This episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up is a love letter to Black women in governance, those claiming their space, shaping culture, and bringing others along. Guests Aquanetta Betts and Kenya Roberts open up about what it means to lead boldly and authentically in rooms that weren’t built with them in mind. From navigating bias to building community, they share stories of grace, grit, growth, and how they’re redefining professionalism on their own terms.

Together, they explore the power of showing up fully as yourself, the importance of mentorship and sponsorship, and what it looks like to build boards that truly reflect the communities they serve. It’s a conversation about leadership, liberation, and legacy, and a challenge to every board to make room for the brilliance of Black women.

About the Guests:
Aquanetta Betts, JD, CAP®, AEP®, CFRE, is the Director of Planned Giving at George Mason University and an accomplished philanthropic strategist. A former estate planning attorney, she’s a national leader in charitable gift planning and serves on multiple boards advancing equity and inclusion in the sector.

Kenya Roberts is a results-driven fundraising executive with more than 20 years of experience leading development teams and campaigns that pair strategy, storytelling, and authentic connection. Passionate about social change, Kenya believes collaboration and bold leadership are the keys to creating lasting community impact.

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Why do board members check out, and how do you bring them back? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Dr. Renee Rubin Ross gets real about turning seat-warmers into co-owners of the mission. We dig into meeting design that sparks participation (think small-group connection, not endless reports), onboarding that builds belonging from day one, and practical accountability, like clear expectations, attendance tracking, and term limits that actually mean something.

Renee breaks board engagement into three levers: formal structures (role clarity, job descriptions, commitments), informal practices (relationship-building, story-sharing, culture statements, meeting agreements), and equity (who’s at the table, whose voices shape strategy). We explore “power with” instead of “power over,” keeping trustees connected between meetings, and why a strong board chair can make, or stall, momentum. Plus, a real-world case of a board shifting from policy-only to true governance by co-creating an authentic ambassador pitch with staff.

About Dr. Ross:Founder of The Ross Collective, Renee is a strategist, facilitator, and educator who designs inclusive, participatory processes for boards and staff. She directs Cal State East Bay’s Nonprofit Management Certificate program, teaches Strategic Planning and Board Development, and is a former board member of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Her work centers racial equity, community engagement, and governance that drives social change.

If your board meetings need less rubber-stamping and more shared ownership, this conversation is your playbook.

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What happens when boardrooms make space for humanity? In this transformative episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Ananda Valenzuela challenges the traditional nonprofit power structures that keep governance tied to hierarchy and distance from community. Ananda explores what happens when leadership becomes collective, care-centered, and accountable to the people it serves.

Drawing on years of experience as an interim executive director, facilitator, and coach, Ananda unpacks how organizations can move from “power over” to power with, fostering equity, trust, and liberation in practice, not just in mission statements. Together, we explore what community-led leadership really looks like when boards share decision-making, reimagine accountability as love in action, and build governance ecosystems that reflect the communities they serve.

About Ananda:
Ananda (any pronouns) provides interim executive leadership, facilitates organizational transformation, and coaches values-aligned leaders. They are passionate about building joyful, equitable, and liberatory organizational cultures. With over a decade of experience supporting nonprofits, Ananda currently serves as Practitioner-in-Residence at the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and has served as interim executive director for multiple organizations. A native of Puerto Rico, Ananda brings a global, justice-rooted perspective to leadership, governance, and organizational care.

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“I hate asking for money.” Brian Saber has heard it all, and he’s here to turn that anxiety into confident, values-aligned engagement. In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Brian reframes board fundraising as long-game relationship-building and true mission ownership. From introverts to natural networkers, he shows how every trustee can play a meaningful role, cultivating, thanking, inviting, and (when it’s right) asking with clarity and care.

About Brian:Brian has spent his entire career raising major gifts and leading nonprofits, from student caller to two-time executive director to overseeing major and principal gifts across the Midwest for Brandeis University. Today, he trains boards and staff, builds major-gift programs, runs campaign studies, and coaches executives around the world. As co-founder of Asking Matters, he created an accessible, web-based training hub built especially for small and mid-sized organizations. He’s the author of Asking Styles: Revolutionize Your Fundraising and Boards and Asking Styles: A Roadmap to Success, with Rubber Stamps Don’t Fundraise out this fall. When he’s not teaching, Brian’s a proud dad, yoga and puzzle devotee, volunteer CASA, and active arts/community advocate.

Listen in for practical ways to activate your board, without cornering friends and family, and build loyal, long-term support for your mission.

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Money talk doesn’t have to be scary. In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, Germeen Y. Guillaume, CEO and Founder of Visionary Accounting Group, breaks down what true financial stewardship looks like for boards, from budgets to audits and everything in between.

With experience spanning public accounting at Ernst & Young, internal audit management at a major Canadian bank, and nearly a decade leading Visionary Accounting Group, Germeen has helped nonprofits across the country strengthen financial oversight, recover millions in receivables, and prepare for long-term sustainability.

This conversation dives into the essentials of board financial leadership: budgeting, reserves, grants, approvals, and strategic planning. Germeen makes it clear, accessible, and actionable, empowering board members to step into financial oversight with confidence and clarity.

Get connected with Germeen on Linkedin and learn more about Visionary Accounting Group here!

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Boards can’t afford to ignore AI, but they also can’t afford to dive in blindly. In this forward-looking episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we explore how technology, strategy, and values intersect in the boardroom.

Taylor Shanklin Wilson is a branding strategist, TEDx speaker, and founder of Creative Shizzle, where she helps organizations break through the noise with bold, unforgettable storytelling. With 20 years in marketing and multimedia, she has built a career on pushing boundaries and creating brands that stand out.

Josh Hirsch, MS is a nonprofit strategist and AI consultant with nearly two decades of experience guiding organizations through digital transformation. From AI-powered donor engagement to data-driven fundraising, he helps nonprofits adopt innovations that enhance efficiency and deepen impact.

Together, Taylor and Josh unpack what tech-forward, values-aligned governance can look like in 2025, offering boards practical insight into how AI can strengthen leadership, fundraising, and the human side of philanthropy.

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How do we move from micromanagement and mistrust to clarity, collaboration, and care? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we explore the challenges and wins of board/CEO dynamics, and what it takes to build healthier, more effective leadership relationships.

Rachel L. Castillo, President & CEO of Advocates for Children, brings over 20 years of leadership experience in family and youth homelessness, including service with The Salvation Army, Inspiritus, and MUST Ministries. A dedicated advocate, board leader, and community voice, she pairs her professional expertise with a deep commitment to her family and faith.

Carla Lavender, Vice President of Fundraising at Advocates for Children, is a seasoned fundraiser with more than two decades of experience leading major gift campaigns and driving transformational growth at institutions like Spelman College, Kennesaw State University, and Georgia State University. She has raised millions for organizations across Atlanta and continues to champion equity and expansion in nonprofit leadership.

Together, Rachel and Carla reimagine the board–executive relationship with honesty, empathy, and boundaries, charting a path toward trust and shared purpose.

Find out more about Advocates for Children Georgia here!

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Burnout is plaguing the nonprofit sector, but what if boards and leadership roles were designed to restore instead of deplete us? In this episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we’re joined by two powerhouse leaders challenging the way we think about wellness in leadership.

Tesha McCord Poe, J.D./M.B.A. has raised over $100M across K–12 education and nonprofits, serving in senior leadership roles with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula and Castilleja School. A sought-after speaker, TEDx presenter, co-author of Beyond Widow, and Founder + CEO of Joy-Raising, Tesha brings decades of fundraising, strategy, and board leadership experience to this conversation.

Mallory Erickson is an executive coach, fundraising consultant, and host of What the Fundraising. As CEO of Practivated, an AI-powered donor conversation simulator, and creator of the Power Partners Formula™️, she’s trained over 60,000 fundraisers with her unique blend of executive coaching, behavioral science, and fundraising strategy.

Together, Tesha and Mallory invite boards and executives to rethink what leadership can look like when wellbeing is prioritized, and how policy, practice, and mindset shifts can transform burnout into balance.

Check out Mallory here and connect with Tesha here!

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In this powerful episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, April Walker, MSW invites us to rethink how we lead, build culture, and care for ourselves in systems that were never built for us. Drawing on her deep expertise in philanthropy, equity, and nonprofit leadership, April unpacks the myths, motivations, and missed opportunities surrounding Black philanthropy.

As the founder of Philanthropy for the People and a seasoned leader with experience spanning fundraising, consulting, and grant making roles across organizations like the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, and CCS Fundraising, April brings a wealth of perspective on building cultures of belonging.

Born and raised in Baltimore with a Master’s in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, April is a board member, writer, and equity champion committed to advancing racial justice in philanthropy.

This episode calls on boards, fundraisers, and community leaders to confront bias, embrace relationship-centered engagement, and take tangible steps toward equity-driven action.

Connect with April on Linkedin here

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In Loving Memory of Sabrina Walker Hernandez

In this powerful episode of Little Bit of Good Presents: The Board Shake Up, we sit down with the late Sabrina Walker Hernandez- a transformational leader, consultant, and bestselling author who dedicated her life to strengthening nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.

With 25 years of experience and a legacy of turning vision into measurable impact, Sabrina shares her wisdom on breaking free from the “friends and family” model of board recruitment. She offers practical, actionable strategies to help organizations find mission-aligned, qualified, and community-connected board members who reflect the communities they serve.

Sabrina’s life was defined by generosity, leadership, and a belief in the power of nonprofits to change the world. We honor her memory, her insights, and the countless organizations transformed by her work.

To continue her legacy, please consider donating to the Village in The Valley fund in her honor: https://givebutter.com/swh.

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