The Leadership Learning Community hosted CalSAC's Executive Director, Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, and Director of Programs, Aleah Rosario, as they talked about how the Leadership Development Institute is helping increase the number of leaders of color in the nonprofit sector, and how the fellowships address the practices and biases of governing nonprofit organizations.
Studies consistently show that less than 20% of nonprofit executive directors/CEO’s are people of color. The recent Race to Lead report offers a new story for how we think about and address this leadership gap: to increase the number of people of color leaders, the nonprofit sector needs to address the practices and biases of those governing nonprofit organizations.
This shifts the leadership development narrative to one that incorporates transformation at the individual and structural levels in pursuit of racial equity. One model is the California School-Age Consortium’s Leadership Development Institute fellowships. Within the year-long, cohort based model for emerging leaders in the out-of-school time field, power, privilege and oppression are elevated alongside traditional leadership competencies development. The model focuses on the unique experiences of people of color in the out-of-school time field, while simultaneously challenging the environments and structures that create racialized barriers toward advancement.
Emerging leaders in the out-of-school time field are positioned to influence policies and practices well beyond the field. Many follow pathways toward teacher and school leadership, policymaking, health and wellness, community organizing, juvenile justice and more. Hear directly from the co-designer and fellow of the program about the model, its challenges, successes and hopes toward racial equity and a more just society.