S3,E2 - Melanie LittlejohnPosted on January 29, 2025 |
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This is Talk CNY, a semi-monthly podcast by CenterState, CEO. We're an independent nonprofit committed to creating inclusive, equitable, and sustainable economic growth in Central New York. Join us as we meet the people and explore the projects driving the regional economy forward. This is to Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, director of communications at CenterState CEO, and your host for Talk CNY. You may have heard that CenterState CEO is taking on an exciting new role as a sub-intermediary for Micron's Workforce Development investment through the CHIPS and Science Act. We'll be working with one of our longtime partners, the Central New York Community Foundation, who will be serving as the lead intermediary on the project. The Central New York Community Foundation has invested more than $300 million in the region since its establishment in 1927. It also serves as a civic leader, a convener, and a sponsor of initiatives that foster thriving and equitable communities. Joining us today on Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, to discuss the Community Foundation's work with Micron as well as its role in the broader community, is the Central New York Community Foundation's president and CEO Melanie Littlejohn. Melanie, thank you so much for joining us here today.
Thanks, Katie, for the invitation.
So I want to start with a little bit of a congratulations. You're just shy of a year in this position as Central New York Community Foundation's president and CEO. So what made you want to take on this role a little under a year ago?
When I think about taking on this role at this point in time, not only in my career, but in the region, I couldn't think of doing anything but this. Right? We are at such a transformational period and to play this role in helping be a part of the moment in this way for this and at this wonderful organization. I couldn't think of anything else I should be doing now.
So from your time in this role so far, what have been some of the biggest lessons you've learned, whether it be about yourself or about the organization or the region? I know that's a big question, but...
Yeah, there's a lot with that, right? One, what have I learned about the region, right? I learned that there are so many amazing things going on and sometimes they're tucked away. But what I'm also learning is the level of collaboration has been significant in ways that I've never witnessed before, and I've been in this community over 30 years. It's been powerful. What have I learned about myself? My heart beats outside of my chest, and it beats outside of my chest because I love this community. I love the promise of this community, and because I've let my heart beat outside of my chest, more often than not, I need to learn how to sleep. How about that one? But no, it's really about being urgent about the moment.
Is there a moment that you can think of that made you really feel that feeling of your heart beating outside of your chest, knowing how much you care for this community and feeling that urgency?
There are so many moments, but when I think about when I am out in the public, and I'm talking to people not only about the issues of this region, but how we change or fix the issues of the region, the level of innovative, compassionate thoughts I've heard from people and people genuinely showing up because they want to see change. I've had so many of those moments, and most of them have come during public meetings or round tables, and I have to tell you, I walk away inspired and more committed to do the work than ever before.
I mean, it sounds like it's been really a great experience so far for you. I was wondering, is there a moment that's made you proud so far? I mean, we've talked about the moments that have really inspired you, but made you feel proud in your role here.
Yeah, one, there are two. One, how we did come together as a community and created this community priorities document, which is the voice of the people. And then working with this new group of leaders at the Community Foundation and watching them methodically and consistently figure out how we can lean in as a foundation, whether it's as a thought leader, whether it's doing community engagement, whether it's dealing to help even donors reach their philanthropic ambitions. Wow. It's just been like a run-on sentence, in a good way, that I've gotten a chance to experience all of these powerful moments over the last 10 and a half months.
You mentioned the Community Priorities document, but that is not where the Community Foundation's engagement with Micron has ended by any means. You guys are taking on an exciting new role. We're working together in that capacity as the lead intermediary for Micron's workforce development investment. So as the lead intermediary, we are at CenterState CEO, sub-intermediary for the New York region. But can you tell me what your role is as a lead intermediary? What does that mean? What will you be doing?
As the lead intermediary, our role is to do very much what we do today. It is to continue to collaborate with our partners like CenterState. It is to in instances when we have to convene, convene, but it's really about helping Micron understand us as a region, what those things that are necessary to drive change along with our partners, and to ensure that the funding and the collaboration process is seamless because we want people to focus on - let's drive the program to create the impact. That's what this moment's about.
Now, as you said, it's a lot more of what you've been doing. So is that what makes the Community Foundation such a good fit for this role?
Yeah, this is a part of what we do every day. We support organizations either through our responsive grant-making process, through our strategic priorities or through directly through our donors. And last year alone, over 3000 organizations across the U.S. received dollars that come right from Central New York. And those things are powerful, right? And it's just what we quietly do every single day to keep philanthropy alive.
Now, what challenges are you excited to tackle in this role as lead intermediary?
Boy, there are enough challenges for us to tackle. Obviously workforce is critically important, but what's equally important? Housing and ensuring that everybody deserves a roof over their head, a reliable, safe, and healthy roof over their head, one that's lead free. Our children deserve that. One of the most critical things for me, if I do anything, if the Community Foundation does anything, it's what do we owe the children of this region as the adults, what do we owe them? And we owe them a lead-free life one where when we give them a lead-free life, it helps their trajectory for success. So the importance of that alone and literacy. You can go anywhere in the world through literacy. You can see yourself in books. So we owe that to our kids. That's just so important. That's probably the number one important thing. Roof over your head. Give you the ability and all the tools to unlock the world of reading, and most importantly, keep you healthy and safe. That's what we owe this region.
I want to talk a little bit more about the work of the Central New York Community Foundation around decreasing lead poisoning in the Syracuse and Central New York area. You all have been working very hard through the lead safety CNY initiative for years now. Recently, you received a $400,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, which is amazing. Congratulations.
Amazing.
So how will that money help further your goals there? What will that go to support?
Sure. The Lead Safe CNY coalition work is housed, and we partner with the United Way on this as well. And this grant from the Mother Cabrini Foundation will help do two things, two big things. One, enable more people to do this work, right? Because we know touch points and engagement are significantly important, but the engagement piece around education and testing, are so critically important. And then our work with both the county and the city who have been tremendous partners. Everybody, they're rolling up their sleeves. They're rolling up their sleeves. Even though this is hard work. When we have our kids in the middle of something emotionally, it's hard work. But I got to tell you, everybody has stayed at the table. Everyone has been committed to how do we eradicate lead from our region? I had someone recently say to me, ask me, so Melanie, what's the goal? I'm like, what do you mean? What's the goal?
Yeah,
Zero.
Lead free.
Lead free. Period. Yes, we've made significant strides from a high of 26%, and we're at 10% today. This number is still too high. We've got to get to zero. That's the goal. That's the goal.
Melanie, we will come back with you in just a moment, but we're going to take a quick break for a word from our presenting sponsor NBT Bank.
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Welcome back to Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, director of communications at CenterState CEO, and your host for Talk CNY. I'm joined today by the Central New York Community Foundation's President and CEO Melanie Littlejohn. Melanie.
Hi, Katie.
Thank you so much for being here.
Thank you.
So we've talked a little bit about your work with Micron. We've talked a little bit about the Lead Safe CNY Initiative, but I want to talk a little bit now about impact investing, which is a new tool that you and your team debuted a bit ago to help make bigger changes in the community through direct dollars. So can you tell me what is impact investing and how is it affecting your work?
Sure. Our board recently gave us the go ahead to take 5% of our investment pool and to recirculate it back into the community to really spark more investments, big local impact investments. So whether it's on a housing project, whether it's helping organizations get through moments of pain points, financial pain points, and then because it's a circular investment, dollars go out, but dollars come back in and then the fund is regenerated to create sustainability. It's a bit of work that I'm really, really proud of. One of our first major grants was to the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
And VLP is a tremendous organization, and we were able to help them through a moment while they were in between waiting for grants to continue to do the work that's important in terms of representation, and that's the kind of impact that we need to keep fueled and keep our commitment squarely behind those big things that are driving impact in this region.
How special is this impact investing initiative? I mean, do foundations all over do it? Is it something innovative that you're pioneering?
Well, foundations, some foundations across the country are doing this, which is phenomenal. Everyone is leaning into what is specific in their region that they want to do local impact investing on. And ours, we are a little bit more broad, but everyone is really beginning to figure out how creatively can we leverage our assets to do even more good for good, right?
And for the region, right? Yeah. You mentioned the Volunteer Lawyers Project. Are there other stories of how impact investing has helped to support or enable change at organizations in our community?
There are several organizations, including places like Dunbar Community Center. There are multiple organizations that have different areas of focus that we might be helping them support, whether it's around emergency funding for a building or a piece of equipment. It's really about how can we meet the moment with that organization to really help them worry less about the fiscal impact so that they can focus on doing the work.
Now, I know you guys stay very, very busy down the street, the Community Foundation. So these topics that we have touched on today are really just the very tip of the iceberg of what you're doing. So for 2025, what are you excited about engaging in through the Community Foundation?
I think the thing I'm most excited about in terms of engaging with the foundation, not only this new and wonderful work around workforce development that we're going to be doing with partners, and not only here but U.S.-wide. I'm terribly excited about that, but more importantly, I am excited about how we're going to inspire more and more people in this region to know that they're philanthropists.
What do you mean by that?
Often I get asked, do you need to be a millionaire to be a philanthropist? No, you need to care. You need to figure out how you want to show up, whether you want to show up with putting $10 at your favorite nonprofit, or whether you want to put 10 hours into volunteering. I really, really, really want to ignite the spirit of philanthropy and let everyone understand and know you, too, are a philanthropist, and philanthropy takes heart. So just bring it because we need all of us wrapping our arms around each other as a community, as a region to drive change, and I want us to play a role in that.
What keeps you excited about this work? I mean, we've talked a lot today. It's a lot of good, it's a lot of meaningful, impactful work, but it's a lot of hard work. So what gets you up in the morning aside from your alarm clock?
What gets me up out of bed every day, and I've said this every interview that I've had, I got a new title, I got a new title. It's the best new title, and it's Mimi, right? So I say to myself, what do I owe my grandchildren? What do I owe them? I owe them to leave the world a little bit better than I found it. And it's the same with any child's face I look into in this region. They are my children, and it is the strong and hard belief that we have to leave this world a little bit better. So I'm inspired in any way that I can do it, to do it, for my grandchildren and for all of the kids of this region.
It's been a really great conversation. To wrap up, I want to plug your future podcast, which is set to debut this spring. So can you give our listeners a little preview of what you'll be talking about, what they can look forward to?
A little bit of philanthropy. Right. That's what it's calling. It's really taking my theme of how I grew up. I call it my Sunday pot of beans upbringing, that there was always something at my house or at my grandparents' house for somebody. There was always a pot of beans on the stove because you never just know who needs something. There are so many people, in particular, our young people who are doing some courageous things, not only in our backyard, but across the country. And I'm hoping if I could elevate those stories and those young people and their courageousness and their innovation, it sparks and keeps the movement of giving and philanthropy going.
Well, Melanie, we're really looking forward to it here, and we really appreciate you making time today.
Thank you, Katie.
CenterState CEO's podcast Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, is available on all major podcast platforms or centerstateceo.com. Additional content and clips can be seen across CenterState CEO's social media channels for new episode reminders. Be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast listening app, and don't forget to leave a quick review or five-star rating. Thanks for listening to Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank.
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