Chu Ling Dance Academy; a LISC small business grant recipient.
Empowering People. Investing in Places. Supporting Enterprises. Changing Systems.
Table of Contents Welcome Letter 04 Tonight’s Host 05 About LISC 06 Local Advisory Committee & Staff
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Event Program 08 Storytellers 12 About Denise Scott 16 LISC Community Impact Award
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LISC Community Leadership Award
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About Project 10X 21 Why Donate to LISC 22 Thank You | Story Slam Sponsors
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WELCOME! Welcome to LISC’s 3rd Annual LISC Story Slam. Thank you for joining us as we lift up the voices of members of the LISC community and honor some inspiring leaders who rose to the health and economic challenges that the pandemic laid at the doors of our homes, our businesses and our communities. Tonight’s stories respond to the theme “Turning the Page.” While our storytellers have been invited to interpret it however they’d like, it resonates with us nearly two years after the onset of pandemic shutdowns and 18 months after protesters marched for racial justice in our streets. Maybe we’re turning the page from urgent crisis response to rebuilding the future together, or from protest and glaring inequity to mapping a path to real change. In any event, that blank next page holds a lot of potential. We hope something about tonight’s program inspires you to think about what you want to turn the page on, and what you will write on the blank page that follows. Tonight, we will also celebrate state and community leaders whose tirelessness, collaboration, creativity and resourcefulness represent best of community development. Because of their response to the economic crises resulting from the pandemic, thousands of families are still safe in their homes, or still have a small business that helps sustain their family and employees. The impact they’ve made inspires us to believe more is possible in the next chapter. More stable, affordable and healthy housing, more jobs that support families, more business opportunity; more wealth building; more climate justice, and more thriving communities. On behalf of the LISC team, I am grateful that you chose to be part of tonight’s Story Slam, and humbled by the many partners who choose to turn the page with us. Thank you for your trust and your partnership. Sincerely,
Karen Kelleher Executive Director, LISC Boston
Karen Kelleher Executive Director, LISC Boston
Theresa Okokon TONIGHT’S HOST Theresa Okokon is a Wisconsinite living in New England, a writer, a storyteller, the co-host of Stories From The Stage, and a 2020 VONA alum. In addition to writing and performing her own stories, Theresa also teaches storytelling and writing workshops and classes, coaches other tellers, hosts story slams, and frequently emcees events for nonprofits. An alum of both the Memoir Incubator and Essay Incubator programs at GrubStreet, she is working on a memoir of essays about memory, family stories, and the death of her father. Theresa’s essays (and bathroom selfies!) have appeared in midnight & indigo, ELLE, the Independent, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, and Boston.com. Her essay Me Llamo Theresa, published by Hippocampus Magazine, was named among the Top Essays of the Week by Longreads and The Rumpus, and later nominated for a 2020 Pushcart Prize. Theresa Instagrams gorgeous cocktails, food porn, and pics about Blackness, fatness & her very cute senior dog at @ohh.jeezzz. She believes very seriously in capitalizing the B in Black and the W in White, and you can read more about that here, with Kwame Anthony Appiah.
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ABOUT LISC LISC is one of the country’s largest community development support organizations, but we have deep local roots, having invested more than $414 million in Massachusetts over 40 years. We prioritize equity in our investments, from affordable housing and workforce development to growing business and connecting community with financing, technical assistance, and resources to build capacity and stability.
HOW WE WORK? LISC Affiliates: 6
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LOCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC) Our Local Advisory Committee is comprised of experts from Boston’s philanthropic, community development, and business worlds, along with several of our key funders. Known as the LAC, they provide guidance on crucial programmatic and strategic decisions, as well as support for our undertakings. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Elizabeth Gruber, Chair, Senior Vice President/Relationship ManagerCommunity Development Banking, Bank of America Alana Murphy, Deputy Director-Housing Policy Division, Dept. of Housing
and Community Development, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Betty Francisco Chief Executive Officer, Boston Impact Initiative, Co-Founder, Amplify Latinx Emilio Dorcely, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Edge Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity Chief Executive Officer, Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI) Joseph Kriesberg, Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) Lisa Joyner, New England Regional Community Development Manager, TD Bank
Nancy McCafferty, Director of Business Development, Massachusetts Housing Partnership Natalia Lima, Vice President, Community Development Market Manager, Citizens Bank Patricia Belden, Executive Vice President, Real Estate Development, The Community Builders, Inc. Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing and Director of Neighborhood Development, City of Boston Soni Gupta, Senior Director, Neighborhoods & Housing, The Boston Foundation Tracy Corley, Director of Research and Partnerships, Conservation Law Foundation, Inc.
In 2021, LISC welcomed Emilio Dorcely, Betty Francisco, and Glynn Lloyd to the LISC Boston LAC. They each bring their expertise from implementing innovative affordable housing and CDC operating models to advising BIPOCowned small business owners, shaping the small business ecosystem, driving policy improvements and advocacy, and measuring impact. Emilio Dorcely, Betty Francisco, and Glynn Lloyd
LISC BOSTON STAFF Karen E. Kelleher, Executive Director Derek Lumpkins, Deputy Director Emily Jones, Senior Program Officer, Green Homes and Interim Silvana Bastante, Assistant Program Officer, Green Homes and Economic Opportunity
Margaret Keaveny, Senior Program Officer, Lending & Investments
Tia Vice, Program Officer, Communications & Development
Tina Petigny, Senior Program Officer, Economic Opportunity
Marilyn Sanchez, Assistant Program Officer & Office Manager
Doug Ling, Program Officer, Small Business Strong
Kathryn Smith, Communications Assistant
Victoria Downes, Program Officer, Small Business Strong
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EVENT PROGRAM Tonight’s Program Includes HOST Theresa Okokon WELCOME Karen E. Kelleher, Executive Director, LISC Boston STORIES BY Jodi-Tatiana Charles Maria Espinosa Donald Osgood, Sr. Zahirah Truth ABOUT PROJECT 10X Karen E. Kelleher Denise Scott Executive Vice President for Programs, LISC
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EVENT PROGRAM
LISC COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD Presented by Rachel Heller, CHAPA Awarded to Jennifer Maddox, Undersecretary of the Department of Housing & Community Development LISC COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD Presented by Karen E. Kelleher Accepted by Glynn Lloyd on behalf of the Coalition REMARKS Mike Kennealy Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Commonwealth of Massachusetts CLOSING Theresa Okokon Music provided by Kurbside Band
Text Story Slam to 44321. Donate to LISC.
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Jodi-Tatiana Charles Jodi-Tatiana Charles is the founder and “Brandographer™” of LCG Brands, a brand and marketing consulting firm dedicated to educating entrepreneurs, small/medium businesses (SMB/SMEs), and international professionals. For 30+ years she has been a leadership executive in marketing, branding and communication roles including with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, MassChallenge Inc., Massachusetts Governor’s Office, Massachusetts Conference for Women, NBC Universal/Comcast TV, and Clear Channel Communications/iHeart Radio. In addition to launching her podcast, “Minding Your Business with JodiTatiana,” at the start of the pandemic, she is a children’s book author, educating children about their heritage and launching her podcast. Charles also dedicates her time to children, elderly and cancer causes, through road races, mentoring and volunteering.
Maria Espinosa
Text Story Slam to 44321. Donate to LISC.
Originally from Ecuador, Maria Espinosa immigrated to Boston in 2010. She currently works at JVS Boston as an Intake Specialist where she helps people, newcomers to JVS, achieve their career goals. She loves the arts and she is always looking for ways to learn new skills to express herself. She loves painting, singing, and dancing and feels storytelling will be a new opportunity to keep learning and, maybe even, to help others. Maria received her Communications Associate in Arts degree at Bunker Hill Community College with the help of the Bridges to College and Careers program.
Donald Maurice Osgood, Sr. Donald Osgood, Sr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in the South End. Donald currently works for the Boston Public Health Commission, Division of Violence Prevention as the NTT Network’s Senior Program Manager for Incident Management. Donald and his wife Vanessa currently live in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston with two of their seven children. If you ask him what is one sentence that summarizes his life mantra, he will respond that it‘s: “Servant for the people.”
Zahirah Truth Zahirah Truth is a “Momprenuer” and multifaceted artist of ZNT Arts brand which focuses on creating opportunities of joy through art. Truth explores the modalities of painting, illustrations, jewelry design and more, and she focuses on centering blackness from a place of beauty, truth and justice that everyone can benefit from—especially as a way to build and connect communities. Her mantra is, “Live and let art.” She strives to continue to practice this as a teaching artist and arts education consultant. An important part of my current journey is using art a tool for self-care and supporting others in doing the same. You can find her in the Boston community and beyond face-painting, facilitating a workshop on important causes or guiding community arts engagement! Originally from Everett, MA and Jamaica Plain, she spent part of her adult life in Washington, DC and currently resides in the Fenway area.
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Denise Scott EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS, LISC Denise Scott is Executive Vice President in charge of LISC’s national and local programs. With three decades of experience in community development, Denise leads LISC’s neighborhood investment efforts in 36 cities and rural areas in 45 states. She is responsible for providing vision and setting the strategic direction for local offices, as well as improving their operational, programmatic and financial status. Denise previously managed LISC’s flagship program in New York City, focusing on affordable housing, commercial corridors, education, health, and jobs in historically disinvested neighborhoods across the city. During her tenure as executive director at NYC LISC, the office invested $5.6 million in grants, $116 million in loans and $600 million in equity investments, translating into the development of over 10,000 units of affordable housing. Denise served as a White House appointee to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), responsible for the
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daily operations of HUD’s six New York/New Jersey regional offices. Prior to that, she served as the managing director/coordinator responsible for launching the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation; as the assistant vice president of the New York City Urban Coalition; as deputy director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Housing Coordination; and as the director of the New York City Department of Housing and Development’s Harlem Neighborhood Preservation Program office. Denise is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She is also on the board of the New York City Housing Development Corporation, the Queens Museum and a member of the AgeFriendly NYC Commission and NYU Furman Center advisory board. Denise has a MS in Urban Planning from Columbia University and has taught at its Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation as a Visiting Assistant Professor.
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Jennifer Maddox
Undersecretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
LISC COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD Jennifer Maddox, Undersecretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), is being honored with the LISC Community Impact Award for her role in the leadership of the statewide Eviction Diversion Initiative. The initiative has kept countless Massachusetts tenants safely in their homes notwithstanding the economic effects of the pandemic, while providing financial support for the expenses of landlords. Jennifer Maddox is the Undersecretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), a $2 billion agency that provides leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities, and services and shelter to homeless populations. Previously, Ms. Maddox served as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for DHCD. Ms. Maddox has been with DHCD for over 20 years and has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the restructuring of fiscal operations within the Department and was instrumental during the integration of the Emergency Assistance shelter system from the Department of Transitional Assistance to DHCD, which doubled DHCD’s operating budget. In 2015, Ms. Maddox received the Manual Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service for fiscal consolidation at the Department to meet agency-wide operational demands. Previously, Ms. Maddox was the Assistant Budget Director for the MA House Ways & Means Committee where she prepared recommendations for the state budget, emergency and capital relief legislation, analyzed budget proposals and policy issues. She is a graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia.
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Members of the
Massachusetts Equitable PPP Access Initiative LISC COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD The members of the Massachusetts Equitable PPP Access Initiative are being honored with the LISC Community Leadership Award for their dedication and coordinated support of small businesses owned by people of color following pandemic shutdowns. The coalition of community development financial institutions, banks, business support organizations, foundations, and other supporting partners formed to provide timely and equitable access to forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for underbanked businesses and historically disadvantaged and underserved demographic groups, including businesses owned by women and people of color. The coalition includes more than 200 people. Together they helped nearly 1,000 small businesses access approximately $15 million in PPP loans, laying a foundation for broader coalition work accessing state small business grants and launching the permanent Coalition for an Equitable Economy. The award will be accepted – virtually and in person – by coalition members across the Commonwealth, with comments from coalition co-leader, Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director of the Foundation for Business Equity and Chief Executive Officer of Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI). Photo: Some of the members of the Massachusetts Equitable PPP Access Initiative gathered in Roxbury in June 2021 to celebrate the completion of the initiative.
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Why 10X?
Project 10X is LISC’s biggest, most ambitious and most urgent initiative ever. It is designed to upend the racial health, wealth and opportunity gaps that keep tens of millions of Americans from sharing in our country’s prosperity and realizing their personal potential. Project 10X is both a moral imperative and economic common sense: it is a means to realizing America’s egalitarian and democratic ideals.
There is at least a 10 year gap in average life expectancy between Black and White people in many American cities.
Project 10X is investing in community organizations, businesses and developers working in rural and urban communities across the country. We aim to scale proven solutions, seed new ideas for closing racial health, wealth and opportunity gaps and build the capacity of our partner organizations to do so. Our investments will target four fundamental approaches to building equity:
Authentic, lasting change doesn’t take place overnight. We are dedicated to investing in and pushing forward this initiative for 10 years.
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At last count, the average White family’s net wealth was at least 10 times that of the average Black family.
Generating enduring wealth and equity through homeownership and small business ownership Building credit and savings and strengthening financial institutions led by Black, Indigenous and People of Color Investing in community wellness, digital access, education, arts, and justice reform Supporting quality jobs with good wages and benefits Project 10X is a $1 billion effort. We’ve launched with $20 million of our own capital – including $10 million drawn from a recent donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, and $10 million of debt capital – to seed Project 10X. It will take that kind of scale to do this long-term, comprehensive and deep work, and we’re looking for partners who want to think big and invest with us.
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We know our wealth, health and opportunity gaps are wider than 10X in Massachusetts. It will take bold thinking and action at scale to do this long-term, comprehensive and deep work. We’re looking for more partners who want to think big and invest with us.
WHY DONATE TO LISC Our supporters believe in what LISC can do. With your support, we are able to provide needed financing and technical assistance to organizations and small business owners throughout the Commonwealth--fostering stability in communities and prioritizing equity and partnerships every step of the way. Read more about LISC’s impact in Massachusetts and what we are up to in the pieces featured below. 2021 Overview of LISC in Massachusetts & Opportunities for Partnership LISC Corporate Brochure 2020 LISC Annual Report LISC Boston Snapshot
Donate online at any time. Text Story Slam to 44321 or visit our site here.
Double the Impact of Your Sponsorship or Donation! With a CITC gift, you receive $500 back for every $1,000 you invest in LISC Boston and the communities we serve. If the tax-deductible donation portion of your contribution is more than $1,000, you may be eligible for the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC). Massachusetts residency or tax liability is not required. For more, visit www.lisc.org/citc.
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THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS VISIONARY
CHAMPION
PARTNER The Boston Foundation
SUPPORTER Edward M. Doherty
FRIENDS OF LISC Beverly Craig | HMR Properties | Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation New Ecology, Inc. | Petersen Engineering | Resonant Energy
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Empowering People. Nikia Londy, Small Business Owner, LISC Client
Investing in Places. Supporting Enterprises. Changing Systems.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation 75 Kneeland Street, Suite 1102 Boston, MA 02111 | bostonlisc@lisc.org www.lisc.org/boston | @lisc_boston
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