Yodit Mesfin Johnson
As Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Strategy, Yodit oversees NEW’s staff, operations and program initiatives. She also joins the Organizational Development team as a consultant and trainer in leadership development, non-profit management, strategic planning and diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer and facilitator having provided workshops and keynote presentations in business development, nonprofit management, social justice and entrepreneurship for nearly two decades. Yodit brings a mix of corporate and entrepreneurial endeavors to this role. Outside of work she leads, Lips & Hips, a social enterprise that funds the future of girls and women.
Presentations from Facing Race 2018
Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap
Leaders from Detroit and Los Angeles will discuss ways to address the nonprofit racial leadership gap. In 2017, the Building Movement Project released a report, Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap, that challenged prevailing narratives for why there are so few leaders of color in the nonprofit sector. Rather than the conventional deficit model — that People of Color were unable or unwilling to take on top leadership — the results from over 4,000 nonprofit respondents showed People of Color and whites had similar qualifications and that People of Color were more likely to aspire to lead nonprofit organizations. Respondents also reported that structural barriers, from white boards to biased executive recruiters to funders, prevent People of Color from advancing to executive leadership jobs. During this session, we will present survey results including national data, data on the LGBTQ and California subsamples, and a new analysis of the data by race and gender. Two presenters from the Detroit area and Los Angeles, will briefly share their observations of the nonprofit racial leadership landscape and actions they are taking to change the narrative and to address the real barriers: racialized biases in the sector. In structured and highly interactive small groups, audience members will be learn from the presenters and their peers about practical ways of changing the narrative and taking concrete steps to address the nonprofit racial leadership gap. These will be captured and presented back to the full group.
Speakers: Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Yodit Mesfin Johnson, Aurea Montes-Rodriguez