In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney speaks with Jennifer Wise, Vice President for Regional Development in the Southeast for the National MS Society. Jennifer brings more than twenty years of experience in fundraising, volunteer leadership, and organizational development, and she shares a thoughtful look at what it takes to build strong boards and activate them in meaningful ways.

Jennifer begins by reflecting on her leadership journey across higher education, Habitat for Humanity, and the MS Society. She highlights the mentors who shaped her, the importance of being both a learner and a teacher, and her commitment to building people centered teams.

The conversation then turns to board recruitment, board engagement, and the growing role of boards in corporate relations. Jennifer outlines practical tools and strategies that any nonprofit can adopt, including the use of board matrices, mentorship programs, clear expectations, and intentional systems that help trustees feel confident, connected, and ready to lead.

Listeners will hear how her chapters strengthened their work with corporate partners by breaking the process into simple steps, providing clear templates and support, and creating space during board retreats for trustees to take action together. These efforts produced new connections, new partnerships, and a more engaged board culture.

Topics include

A grounded and practical episode for any nonprofit aiming to build a stronger, more engaged board and deepen its partnership work with the corporate sector.

Listen and subscribe for more conversations on leadership, strategy, and the future of nonprofit work.

This episode of Lead for Good features a thoughtful conversation with Christy Ward, CEO of Share Ourselves, on what it truly takes to develop people inside a nonprofit organization. Christy talks with host Chris Looney about the importance of creating a culture where staff have room to grow, how leaders can provide honest and supportive feedback, and what it looks like when someone is in the right role versus when they may thrive somewhere else.

Christy discusses her own leadership journey, the mentors who helped shape her path, and the intentional practices she uses to build strong teams. The conversation covers recruitment and retention, succession planning, career ladders, and the role of leaders in creating an environment where exploration and growth feel possible.

Key themes

A great episode for nonprofit executives, managers, emerging leaders, and anyone committed to building healthy organizations.

What does it take to lead a creative organization where artistry, business discipline, and community impact must all coexist?

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney is joined by Lacey Huszcza, President and CEO of the Richmond Symphony, for a thoughtful and practical conversation on leading creative teams. Drawing from her experience as both a musician and nonprofit executive, Lacey shares how effective leadership in the arts requires fluency in both artistic and business languages, deep respect for creative professionals, and a clear commitment to alignment over consensus.

Throughout the episode, Lacey explores how leaders can navigate the tension between artistic ambition and financial reality, make difficult decisions when resources are limited, and build organizational alignment without requiring universal agreement. She also discusses the importance of authentic community connection, from commissioning locally rooted works to meeting audiences where they are, both inside and outside the concert hall.

Listeners will gain insight into:

Balancing artistic integrity with financial sustainability

Building alignment without stifling creativity or healthy conflict

Engaging communities in meaningful, non performative ways

Leading highly skilled, independently minded professionals with clarity and trust

Creating space for creativity alongside systems and processes

This episode offers valuable lessons not only for arts leaders, but for any nonprofit or mission driven leader guiding talented teams whose work is deeply personal and purpose driven.

In this episode of Lead for Good, nonprofit strategist and executive coach Nancy Batterman shares a rich set of lessons shaped by more than three decades as a CEO and six years of coaching leaders across the sector. Nancy reflects on her early journey in special education, her unexpected rise to leading a large nonprofit organization, and the mentors who shaped her approach to leadership. She emphasizes how confidence, curiosity, and a strong commitment to personal development help leaders grow over time.

A major theme throughout the episode is the role of self awareness. Nancy explains how blind spots often hold leaders back more than any external obstacle, and she describes practical ways to identify and address these areas through assessments, coaching, honest conversations, and inviting feedback. She also explores how affirmations, reflection habits, and peer support systems help leaders overcome imposter feelings and build resilience.

Nancy also discusses culture building, decision making, and employee engagement. She shares stories from her own leadership tenure, including navigating the 2008 economic crisis, keeping teams aligned during high pressure seasons, and creating environments where staff feel recognized and valued. Her insights highlight that great leadership is both people centered and growth minded, and that leaders must stay grounded in curiosity, care, and consistent learning.

If this conversation resonates with you, or if you are looking for a place where nonprofit leaders learn from one another and share real life experience, check out Fulcrum Nonprofit Leadership. Fulcrum brings executives together for peer learning, leadership development, and practical support that helps leaders thrive in their roles and strengthen their organizations.

Lead for Good Podcast: A Conversation with John Kozyra, CEO of Avera Health

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney sits down with John Kozyra, CEO of Avera Health in Nebraska. John is known for leading with clarity, compassion, and a long term vision for strengthening community health systems. His leadership has guided major growth initiatives, fostered strong local partnerships, and built a workplace where people feel valued and supported.

This conversation explores three essential themes for nonprofit and health care leaders:

Growth Strategies and Momentum

Employee Engagement and Making People Feel Valued

Community Engagement and Responsive Leadership

Whether you lead a nonprofit, manage a health system, or guide teams through change, John’s insights offer practical guidance and inspiration.

If you find value in this conversation, please subscribe to the Lead for Good podcast and explore our other shows on nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and organizational culture.

🎙️ Thank you, Erin Rank, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, for joining me on the Lead for Good podcast! In this powerful conversation, Erin shares how her team used the Traction / EOS framework to clarify their vision, align around their core strengths, and strengthen both their leadership and their mission. Her insights on defining an organization’s North Star and building a culture of focus and accountability are lessons every nonprofit leader can learn from. If you’re exploring ways to bring more clarity and cohesion to your team, this episode is a must-listen.

What does it take to lead one of the nation's premier academic health systems through extraordinary growth, rapid change, and constant innovation while keeping people at the center of every decision?

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney sits down with Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, to explore one of the most important responsibilities of leadership: driving vision. Drawing on lessons from an unlikely journey that began as a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy and evolved into leading world-class healthcare organizations, Rod shares the leadership principles that have shaped his remarkable career.

Throughout the conversation, Rod explains why vision cannot exist apart from culture and why trust is the foundation upon which great organizations are built. He discusses how leaders can create alignment across complex organizations, empower teams through collaboration, and maintain a clear sense of direction amid constant change and disruption.

Listeners will also gain valuable insights into:

• The leadership lessons Rod learned serving aboard a nuclear submarine

Rod's leadership philosophy is both practical and deeply human. His belief that leadership begins with caring for people offers a powerful reminder that lasting vision is not simply about strategy. It's about creating a culture where people can thrive together.

Whether you lead a nonprofit, healthcare organization, foundation, or mission-driven enterprise, this conversation offers wisdom that will challenge, inspire, and equip you to lead more effectively.

#LeadForGood #NonprofitLeadership #HealthcareLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalCulture #Trust #Vision #KeckMedicine #USC #ServantLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #FulcrumNonprofitLeadership

🎧 New Episode Alert: Lead for Good with Baron King, CEO of The CHATT Foundation

This week on Lead for Good, we explore what it truly means to lead with psychological awareness and empathy. My guest, Baron King, brings a rare combination of business acumen, clinical insight, and heart.

As CEO of The CHATT Foundation, Baron leads an organization dedicated to meeting the most basic needs of hungry, homeless, and vulnerable people—while helping them build a clear path toward self-sufficiency. His leadership reflects a belief that understanding human behavior is not just helpful in leadership—it’s essential.

In this conversation, Baron shares how his journey from retail management to psychology to nonprofit leadership has shaped his conviction that every great leader needs a psychological framework. We discuss:

How to read the emotional pulse of an organization

Ways to build resilience and safety through change

Balancing empathy with accountability

What it means to “walk with” people on the journey to independence

Baron’s perspective is both deeply human and powerfully practical—a reminder that leadership begins with understanding people.

Thank you, Baron, for an inspiring and insightful discussion.

🎙️ Tune in to this episode of Lead for Good to learn how psychology can transform leadership and culture from the inside out.

On this episode of the Lead for Good podcast, Corey Dantzler, the Executive Director of the Al Wooten Jr. Youth Center in Los Angeles, shares what leaders need to know when following a founder and how to lead with both respect and innovation. Corey has led the Center for years, guiding it forward after its founder’s passing and carrying on a powerful legacy of serving youth and families. Corey brings firsthand experience in what it takes to step into leadership after a founder, how to honor a founding vision while adapting to today’s challenges, and how to navigate the complexities of founder’s syndrome.

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney sits down with Corey Dantzler for a powerful and deeply practical conversation about nonprofit leadership, founder transitions, and the realities of leading after a visionary founder. Corey shares his remarkable leadership journey, shaped by growing up inside the Boys & Girls Clubs of America movement and learning directly from his father, who founded the Challengers Boys & Girls Club in South Los Angeles.

The conversation explores the emotional and operational complexities of stepping into leadership after a founder’s departure, navigating founder syndrome, honoring legacy while introducing innovation, and helping organizations evolve without losing their mission-centered identity. Corey offers candid insight into building trust with staff, empowering teams to find their voice, working effectively with boards, and leading through transition with authenticity and conviction.

Listeners will also hear thoughtful reflections on mentorship, servant leadership, organizational culture, succession planning, and the importance of leading from the back while allowing the mission to remain the organization’s true North Star.

This is an essential episode for nonprofit executives, emerging leaders, board members, and anyone navigating leadership transition in mission-driven organizations.

Watch or listen to this inspiring Lead for Good conversation and discover what it truly means to lead with both respect for the past and courage for the future.

In this episode of Lead for Good, Chris Looney sits down with Dawn Reese, CEO of The Wooden Floor, for a thoughtful and inspiring conversation on nonprofit leadership, servant leadership, and what it truly means to be a fundraising CEO.

Under Dawn’s leadership, The Wooden Floor has become a nationally recognized model for arts-based youth development, helping underserved youth thrive through dance, academic support, and family services. Since 2005, 100% of students have graduated high school on time and immediately enrolled in higher education.

Throughout the conversation, Dawn reflects on the formative experiences that shaped her leadership philosophy, the mentors who influenced her journey, and why empathy is foundational to effective leadership. She shares practical wisdom on building a culture of philanthropy, developing high-performing teams, balancing operational leadership with fundraising responsibilities, and creating organizational cultures where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

This episode also explores:

Dawn’s reflections on leadership, purpose, and investing in people offer valuable insight for nonprofit executives, emerging leaders, fundraisers, board members, and anyone passionate about creating meaningful impact in their communities.

Watch now and discover why leading with empathy, humility, and intentionality remains one of the most powerful ways to lead for good.

#LeadForGood #NonprofitLeadership #ServantLeadership #Fundraising #Philanthropy #LeadershipDevelopment #TheWoodenFloor #YouthDevelopment #ArtsEducation #LeadershipPodcast