Conversations with Chanda

Adair Mosley is the president and CEO of Pillsbury United Communities—a community impact agency working to co-create enduring change toward a just society. Chanda and Adair share their thoughts on the ins and outs of leadership, why community engagement never stops, and what it means to meet the moment.

Dr. Robert Ashcraft is the Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation Executive Director at Arizona State University. Chanda connected with Robert to talk about nonprofit leadership, community building, and the direction of philanthropy.

Heather McGhee is the author of the New York Times bestseller "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together." Chanda sat down with Heather to unpack the effects of segregation and how we can work together to combat inequality in America.

Cara Deanes is the owner and CEO of the ROHO Collective, an arts organization that strives to embrace, support, and nurture artists of color. Chanda and Cara explore the importance of authentic representation and true diversity in the arts. They also examine why art and revolution go hand in hand.

Minneapolis is hosting the NCAA Women’s Final Four next weekend, and we can’t wait to celebrate women’s sports and be part of some seriously joyful energy in downtown Minneapolis. We are also excited that Essence Magazine will be in town for the Final Four, joining our whole community as we showcase the best of Minneapolis for a national audience. To celebrate, this week we’re revisiting an oldie-but-goodie from our podcast archives: Chanda’s conversation with Caroline Wanga, a charismatic powerhouse who served as Target’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer before assuming her current role as CEO of Essence. In this August 2019 episode, Caroline shares how she developed grit and resilience as a young mother, her journey to self-acceptance, and how who you are is non-negotiable.

This episode of Conversations with Chanda dives deep into policing with Tracey L. Meares, the Walton Hale Hamilton Professor and Founding Director of the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School. Chanda and Tracey discuss the challenges police departments face as they work to ensure public safety while also building public trust.

Bo Thao-Urabe founded the Coalition of Asian American Leaders in 2013. After almost a decade of leading the organization, she's taking a step back to find a new path. Chanda sat down with Bo to talk about moments of transition, the keys to measuring impact work, and the systematic approach needed in anti-racism work.

Repa Mekha has more than 30 years of experience in community building and systems change work. Currently, he is the President & CEO of Nexus Community Partners. In this episode, Chanda talks with Repa about the weight of leadership, the critical moments in his life, and their work together on the Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice.

We are flipping the script for this episode of Conversations with Chanda. Instead of hosting, Chanda answers questions from the Minneapolis Foundation’s Senior Director of Impact and Collective Giving, Patrice Relerford. Chanda opens up about her personal story, approach to philanthropy, and what the podcast has meant to her.

Brett Carter, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at Xcel Energy, believes that within a growing economy there is an abundance of opportunity in which everyone should have the chance to participate. Chanda also spoke with Brett about critical wealth building in diverse communities.