Radical Transformational Leadership with Dr Monica Sharma: Guest Speakers: Barbara Clifton Zarate & Megan Joseph

Radical Transformational Leadership: What does this imply? Guest Speakers: Barbara Clifton Zarate and Megan Joseph

We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For

We invite you to a discussion with Barbara Clifton Zarate and Megan Joseph.

They discuss how to break patterns in philanthropy. They point out: it may be hard, but it is not impossible. We can learn to think differently-- we are in a place of possibilities right now. Right now, we have an invitation, an invitation on this planet to transform. Our work must be based on principles and values, on ethical leadership, on effective and responsive philanthropy, on challenging the current paradigm and creating a new one. What we measure we will move. How do we shift counting widgets, to paying attention to indicators related to outcomes and equitable and enduring impacts – to see whether the needle is moving, whether lives are better off, our water is cleaner, our earth is protected, and so on.

What can we do differently in philanthropy?

• Advance Equity and Inclusion and Make Equity a Through-line in All Investments
• Invest in Effective Collaboration and ethical leadership development
• Strengthen Nonprofit and Community Ecosystems
• Support Movement Ecosystems
• Listen deeply, invite conversations, and learn from grantees, members of the community and diverse experts; and simultaneously shaft the disempowering social and cultural narratives.
• More than grant dollars…Leverage assets such as knowledge, connections, reputation, access, influence, and the freedom to take on difficult or controversial issues to give beyond dollars.

Barbara Clifton Zarate and Megan Joseph invite us to reflect on the issues we are experiencing today, from a global pandemic, to the impacts of climate change to civil unrest and demand for racial justice. These are issues caused by human and systemic patterns that are hundreds of years old. Generations have been fighting to change these patterns and build more just and sustainable systems. And it is the shoulders of these generations that today’s movements stand on– that give us the openings, the shifts in consciousness, the courage to dismantle what is not working; and at the same time, generate new effective alternatives in today’s context. Philanthropy plays a key role in generating and sustaining deep systemic transformation, and they have a responsibility to meet this moment with courage, innovation and strategic action.

Guest: Barbara Clifton Zarate’s academic and professional background is in public health and philanthropy. She has dedicated the last three decades of her career to addressing the inequities and disparities that so many are negatively impacted by, and transform the systems that perpetuate them. She championed initiatives to address poverty, health access, education equity, and grassroots community advocacy and leadership development. She has worked on issues of basic human needs, such as access to food, housing, and water. Barbara stands in solidarity with Indigenous Water Protectors across the globe in opposition to the extraction of fossil fuels and the protection of our sacred water and Mother Earth. She is a mother and grandmother. Barbara stands in solidarity with those calling for justice and for the systemic reforms necessary to end structural racism.

Currently, Barbara Clifton Zarate works as the Director for Economic Opportunity at the Marin Community Foundation in Marin County, California in the United States. Her work is to advance economic equity and opportunity in the County.

Guest: Megan Joseph, MA has worked for nearly two decades with multi-sector collaboratives to increase their capacity to work together for equitable and sustainable results. Megan is the founding director of Impact Launch, a collective of social impact professionals that support individuals, teams and collaboratives to work more effectively for equitable and sustainable outcomes in policy, systems and community change. Recently as Executive Director of Rise Together, a multi-county initiative to cut poverty in the Bay Area, Megan implemented a 250 member coalition for policy and systems change, addressing issues of employment, affordable housing and early childhood education for critical populations. As Director of Community Organizing for the United Way of Santa Cruz County she founded and supported multiple sustained initiatives, including the Santa Cruz County Youth Violence Prevention Task Force and the Community Corrections Partnership Community Engagement Task Force. Megan was recognized with the 2015 National Community Indicators Consortium Emerging Leader award for her work using community indicators as a catalyst for change to reduce youth violence. Megan has practiced Radical Transformational Leadership for a decade with Monica Sharma, and over the last 10 years launched two leadership programs, Leadership for Community Transformation Santa Cruz County and Leadership for Equity & Opportunity Bay Area which together has trained over 900 leaders to design and implement equitable and sustainable social change projects. She has also served as faculty at JFK University. Megan earned an MA in Consciousness Studies from JFK University and an MA in Criminology, Law and Society from UC Irvine. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Learn more about Dr. Monica here: www.radicallytransform.org