impact communities of colornearly 70 percent of the New Orleans population.

New Orleans 7th grader, Dontay Allen at the unveiling of the public arts bus where he is featured.New Orleans RTAThe RTA is also focusing on being a better community partner and joined forces with New Orleans-based artist Brandan BMike Odums and Ashe Cultural Arts Center to create a public art bus. BMike is nationally celebrated for his poetic and passionate pieces surrounding political activism depicting brightly colored political figures, contemporary creatives and everyday people. He agreed to allow the RTA to use his art in a traveling art exhibit that brings uplifting messages that celebrate African American youth to the community.

The RTA is re-envisioning transit service as the lead partner in the network redesign which aims to increase transit connectivity and equity. The New Links project, which began in 2019, is led by the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission (RPC) as a planning effort for a redesign of the greater New Orleans transit system which includes New Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes.

The planning team, comprised of RTA and RPC planners, placed an intentional focus on compiling rider and stakeholder feedback about the system, pain points and suggestions for improvement from a series of surveys and public forums. Surveys were conducted on board vehicles to ensure the agency received feedback from a diverse cross section of rider demographics and travel patterns.

In addition to data gleaned from rider surveys and forums, the planning team gathered ridership and operational data including a detailed study called a Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) of existing transit services. This includes detailed data on ridership, on-time performance and how the RTA and Jefferson Transit (JeT) use their existing bus and streetcar fleets.

New Orleans RTA staff surveys riders to for the New Links system re-design project.Zack Smith PhotographyThe team also developed a transit propensity index to understand where people are living, working and going to school, as well as data on where and when people are traveling. Some of this information comes from an origin-destination survey of RTA and JeT riders in 2019, which gave the planning team information on who is using the transit system, and where, when and why people are traveling.

The work of the New Links project planning team to seamlessly connect RTAs modes and transit systems across the region is imperative as we strive to meet the most basic transit needs of our riders, said Wiggins.

From this data, the team compiled three transit re-design concepts which were presented to the community for feedback. The final network plan was presented to the RTA Board of Directors in February. This new network plan would increase the number of people living within a half mile of buses with 15- or 20-minute headways. It will improve service for residents who live in poverty and for households without cars. The system will be better coordinated across parish lines to reduce redundancy and make transfers between systems easier.

The new plan would establish transfer hubs in the West Bank, East New Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes, which will allow more frequent service by shortening run times on major routes to the downtown corridors. Combined, these changes will result in a measurable improvement in transit equity, reliability and overall rider experience.

With bringing transit operations and management in-house, building an experienced leadership team, focusing on the transit needs of its riders and re-designing the transit system, the New Orleans RTA is poised to lead the nation in equitable, rider-focused transit. This work is not new; it builds on the legacy of New Orleans early transit integration following the 1867 riots to integrate the streetcar, as well as the citys 12-year resistance to the adoption of the Louisianas Separate Car Act of 1890.

New Orleans is a city built on diversity, resulting in a rich and unique culture. The RTA is proud to be a part of this community and is honored to do its part to ensure that New Orleans culture endures and prosperity is shared by all.

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New Orleans RTA Brings Operations In-House to Focus on Service Delivery and Equity - MassTransitMag.com

HORSHAM, PA. An initiative to combat racial inequity and injustice and to create positive lasting change has been launched by Bimbo Bakeries USA. In addition to supporting organizations dedicated to serving the needs of Black and other minority communities, BBU has formed a racial equity action council.

In a March 24 announcement, BBU, the North American segment of Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, said it will donate $1 million to national and local organizations dedicated to furthering the education, financial well-being and health of minority communities. The company has named Nikki Lang as its head of diversity, equity and belonging, a newly created position. Ms. Lang most recently was director of e-commerce at BBU and for three years has served on the BBU diversity, equity and belonging (DE&B) steering committee.

Last year, the US experienced a reckoning moment with racial equity and injustice, said Fred Penny, president of Bimbo Bakeries USA. BBU acknowledged our responsibility to do more within our organization and our communities. We have taken the last nine months to engage and learn from our diverse associates and thoughtfully consider how we could have the broadest impact.

Mr. Penny said BBU efforts have been focused on strengthening the culture of the organization by improving representation and retention of diverse associates, promoting racial appreciation and confronting explicit and implicit bias.

BBU said half of the $1 million it has committed to donate will be directed to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the nations largest minority education organization. Through a partnership with UNCF, BBU will provide scholarships, establish an internship program and participate in the UNCF Student Leadership Conference.

An additional $500,000 will be donated to nonprofit organizations throughout the country. The new racial equity action council identified education, financial well-being and health as key areas for focus and identified organizations that would benefit from BBUs investment while also offering a channel for meaningful engagement among BBU associates. The company said The Lebron James Family Foundation, 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia have been selected for partnerships with BBU.

Our racial equity action council has been instrumental in identifying organizations where BBU and our associates can make a real difference, Mr. Penny said. We look forward to identifying additional partners and beginning our work with these organizations.

The initiative also will involve BBU brands, which will dedicate a percentage of marketing budgets to minority-owned media partners.

In her new role, Ms. Lang will focus full time on BBUs diversity, equity and belonging strategy, lead the development and implementation of DE&B programs and provide support and guidance to the racial equity action council and business unit DE&B councils. Ms. Lang has been a BBU associate for 14 years.

Im excited to lead the diversity, equity and belonging initiatives for BBU, Ms. Lang said. Our intentional effort to improve from the inside will help BBU continue to improve equity internally and in our communities.

Mr. Penny added, These are important first steps on our renewed diversity, equity and belonging journey, but this is a long-term commitment. We hope these steps will be a catalyst to encourage others to consider how they can contribute to racial justice and equity in their communities.

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BBU launches initiative to fight racial inequity - Baking Business

The New Berlin School Board heard a follow-up presentation on diversity and inclusion March 22 at New Berlin Eisenhower Middle and High School. It also heard a suggestion of creating a community committee centered around diversity from board member Krislyn Holaday-Wondrachek as well as parent Allison Dietrich.(Photo: File)

A New Berlin School Board member suggested creating a community committee to tackle the issue of race in the district a month after a different board member's comments about Black History Month drew outrage from some residents.

Krislyn Holaday-Wondracheksuggested doing what the Elmbrook School District had done in creating a committee of administrators, educators, parents, community members and students to study the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.

"They have been meeting almost every month to talk about the climate of diversity regarding race in their district and how they want to proceed on it so that all students feel welcomed and valued in their buildings," Holaday-Wondrachek said.

Holaday-Wondrachek was referring toElmbrook's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workgroup. It is led by Dr. Elise Frattura, a retired University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor and co-founder of Integrated Comprehensive Systems for Equity, and Elmbrook Director of Student Services Tanya Fredrich. The group's first meeting was Aug. 31, 2020, according to the Elmbrook School District website.

Holaday-Wondracheknoted that during the public comment sessions of the March 22 and Feb. 22 board meetings, almost 90% of the speakers had negative things to say about the racial climate in the New Berlin SchoolDistrict.

"When 90% of our speakers in the last month say we've got a problem, I think we need to listen," she said."I hope we do something about it."

At the March 22 meeting, residents, parents and students again called for the board to revise the curriculum.

Rachel Lautenbach, a senior at New Berlin West High School, said the school's curriculum is severely outdated.

"Our students are learning a very whitewashed version of American history," Lautenbach said.

Like Holaday-Wondrachek, parentAllison Dietrich also suggested forming a group of parents, students, staff and community members to address the issue.

"Frederick Douglass said 'if there is no struggle there is no progress.' Let's work together to get through the struggle and make some progress," Dietrich said.

Discussion around race in the district amplified when board member Jeffrey Kurth saidat the board's Feb. 22 meeting thathe "completely" disagreedwith Black History Month because it wasn't inclusive enough.

In its follow-up presentation, the district illustrated the disparity between the number of students of color and the number of staff members of corresponding races.

For example, the 94-slide presentation said that Asian and Hispanic, as well as male students, are the most underrepresented populations in terms of staffing demographics. Data shows that while 8.4%of the district's students are Asian and 7.3% are Hispanic/Latino, just 1.35% of staff are Asian and 1.5% of staff are Hispanic. Black students make up 1.5% of the district's student population and 1.2% of district staff. 95% of district staff are white and 79.1% of district students are white;51.9% of the district's students are male while 30% of district staff aremale and 69.3% of district staff are female.

The district is also planninga 2021-22 English/Language Arts program review that will include a diversity audit of classroom libraries, among other things.

Moving forward, the district plans to seek curricular resources and instructional strategies to meet all students' needs and bemore intentional about engaging with and celebrating diversity throughout the year.

ContactAlec Johnson at(262) 875-9469 oralec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

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New Berlin School District should form a committee to address race issues in schools, board member says - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel