Melanie Littlejohn on the Campbell Conversations

Campbell Conversations

(Control Room 2)

Program transcript:

Grant Reeher: Welcome to the Campbell Conversations. I'm Grant Reeher. My guest today is Melanie Littlejohn. Last December, Ms. Littlejohn was named as the president and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation, she brings to that position a wide array of previous experience in the private and nonprofit sector, including a long career with National Grid and its Corporate Social Responsibility program. Ms. Littlejohn, welcome to the program.

Melanie Littlejohn: Thank you, thank you.

GR: Well, we're glad to have you on. So, let's just start with some real basics. I'm sure that most of our listeners have heard of the Community Foundation but they may not be, you know, totally up to speed on it. So, let's just start with you giving us a basic overview of the foundation and what it does.

ML: Sure. Grant, I think one of the things I love talking about is the Community Foundation and what it does because it's still in many ways a mystery to people. But in essence, what we do, we take donors dollars and we invest it to do the most good in our community. So we also help donors with their philanthropic ambitions, where would they like to contribute their dollars to make a meaningful impact, and then we also take the investment from those donor’s dollars to deploy very widely on things like our priorities: LEAD (LeadSafeCNY), literacy, scholarship, equity. And it's a powerful moment. And then we support nonprofit organizations who are doing unbelievable work across the region.

GR: So, okay, thank you. So if I were to give money then to the Community Foundation, what I'm understanding of what you're saying, is then you would sort of take that money and make decisions about where it should go and put it together in a pool, do I have that right?

ML: So let me clarify. So, you're a donor and you say, I would like to open up a donor advised fund and here at the Community Foundation, because I want to support, just pick an organization, I want to support the Salvation Army.

GR: Okay.

ML: And I want to support my alma mater, I want to support elementary school education. And so you give us the list of who you want to support and then annually, on an annual basis, we invest that fund so that it just continues to grow.

GR: Okay.

ML: And then we give, so the portion of your fund that's invested, you then allocate to those organizations that you outline. And then when we look at the whole investment pool, a portion of what we then do is set community priorities that are born out of data like LEAD, and then we try to tackle and create impact in those areas by working with organizations or funding organizations that are doing work to address that priority. We invest in priorities as a result of data. You know, my team looks at data and we collect and share data on a wide range of elements for the Central New York region. And as we identify issues, we begin to tackle them through supporting those organizations that are in place to tackle these very issues. And some of those really result in, oh goodness, measureable and meaningful impact in the region.

GR: Okay, great, thank you. So my understanding is when you first came on board, you held a series of listening sessions in the community. It was this past spring to get a better sense of the needs and the concerns I was just wondering if what you learned from that, what conclusions for you that came out of that experience?

ML: You know, that's been one of the most powerful experiences I've had in my work career, because when you go out to people and you do it in a way that you are clearly focused on listening, people share. And so what I heard from, goodness, over 400 people over five different listening sessions, and I still do them, but they're much smaller now. But the themes are very, very consistent, no matter where I go. It's focused on housing and dealing with the housing crisis. It's focused on child care in all forms and facets of child care. It's focused on workforce development, transportation, health care. And one of the other issues that just kept bubbling up was that around mental health, and mental health specifically as it relates to our young people. And I've heard just tremendous, tremendous feedback. But I also heard this whole important notion of collaboration and partnership and compassion and commitment. Those sessions were absolutely powerful.

GR: And I seem to remember a few years ago, prior to you joining the foundation, that the foundation pledged itself to a greater emphasis on social justice, diversity, and as I recall, from the time communities of color and communities that were in distress. Tell me, why was that? Why did the community foundation make that change?

ML: Sure, sure. And I don't know if it's as much of a change as it was as a pronouncement.

GR: Okay.

ML: So when I think about, again, I say a lot of what we do was data informed. And when we looked at data and let's just use LEAD, because LEAD is one of the most pronounced ones that really had us leaning in on the equity lens. You know, the populations or the people who are at the highest end of lead poisoning are black and brown residents in in Onondaga County specifically. And it's also focused on high concentration of poverty and unfortunately, you know, our numbers are still our numbers, right? We have the highest concentrated levels of poverty for black and brown residents. And then we also go and we looked at some of our historical information through the 15th Ward, which has the highest level of lead poisoning. And then if you overlay, say, a redlining map, you see all of the exact same footprint. So, you know, we said, you know, this is a community that, Central New York community cares about driving impact and cares about driving change. I know I talk to people all day long who want us to rise to our highest and best selves in everything we do, including the issues around equity and race. And so the foundation leaned in on that and continues to do, and it was also shortly after the murder of George Floyd that we have to look at things even that give us consternation. We got to look at them in the eye. Because if we look at them in the eye, we know how to deal with it and we deal with it as a community. And don't think the work isn't easy. It is never easy to talk about things that make us wiggle in our seats, ever. But when you do it thoughtfully, and you do it inclusively bringing and inviting in feedback and engagement, we all get better, right? We all begin to get better. And so that's what that DEI and equity lens is about and it’s about all voices, right? Because we do recognize all voices matter, but we also wanted to put a specific light on where we have some warts. Let's get them done.

GR: You're listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media. I'm Grant Reeher and I'm speaking with Melanie Littlejohn. She's the president and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. So are there new initiatives that the foundation has been taking recently that you are particularly excited about that you could talk to us about?

ML: Sure. I think our ongoing work in literacy, right? Is critically important, it’s foundational it’s a part of the ecosystem. I can't talk about workforce development without talking about reading, right? I think about our pipelines in all of our schools, right? And we have to ensure that all children specifically have the ability to read and comprehend information. So literacy continues to be foundational to drive impact. LEAD and the eradication of lead, the foundation actually just, we committed another million dollars to our efforts to get to the eradication of lead. 26% of children in 2018 being tested positive for lead - unacceptable. We're at 11% now because we've leaned in what we got to keep leaning in to ensure that we are doing everything that we can to eradicate lead poisoning. Because that as well is a part of the ecosystem because lead impacts children's ability to read, learn, and it just has a ripple effect, so we are at the heart of it. And then our scholarship, you know, Say Yes, 15 years of Say Yes. And we continue to see how Say Yes changes the lives of people in this region and what a heck of a calling card to the city of Syracuse. If you're buying a house in the city of Syracuse, guess what? If you do when your child goes Syracuse City School system, you can get a scholarship, how terribly important. And then the last thing, Grant, is how we're leaning in and partnering through all of this coalition work, doing what I call the Micron Moment.

GR: Yes. I wanted to ask you about that later, but yeah.

ML: Super, super important. It's a moment and we've got to get it right.

GR: Yes.

ML: And what I absolutely adore is watching the level of collaboration. I've been in this community about 35 years, and what I have seen in the last 2 to 3 specifically has been absolutely tremendous. We get we get we have some big hills and valleys, but collaboration. So that's what we're up to at the foundation.

GR: You're listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media. I'm Grant Reeher, and I'm talking with Melanie Littlejohn. Since last December, she's been serving as the President and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. So I wanted to ask you, something came to my mind as you were giving the answer to the last question and you were talking about the things that the Community Foundation has been doing in particular that you think are most important or you're most excited about. And, you know, you were mentioning helping with literacy and literacy with young people, the problems with lead poisoning and lead exposure in Syracuse. Those are important things, but one of the thoughts I had, it's not a criticism of the foundation, but it's a reflection, when I hear that I think, well, isn't that what a responsive government would be doing? And so my question to you is, does the community foundation and other foundations like it kind of, fill in for where government either falls down or has gaps? I don't know if you have thoughts about that.

ML: So I think ironically and importantly, there's so much work to be done in this space that is enough work for everyone to do, right? So, when I think about working with Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse on the whole lead initiative, they have been responsive. They have fueled and supported so many of the initiatives that we're seeing because, you know, I said we started at 26%, we’re down to 11% in the city of Syracuse. The number is still unacceptable, but there are so many different partners, including nonprofit partners, it's community. We did this process that I'm extraordinarily proud of, is for participatory budgeting. And we took the problem of lead poisoning and we worked with the residents of the 15th Ward, Southside Brighton area. We worked with community based organizations, government officials and we did this working session. It took a few months to say, all right, here are the dollars. We want to give a grant of $150,000. How would you deploy it so that we can get to the eradication of lead? Where should it go? What would be most meaningful, most impactful that could drive the greatest degree of change. And the community and all of these partners, and they worked hard, and it wasn't easy, but they worked. And there were four or five organizations that bubbled up as we liked their work and what they're doing and we think it's innovative and it would be impactful. And then ultimately, one did get, the Syracuse Doulas got the large grant. It's because what they wanted to do was to begin to plant seeds with moms. Because most people, believe it or not, you don't think about lead poisoning in your homes, just don't think about it, who thinks about it? Or if you're renting and you go from one location to the next, you don't think about it. So we really had to lean in on the education and outreach as well as our continued work around replacement of doors and windows. The places that lead is most prominent.

GR: And you mentioned Micron a little bit earlier and I did want to ask you about that. Obviously, you know, it's going to be transformational for not only the community, but the area and you know, maybe the state. Has the community foundation been part of the discussions in the planning around Micron? Are you at these tables with, you know, Syracuse University and government officials and Micron officials? Because Micron has been, there's been both a push to see commitments from Micron and then also, you know, Micron, I think, has been pretty open about saying, you know, we want to help and we want to get involved. So it seems like the Community Foundation would be one place they might want to go to figure out how, best way to do that.

ML: Sure. So in two ways, prior to me coming here, obviously, I've worked during and with the Micron attraction process, which was powerful. And certainly, you know, my former employer is absolutely critically important because you got to, you know, power this massive site, which they're actually doing a phenomenal job working to make that happen. But then the second piece is, I had a wonderful opportunity to co-chair a community engagement committee along with Tim Penix. And then 15 community leaders from different backgrounds came together to launch this community engagement process on behalf of the governor and on behalf of Micron, to really get the voice of community so that what we're trying or aiming for that everyone can participate in this moment. We were looking at the right thing. So it was a 13 month process that we did this and we engaged over 13,000 residents in various forms, whether it was town hall meetings, surveys, smaller round tables. We engaged the voice of the community and again, you will not be surprised of all of the things that people said were important. And matter of fact, we just released two weeks ago that Community Priorities document that outlines what was said and what will be focused on. But here's the thing, Grant…

GR: Let me ask you one thing, because that sounds important. Where can people find that document?

ML: They can find that document, you can either go right to the governor's website at newyorkstate.gov.

GR: Okay.

ML: You can go to (www.nyscec.org) and we'll get you the link to maybe you can post them.

GR: That sounds like a great idea. Yeah, go ahead and complete your thought, I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that…

ML: No, no, it's important, I'm glad you stopped me. And it has both the executive summary as well as the full 160 page report in terms of the voice of the community. So I'm still the co-chair of it and a matter of fact, tomorrow will be our first meeting that we will have with community based organizations who might be interested in applying for a grant that relates to some of the priorities that were identified in the Community Priorities document. So we're stepping through here’s how you access the portal, here's what it looks like. And so that piece becomes really, really important. And so we are involved in all of the coalitions and all of the work to really get up on all of the priorities to make impact. But what I like people to know, yes, this is a document that was sparked by Micron coming into this community, but we were very careful to name this report. This report is the Central New York Community Engagement Committee, it belongs to all of us. All organizations in this community, big or small or otherwise, this is your document. People of Central New York, this is your document. Yes, we're going to meet the Micron moment and Micron has been a good partner stepping up. But this isn't just a Micron responsibility, right? So I want everyone to know this is your document. Figure out how you want to bring it to life, figure out where you want to lean in to make things happen.

GR: If you've just joined us, you're listening to the Campbell Conversations on WRVO Public Media and my guest is Melanie Littlejohn from the Central New York Community Foundation. So we've got about 4 minutes left or so and there are two questions I want to make sure I have time to ask you. I'm going to ask you the bigger question first, and you could talk about this the whole time, but just remember that I want to come back and I want to squeeze something else in. So the first one is, have you begun to develop your idea of future visions for the Community Foundation, you know, both on a sort of like realistic short term scale, but also, you know, thinking big about the future? Or is it too early in your tenure for you to be doing that?

ML: No, I think, you know, I have the benefit of having a tremendous team that really helps me think through what are those core issues and things that we really need to lean into. I have the voice of community, whether it's through my listening sessions or this Community Priorities document. But I think the biggest piece for me is really having to demystify philanthropy, that we're all philanthropists, we all give in one way or another. So really trying to continue to build the culture of philanthropy and whether, I want to really foster: just give. Give time is giving, compassion is giving, writing checks and giving of your treasure is giving. But in this season, I want to create the everyday philanthropist.

GR: Ah, I like that, everyday philanthropist, I like that phrase. So this last question is more personal, and I'm hoping that you will feel comfortable enough to talk about it, we've got a couple of minutes left. I know that the Community Foundation is apolitical and nonpartisan, so I want to make that clear before I ask this question, make it clear to our listeners and to you. At the same time, you're a woman of color and it's looking like the Democrats as we are speaking today, it's becoming a certainty, almost a certainty that the Democrats are going to nominate Kamala Harris for president. She would be the first woman of color to be a presidential nominee from either of the two major parties. So she's making history and she could make more history if she wins. So I just wondered if you had any personal thoughts or feelings about that.

ML: You know, I know a little something about being a first, right? And the pride, Kamala, Vice President Kamala Harris, for me, as having been a first in my career, she reinforces for me the immense pride. The immense pride that I know what she did to get there, right? You know and understand how hard she has worked to be her best self, to be the leader that we know she is. And I'm sure she's got some bumps and bruises and some war scars, right? But I'm filled with this sense of pride because my granddaughter could wake up and understand I, too, can be a president. I, too, can run for office, right? That's what this moment is about, it's bigger than politics.

GR: Yeah.

ML: It's about the power of possibility.

GR: Well that's a nice place to end it. That was Melanie Littlejohn. Ms. Littlejohn, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, I really appreciated the conversation.

ML: Thank you, Grant.

GR: You've been listening to the Campbell conversations on WRVO, public media conversations and the public interest.