Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

On this episode of Identity Unboxed, we dive into our journey with this project and the growth it has produced. We also explore our collaborative dynamic and the changes that Gen Z desires to see in workplace culture.

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Rico Quirindongo, AIA, has been working for 27 years to revitalize and reimagine Seattle's historic landmarks and neighborhoods. He is the Director of the City of Seattle's Office of Planning and Community Development. Rico believes that through vision, authentic community engagement, and multi-agency cross-collaboration, opportunities for social change can be realized through community-invested civic projects.

Rico was a mayoral appointee to the Historic Seattle Council for six years, was a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects Northwest Chapter, and Rico sat on the AIA+2030 national steering committee, a group that has seen to it that 24 cities nationally provided curriculum to help design teams and owners meet the 2030 Challenge and create carbon neutral built environment projects.

Rico works with organizations to positively influence communities through design and is committed to improving his hometown, Seattle, through public engagement, design, and civic service. Rico was chair of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority Council, was a Downtown Seattle Association board member, and was AIA Seattle President in 2012-13. In 2020, Rico completed his first TED talk and was recognized by AIA as a Citizen Architect. He was given a Commercial Real Estate Leadership Award as a Neighborhood Champion by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2021.

Rico was a Northwest and Pacific Regional Representative on the AIA Strategic Council, a national think tank of the member organization, and was awarded the Jennie Sue Brown Lifetime Achievement Award by the AIA Washington Council in 2022.

Advice From Rico:

Do not wait for permission to do the things that you are passionate about. Do not wait for a tomorrow that you will never get to. Create the opportunities to become involved in the issues or civic efforts you are driven to pursue. Join that civic committee, that not-for-profit board, that community organization that helps you build your experience and your network while you can provide your perspective and expertise. Whether you are an aspiring student, a young leader, or a seasoned professional, your voice is needed.

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Rico Quirindongo, AIA, has been working for 27 years to revitalize and reimagine Seattle's historic landmarks and neighborhoods. He is the Director of the City of Seattle's Office of Planning and Community Development. Rico believes that through vision, authentic community engagement, and multi-agency cross-collaboration, opportunities for social change can be realized through community-invested civic projects.

Rico was a mayoral appointee to the Historic Seattle Council for six years, was a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects Northwest Chapter, and Rico sat on the AIA+2030 national steering committee, a group that has seen to it that 24 cities nationally provided curriculum to help design teams and owners meet the 2030 Challenge and create carbon neutral built environment projects.

Rico works with organizations to positively influence communities through design and is committed to improving his hometown, Seattle, through public engagement, design, and civic service. Rico was chair of the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority Council, was a Downtown Seattle Association board member, and was AIA Seattle President in 2012-13. In 2020, Rico completed his first Ted talk and was recognized by AIA as a Citizen Architect. He was given a Commercial Real Estate Leadership Award as a Neighborhood Champion by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2021.

Rico was a Northwest and Pacific Regional Representative on the AIA Strategic Council, a national think tank of the member organization, and was awarded the Jennie Sue Brown Lifetime Achievement Award by the AIA Washington Council in 2022.

Advice From Rico:

Do not wait for permission to do the things that you are passionate about. Do not wait for a tomorrow that you will never get to. Create the opportunities to become involved in the issues or civic efforts you are driven to pursue. Join that civic committee, that not-for-profit board, that community organization that helps you build your experience and your network while you can provide your perspective and expertise. Whether you are an aspiring student, a young leader, or a seasoned professional, your voice is needed.

Nancy Joseph, Director of Editorial Content at the University of Washington College of Arts & Sciences, has an in-depth interview with Identity Unboxed co-hosts for a February feature in the college's newsletter Perspectives.

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Efrem Fesaha is a first-generation Eritrean American who graduated from Washington State University with his B.A. and is currently a candidate for a Master's in Business Administration at Seattle University. Before establishing Boon Boona Coffee, Efrem worked for 13 years in corporate finance for local companies such as Holland America, Nordstrom, and Amazon. In 2011, Efrem returned from a three-month stay in his family’s native country of Eritrea, where he became inspired by the Cafe culture in the capital, Asmara, and returned to Seattle to venture into coffee. Boon Boona Coffee was launched with the aim of sourcing the highest quality coffee from Africa. In collaboration with coffee farmers across many African nations, they look to develop long-lasting relationships and support the sustainability of their crops. Efrem won the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Washington Small Business Person of the Year award in 2022. He was recently named 2022 Pacific Northwest Small Business Person of the Year, selected among state winners from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.  

Advice:

Be passionate about that thing, whatever it is; your heart needs to be in it. 

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Efrem Fesaha is a first-generation Eritrean American who graduated from Washington State University with his B.A. and is currently a candidate for a Master's in Business Administration at Seattle University. Before establishing Boon Boona Coffee, Efrem worked for 13 years in corporate finance for local companies such as Holland America, Nordstrom, and Amazon. In 2011, Efrem returned from a three-month stay in his family’s native country of Eritrea, where he became inspired by the Cafe culture in the capital, Asmara, and returned to Seattle to venture into coffee. Boon Boona Coffee was launched with the aim of sourcing the highest quality coffee from Africa. In collaboration with coffee farmers across many African nations, they look to develop long-lasting relationships and support the sustainability of their crops. Efrem won the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Washington Small Business Person of the Year award in 2022. He was recently named 2022 Pacific Northwest Small Business Person of the Year, selected among state winners from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.  

Advice:

Be passionate about that thing, whatever it is; your heart needs to be in it. 

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

As a seasoned executive leader with 20+ years of experience managing comprehensive programs, creating opportunities that add meaning to people's lives drives Paul Lwali.
Paul has a track record of fiscal management, overseeing multi-million-dollar budgets and leading strategic growth initiatives. Paul is an expert at crafting business plans, prioritizing projects, monitoring implementation, and executing strategic plans. He has a talent for cultivating a supportive and driven environment committed to equity and inclusion.

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Regina Malveaux, J.D. is the Chief Impact Officer at United Way of King County. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, Regina is recognized as a dynamic and tenacious advocate for women, children, families, and transforming the systems that can often prevent them from thriving.

She began her career as a policy advocate and grassroots organizer with the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., before pursuing a law degree at Howard University. Following her graduation from law school, she began a 20+ year career in nonprofit management, including serving as a legal advocate at the YWCA of San Diego, Executive Director of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, and CEO of the YWCA Spokane. Regina was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Washington State Women’s Commission as one of nine inaugural Commissioners and was appointed as Executive Director to the Commission in the fall of 2020.

Regina holds an undergraduate degree in social policy from San Diego State University. She has trained a new generation of advocates as an adjunct professor in Political, Women’s, and African-American studies at San Diego State University and the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Old Dominion University. Regina has served on a number of boards aimed at advancing racial justice, economic empowerment, and victim safety, including the San Diego NAACP, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and the YWCA USA. 

Advice From Regina:

Believe in yourself and your vision for your life, even when others can't see it.

Thank you for listening to Identity Unboxed – a space curated to amplify Black voices and foster authenticity through engaging conversations.

Biography:

Regina Malveaux, J.D. is the Chief Impact Officer at United Way of King County. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, Regina is recognized as a dynamic and tenacious advocate for women, children, families, and transforming the systems that can often prevent them from thriving.

She began her career as a policy advocate and grassroots organizer with the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C., before pursuing a law degree at Howard University. Following her graduation from law school, she began a 20+ year career in nonprofit management, including serving as a legal advocate at the YWCA of San Diego, Executive Director of the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, and CEO of the YWCA Spokane. Regina was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Washington State Women’s Commission as one of nine inaugural Commissioners and was appointed as Executive Director to the Commission in the fall of 2020.

Regina holds an undergraduate degree in social policy from San Diego State University. She has trained a new generation of advocates as an adjunct professor in Political, Women’s, and African-American studies at San Diego State University and the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Old Dominion University. Regina has served on a number of boards aimed at advancing racial justice, economic empowerment, and victim safety, including the San Diego NAACP, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and the YWCA USA. 

Advice From Regina:

Believe in yourself and your vision for your life, even when others can't see it.