Gathering Ground

On this episode of “Gathering Ground,” Mary was thrilled to talk to Rahnee Patrick, Director of the Division of Rehabilitation Services for the Illinois Department of Human Services, and artist Sandie Yi. They discussed Rahnee’s experience at Access Living and the Department of Human Services and Sandie’s experience as an artist and disability culture worker.

In response to the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, limiting access to safe and legal abortion across the country, Mary sits down with three women who continue to advocate for the individuals most impacted: Marie Khan, Director of Programs at Midwest Access Coalition; Natalie Moore, WBEZ journalist and playwright of The Billboard: A Play About Abortion, and activist and co-founder of SisterSong Loretta Ross.

Mary was thrilled to be joined once again by Tracie Hall and Angelique Power for another fireside chat — this time recorded on location in Detroit at the beautiful Motown Motivated Studios! Since missing last year's conversation, both of these powerhouses have continued to thrive in their work — Tracie as Executive Director of the American Library Association and Angelique as President and CEO of Skillman Foundation in Detroit.If you missed part one of this episode, you can find it at gatheringgroundpodcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please enjoy the conclusion of this phenomenal conversation between these equally phenomenal women.---“Gathering Ground” will be taking a brief hiatus as we line up some exciting new guests for the fall. Thank you for tuning in for another season of “Gathering Ground.” We'll see you in September!

Mary was thrilled to be joined once again by Tracie Hall and Angelique Power for another fireside chat — this time recorded on location in Detroit at the beautiful Motown Motivated Studios! Since missing last year's conversation, both of these powerhouses have continued to thrive in their work — Tracie as Executive Director of the American Library Association, and Angelique as President and CEO of Skillman Foundation in Detroit.As is often the case with Angelique and Tracie, our time together was so rich and meaningful that it couldn't fit into just one episode. Tune in on July 19 for part two of this amazing conversation!

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary meets with Dr. Diana N. Derige, Vice President of Health Equity Strategy & Development at the American Medical Association’s Center for Health Equity, to discuss her role and the health disparities that are impacting Latinx and intersecting identities. Recently, alongside two of her colleagues, Diana edited and contributed to April's volume of the AMA Journal of Ethics titled Health Equity in US Latinx Communities. This issue of the Journal includes articles like "Should Clinicians be Activists?" "Latino Invisibility in the Pandemic," and "Language and Health (In)Equity in US Latinx Communities."

It’s no secret that the last couple of years threw workplaces across industries into an unexpected spin as we began to find ways to take care of their teams amid social reckonings and a global pandemic. Despite these efforts, many employers have started seeing the effects of what many refer to as The Great Resignation.If you’ve ever partnered with us, you know that Morten Group does all of our work through an asset-based equity lens, so we encourage our client partners to flip the script and consider this an opportunity for a Great Retention. The time has come for us to ask, how can we foster organizational cultures that encourage our team members to feel they can succeed where they are?In this month’s episode of “Gathering Ground,” Mary talks to two leaders in the executive placement field to get their take on this trend and find out how their experience compares to what we’ve seen in our work at Morten Group.Don’t miss this great conversation with Kittleman’s Managing Director and Principal Michelle Saddler and NonprofitHR’s CEO Lisa Brown Alexander!

On this episode of “Gathering Ground,” Mary welcomes co-leaders from three different organizations to the podcast. They discuss the successes and pitfalls of co-leadership models, how their organizations took steps to break free from the single-leader hierarchy, and what they’ve learned from each other during their time as partners in their leadership.Read the episode transcript

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary welcomes activist, advocate, internationally recognized academic, and dear friend Dr. Cathy J. Cohen. Mary and Cathy discuss Cathy’s Black Youth Project, how it informed Mary’s 2011 documentary Woke Up Black, and GenForward and More Than Diversity, two of Cathy’s most recent initiatives. Later, they share experiences of the pandemic’s forced shelter-in-place providing unexpected family bonding; Cathy’s recent Freedom Scholar award; and her extensive work in the realm of HIV and AIDS. You won’t want to miss this special episode!READ THE FULL EPISODE 29 TRANSCRIPT

This time on “Gathering Ground,” we were pleased to welcome Pop Culture Collaborative CEO Bridgit Antoinette Evans onto the podcast to discuss her work within and outside of the Collaborative. Mary and Bridgit talk about everything from the intersection of philanthropy and pop culture, Bridgit’s experience in Issa Rae’s writing room for “Insecure,” and Bridgit tells a fantastic story that exemplifies the importance of being able to tell your own story in the way that feels the most true to your experience.This won’t be the last time she’ll be on “Gathering Ground,” but make sure you catch this episode to meet Bridgit and get an inside look at the place where activism and popular culture meet — Pop Culture Collaborative!

As much as we wish things were different, young people engaged in organizing and advocacy work often need the support of accomplices to make sure they make it past the gatekeepers to the “adult” world — which is where this time’s “Gathering Ground” guests come in. Tony Alvarado-Rivera and Keisha Farmer-Smith work with Chicago Freedom School, a Chicago institution that creates new generations of critical thinkers who use their unique experiences and power to create a just world.The work of the Freedom School has spanned almost 15 years and has earned it the Mary F. Morten Award for Justice at Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago’s BYOBrunch for Public Health. A little later in the episode, we also hear from Karen A. Reitan, President and CEO of PHIMC, about why CFS was chosen for this honor.

Earlier this year, Morten Group had the honor of working with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office on a comprehensive racial equity training program that included collaborating with 40 state agencies on developing diversity, equity, and inclusion action plans. Through this process, we were able to take a deep dive into the inner workings of our state’s government and bring an equity lens to the very top — including having the pleasure of welcoming Governor Pritzker as he participated in one of our all-day sessions!This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary sat down with three of the leaders whose offices are making sure that they continue their racial equity journey and ensure that their work is being carried out throughout the state: Dr. Carmen Ayala, Illinois State Board of Education Superintendent, Dr. Sekile Nzinga, newly appointed Chief Equity Officer for the State of Illinois, and Dr. Christina Smith, Illinois Department of Human Rights Training Institute Director.Each described how their offices were working to create a more equitable state for all Illinoisans, what they've learned so far during the pandemic, and how they are ensuring the work would not only continue, but thrive. READ THE FULL EPISODE 26 TRANSCRIPT

This time on “Gathering Ground,” we’ve brought back Building Movement Project Co-director Sean Thomas-Breitfeld to discuss the organization’s 2020 report, Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap. Mary and Sean discuss the experiences of people of color in nonprofit leadership, what the pandemic and reopening have been like, and what’s coming next from Race to Lead.

ake a look back at this special live episode from early April 2020, where we spoke to arts leaders from across the city to hear about what they anticipated for the arts during the pandemic. Guests included: Jessica Kadish-Hernandez, Morten Group consultant and co-founder of Chicago Artist Relief Fund; Michelle Boone, former Chief Program and Civic Engagement Officer at Navy Pier; Claire Rice, Executive Director of Arts Alliance Illinois; and Amy Eshleman, Chicago’s First Lady.

This time, Angelique Power (President, The Field Foundation of Illinois) and Tracie Hall (Executive Director, American Library Association) return to “Gathering Ground” to talk about their takeaways from the last year, how the world is different and the same, and how we encourage ourselves to keep moving forward.(Here is the link to the Crain’s article referenced in the conversation.) 

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary sits down with some of Morten Group’s past and current client partners – Marie Kurose, CEO of Workforce Development of Seattle-King County; Ruth McFarlane, Vice President of Advancement at Ms. Foundation; and John Peller, President/CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago. A year into the pandemic, the four begin their conversation with how COVID-19 has impacted their organizations and talking about their wins and challenges from the last year. They discuss how some communities are helping some of our most vulnerable populations, and, now that we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel, what the future looks like for their offices and the sector at large.

This episode of "Gathering Ground" is all about Morten Group and the Forging Innovation in Racial Equity (FIRE) Grant! We were thrilled to be joined by the staff of Morten Group client partner Erie Family Health Centers, as well as two members of our own team, to take a closer look at Morten Group's racial equity, access, diversity, and inclusion (READI) work and our exciting new FIRE Grant.

This week, you'll have the chance to listen in to December 1's live recording with READI session facilitators Lisa Gilmore, Jessica Kadish-Hernández, Anedra Kerr, Amanda Paul, and Geneva Porter. Mary and our experts spent some time responding to the questions we didn't get to answer during the Symposium (including a couple from our live audience).

This week on “Gathering Ground,” Mary is offering listeners an inside look into Morten Group, LLC's READI Symposium — that's racial equity, access, diversity, and inclusion — which was held virtually on November 10. Following morning sessions on READI action planning, Mary welcomed a cross-sector slate of panelists to discuss the importance of READI efforts at participants' organizations, foundations, and companies. Hear from past “Gathering Ground” guests Sean Thomas-Breitfeld and Pamela Newkirk, who are later joined by Michelle Morales, Rahnee Patrick, and Audra Wilson for a conversation you won't want to miss!

Thirty-five years ago, organizations that were geared toward women and girls were only receiving 3 percent of all philanthropic dollars — which meant that programs addressing domestic violence, reproductive health, economic equality, and other issues critical to the well-being of women and girls were often underfunded. Four women in 1984 set out to change that when they founded Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW).Mary was thrilled to help celebrate an organization that she has supported for many years, and is very proud to have been the first Black person and first out lesbian to serve as chairperson of the CFW Board. She brought together people like Felicia Davis (current CFW CEO); Sunny Fischer and Iris Krieg (two of CFW's founders); and just a few of the many people who have been touched by CFW over the past 35 years.Subscribe today and listen in on this amazing conversation!

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary sits down with career coaches Amina Dickerson (Dickerson Global Advisors) and Janine Hill (SOAR Strategies). During this powerful and informative conversation, the three discuss their philosophies and strategies around coaching, offer advice on choosing a mentor that is a good fit, and the importance of self-care as a regular practice.This episode’s listener letters include an alum in an all-white committee to discuss Black students’ needs and a young woman who needs advice on her mother’s problematic comments about her work in support of Black lives.Connect with Amina at Dickerson Global Advisors [www.dickersonglobaladvisors.com]Connect with Janine at SOAR Strategies [soar-strategies.com]

This time on “Gathering Ground” Mary sits down with a pair of nonprofit powerhouses: CEOs Dorri McWhorter (YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago) and Mark Ishaug (Thresholds). The three discuss what inspired Dorri and Mark into their missions of service and how COVID-19 has affected their organizations, before delving into their leadership styles and what they wish they'd known when they were starting out. They also spend some time discussing the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, and the concept that Dorri and Mark are both familiar with — leading with love.As always, they end by answering questions from our listeners!

Katie shares her background as a Midwesterner before her decision to take a leap of faith and resettle across the country in the Pacific Northwest, where her journey led her to the Pride Foundation. We also learn a little more about Katie's path from volunteer to CEO of Pride, a Seattle-based foundation that fuels transformational movements to advance equity and justice for LGBTQ+ people in all communities across the Northwest. Katie also shares a little about Pride Foundation, the support they are offering their grantees as we continue the global battle against COVID-19, and how they will move forward and be nimble as the country figures out what our "new normal" is. As always, we end by answering questions from our listeners!

From rapid response funds to resource reallocation to specialized webinars, leaders and boards across the philanthropic community are doing what they can to adapt to the needs of grantees and their constituents as they navigate the current state of the world. By lifting up the examples of two foundations' efforts to be more adaptive in real time, Mary and this fantastic panel discuss how public and private philanthropy is responding to the COVID-19 crisis. They also explore what nonprofits can do to supplement emergency resources provided by funders and end, of course, by answering questions from the audience. These resources named in this episode and more are available at www.mortengroup.com/covid-19-resources.

Eric Ward's robust career has taken him from organizer to funder, and back to the communities he so valiantly stands up with. Listen to "Gathering Ground"'s latest episode to hear about Eric's work in the Pacific Northwest with Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, where he worked with leaders across sectors to progress human rights and anti-violence work. Eric also discusses his past work as National Field Director at Center for New Community and work there in immigrant advocacy and public policy, as well as his ongoing battle against white nationalism and antisemitism. Now, Eric serves as Executive Director of Western States Center, an organization whose mission is to build a progressive movement for social, economic, racial and environmental justice in the eight Western states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and Alaska. Learn more about Eric, his important work, and Western States Center on the newest episode of "Gathering Ground"!

On this very special live episode of “Gathering Ground,” we welcomed a panel of individuals whose contributions and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic are helping ensure support for artists across Chicago and Illinois communities.As we all know, this historic time has affected all of us, regardless of what our work is and how we carry it out. While many of us turn to work from home, individuals in the arts communities don’t have that luxury and have had arts, restaurant, and retail jobs alike pulled out from under them, in many cases overnight.This conversation brought together individuals from different levels of leadership who are working to assess and create channels of support for artists and arts organizations. After our panel discussion we took some questions from the audience!These resources named in this episode and more are available at www.mortengroup.com/covid-19-resources.Also available: the video on YouTube

This time on Gathering Ground, Mary sits down with Salamishah and Scheherazade Tillet, sisters and co-founders of A Long Walk Home, an organization dedicated to empowering young artists and activists to end violence against all girls and women.Scheherazade, Salamishah, and Mary have a deep conversation about Salamishah's journey into academia, her experiences with sexual violence, and how watching her sister heal catalyzed Scheherazade's first major photo project and, ultimately, A Long Walk Home. They get into the reaction to their work on 'muting' R. Kelly, the #MeToo movement, and the life-changing impact of their organization.This work is deep, emotional, hard, and victorious. They also discuss where Scheherazade and Salamishah find joy in this work and in their lives. Then, of course, they answer questions from some of Gathering Ground’s listeners!

On this special episode of Gathering Ground, listen in on our first live-recorded episode: a conversation with Diversity, Inc. author Pamela Newkirk at Women and Children First Bookstore. Pamela and Mary discuss Diversity, Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion-Dollar Business and the need to explore nuance and data in the conversation of how we have and can continue to move forward in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).Diversity, Inc. addresses the progress of DEI in academia, corporate America, and Hollywood and puts the three worlds up against each other to examine how they all contribute to issues of systemic racism in the United States. Check out this special episode of “Gathering Ground” to hear Mary and Pamela's conversation about drilling down on the numbers and why doing this work is vital to our forward movement.Following their chat, Pamela and Mary answer questions from their live audience . Don't miss this great interview!Read the full Episode 10 Transcript

This time on “Gathering Ground,” Mary hosts two thought leaders and comrades in community-building and racial justice: Angelique Power (President of The Field Foundation) and Tracie D. Hall (Director of The Joyce Foundation's Culture Program).Tracie shares with listeners her experience growing up in Los Angeles in the years following the Watts Rebellion, and the inspiration she found in the people and artists breathing life back into its rich community. Angelique speaks to being a child of the "first generation of the Loving Generation"* in Hyde Park, Chicago, her history of work in homelessness, and the complicated relationship many of us native Chicagoans have with the city — one of concurrent love and skepticism.Mary, Tracie and Angelique go on to discuss Tracie's amazing, moving art Rootwork Gallery, and Enrich Chicago, which Angelique co-founded in 2014 to create pathways and skill-building opportunities for individuals of color to enter arts administration at all levels. The three discuss the state of philanthropy, the emotional labor of being a POC in the nonprofit sector, and much, much more.Angelique and Tracie will definitely be back for a future episode of “Gathering Ground,” but for now, enjoy this conversation that can only be called magical!* Angelique's mention of the "Loving Generation" refers to the generation of children born to the first interracial couples who were able to legally marry thanks to 1967's landmark case Loving vs. Virginia.

This time on Gathering Ground, Mary and Teresa have some "real talk" about women's funds and philanthropy; Ms. Foundation's new strategic plan (which centers women and girls of color); and current foundation trends and the state of philanthropy for women and girls in the United States. Then, they give listeners some advice, including what to do if you and your supervisor are both burnt out.If you live in Chicago, be sure to catch Teresa the evening of October 17th at Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy's event Connecting Communities and Philanthropy. For more information or to register for the event, click here.

Mary and Vu trade stories about struggling along with nonprofit professionals who suck at vacationing; they discuss working with people who are new to the workforce; and Vu talks about the birth of Nonprofit AF . After a robust conversation about equity and inclusion in nonprofits (and particularly in philanthropy), Mary and Vu answer listener questions about the nonprofit experience, including how to measure progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

This time on Gathering Ground, Mary talks to Rockwood Leadership Institute's Darlene Nipper about how to connect to the work of the Institute and Darlene's journey from trainer to CEO. They end the episode by answering a few of your questions!

In Gathering Ground’s fifth episode, Mary talks to Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation's (CAASE) Executive Director Kaethe Morris Hoffer. The two discuss Kaethe's Quaker-rooted road to feminism, her experience in legislative advocacy, the #MeToo Movement, the vital work of CAASE, and of course, they answer a few of your questions!

This time on Gathering Ground, Mary talks to Building Movement Project's Co-Director Sean Thomas-Breitfeld. Mary and Sean discuss the different iterations of the Race to Lead report and dive into the nuances of collecting and presenting community data within and on behalf of the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. And as always, Mary and her guest answer questions from Gathering Ground's listening audience.

In this episode of Gathering Ground, Mary and Fund the People Vice President Yolanda Caldera-Durant discuss how Yolanda got her start in philanthropy and the important work of her organization. They talk about burn-out culture, talent investment, how we can support our nonprofit employees, and the amazing tools available from Fund the People, including their FREE toolkit, available at FundthePeople.org.

In episode two of Gathering Ground, Mary sits down with Sol Flores, former executive director of La Casa Norte and newly appointed deputy governor for the state of Illinois. Mary and Sol discuss La Casa Norte's new $20 million building and what it was like to fund-raise for it. They end by answering a few of your questions.

In the inaugural episode of Gathering Ground, Mary sits down with Edgar Villanueva, author of Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance. Mary and Edgar discuss the nonprofit industrial complex, the Native Way, and how we can use our philanthropy for healing and true community building.