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In the first installment of the 2023 ImpactPHL Conversations Series, Ryan Bowers of Activest, speaks with Adriana Abizadeh of the Kensington Corridor Trust, and Nia Evans of the Boston Ujima Project. Learn how these leaders are building a reimagined future of shared local culture, places, and economic determination by focusing on and pioneering neighborhood engagement alongside collaboration strategies to problem-solve for community growth.
This webinar will explore the organizations’ visions and values, best practices and challenges, tactical strategies, and how impact investors can get directly involved.
Moderator
Ryan Bowers is a Co-Founder with Activest. Previously he co-founded Frontline Solutions, a national management consulting firm, and served in the Mayor’s Office in Philadelphia. He has an MBA from Saint Joseph’s University.
Panelists
Adriana Abizadeh is currently the Executive Director of the Kensington Corridor Trust (KCT) in Philadelphia. The mission, duty, and purpose of the KCT is to help the Kensington community reclaim control over a once-thriving commercial corridor by reactivating real estate, fostering local entrepreneurship, and reinvesting capital in the neighborhood. With deep interests in public policy, Adriana has taken every opportunity to utilize her privileged position as a nonprofit leader in order to speak out for what she believes in and to lift the voices of impacted community members. Immersed in policy initiatives, she has facilitated community collaboration to address the intersectionality between immigration status, housing, poverty, and race. Adriana has a BA from Rutgers University in Political Science with a minor in Security Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism. She also has an MS in Public Policy from Drexel University. She has committed herself to serve on several boards that reflect some of her deepest passions: immigration, racial and health equity, and youth development. When Adriana isn’t serving her community, she is at home with her husband, their two children, and two dogs.
Nia Evans is the Executive Director of the Boston Ujima Project, which is focused on organizing Greater Boston area neighbors, workers, business owners, and investors to create a community-controlled economy. She is a co-creator of Frames Debate Project, a multimedia policy debate program that explores the intersection between drug policy, mental health services, and incarceration in Massachusetts. Evans has a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a master’s degree in education leadership, with a course of study in leadership, policy, and politics from Teachers College at Columbia University. She also studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, where she focused on international labor relations.
Who should attend?
High net worth individuals, family offices, endowment/foundation leadership, investment professionals, pension fund trustees, nonprofit leaders, and anyone interested in broadening their investment horizons.