Dear BLK ED

This episode features Franklyn Baker, President and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland, where he has led since 2016.

With nearly 30 years of nonprofit executive experience, Franklyn is known for scaling community impact, strengthening organizational culture, and building equity-centered strategies that deliver measurable results. Under his leadership, United Way has expanded homelessness prevention and family stability work, advanced educational equity initiatives, and launched the development of two new Family Centers providing affordable childcare and early childhood education in Columbia and Poppleton.

Franklyn’s career includes executive leadership roles at Greenpeace USA and Volunteers of America Chesapeake. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard University and a master’s in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame. He serves across a wide civic and nonprofit network, including boards and leadership roles connected to Baltimore’s Promise, Parks & People, Maryland Access to Justice Commission, Baltimore Public Media, Truist, and others.

In this conversation, “Measuring What Matters: A Leader’s Guide to Meaningful Change,” Franklyn breaks down what it takes to lead with clarity in a shifting nonprofit landscape. We talk about “operating at the next level” before you have the title, why culture drives execution, and how leaders balance trust with accountability. He also shares how strong partnerships and community voice shape sustainable solutions, what metrics actually signal progress for families, and when leaders must have the courage to pause or sunset programs that are not delivering outcomes.

Franklyn closes with practical funding guidance for nonprofit leaders navigating uncertainty, including United Way of Central Maryland’s United for Good Community Relief Fund and United for Good Nonprofit Resiliency Grants. Learn more at uwcm.org/unitedforgood, and for grant details visit uwcm.org/grants (application deadline: December 15).

If you’re a nonprofit executive, emerging leader, funder, or board member, this episode offers grounded insight on building trust, leading through complexity, and measuring impact that reflects real change.Listen on Youtube & Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations amplifying Black leadership and community impact.

This episode features Derryck Fletcher, Chief Operating Officer of The Y in Central Maryland, a charitable organization serving more than 145,000 members.

Derryck leads the organization’s work across multiple impact areas, including Early Childhood Development, Community Schools, Before & After School Programs, Summer Camp, Community Health, Food Access, Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Y, Workforce Development, College & Career Readiness, and Y Family Centers. He also oversees the Y’s partnerships, advocacy, learning and development, talent, and social responsibility initiatives.

Beyond the Y, Derryck is deeply engaged in the Baltimore community. He hosts an award-winning Sunday morning gospel show on WEAA-FM, Morgan State University’s NPR affiliate, and serves as an Associate Pastor at The Church of the Redeemed of the Lord. He also serves on several boards and coalitions for causes that strengthen families and communities. He and his wife are proud parents of four children.

In this conversation, Derryck talks about what it means to operationalize mission at scale and lead with purpose across complex systems. He opens up about the faith and obedience behind his leadership journey, the lessons learned from guiding a nonprofit through dissolution, and the importance of humility, clarity, and alignment in leadership.

We also unpack how the Y centers community voice, rethinks partnerships for equity, and balances growth with mission integrity. Derryck shares candid insights on managing large teams, navigating funding decisions, and building programs that truly reflect community needs.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, funder, or community partner, this episode offers hard-won wisdom on staying grounded in purpose while leading through transition and growth.

Listen now on Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations amplifying Black leadership, equity, and community impact.

This episode features Jania Massey, visionary founder & Executive Director of Stiletto Boss University (SBU), CEO of Huepact, and Program Director for the BLK Leadership Accelerator. Jania bridges business strategy and social good, equipping over 1,000 young women with entrepreneurship, mentorship, and leadership skills while advising organizations on community-centered programs, partnerships, and measurable impact.

Jania traces her path from healthcare consulting to youth development and capacity building, then breaks down what capacity really takes: clear goals, honest limits, consistent habits, and an equity lens. We get into leading with confidence, making smart pivots in a tight funding climate, and designing earned revenue and curriculum that solve real problems. She shares on-the-ground metrics and offers practical tools for building systems that support people without losing the mission.

If you’re an executive director, program lead, board member, or funder, you’ll leave with usable frameworks for strengthening teams, proving outcomes, and sustaining impact.

Listen now on Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations amplifying Black leadership, entrepreneurship, and community change.

This episode features Jay Nwachu, a purpose-driven leader working at the intersection of social entrepreneurship and impact investing to grow local economies and close the racial wealth gap. Shaped by a career in talent acquisition and a master’s in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Jay brings a people-first, research-informed lens to community development. As president & CEO of Innovation Works and founder of Ignite Capital, he designs systems that turn local talent into dignified work, sustainable businesses, and community wealth, without losing sight of the humans at the center.

Jay traces his journey from recruiting to entrepreneurship, unpacks the constant tension between “people and systems,” and explains how Baltimore’s future depends on place-based entrepreneurship, resilient revenue, and collaboration across neighborhoods. We dig into the metrics that matter: living-wage jobs, benefits, owner wealth, and community spend. Jay also shares tangible wins from Baltimore founders scaling childcare, food & beverage manufacturing, and more, and previews Ignite Capital’s next fund to prove that flexible, values-aligned capital can unlock bold growth without predatory tradeoffs.

Whether you’re a founder, funder, ecosystem builder, or nonprofit leader, this conversation delivers practical tools for centering equity in workforce pathways, designing community capital, and measuring impact that actually builds wealth where people live.

Listen now on Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations that amplify Black leadership, entrepreneurship, and sustainable community change.

This episode features Anike Neverdon Edmonds Coates, nonprofit leader, fund-development strategist, and Principal Consultant at AEC Consulting. Born in Santa Barbara and raised in Baltimore, Anike currently serves as Director of Development & Communications for Acterra — Action for a Healthy Planet, is the founder of AEC Consulting, and serves on the BLK ED Network Board. With 25+ years in fundraising, events, marketing, and communications, she’s led development work at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, Housing Opportunities Women, The HistoryMakers, and Huckleberry Youth Programs. Anike holds a BA from the University of Virginia, a JD from Columbia University, and is a 2014 Next Generation Leaders of Color Fellow.

Anike breaks down practical, mission-centered approaches to fundraising and governance: how to analyze your revenue “buckets,” prioritize resilient planning (shorter, flexible strategic windows), and choose the fundraising paths that actually fit your organization. She explains how to craft authentic storytelling and articulate your organization’s unique approach so funders and new donors can clearly see the difference you make. She also demystifies grant logic models and offers concrete advice for translating programs into fundable outcomes.

On board governance, Anike shows how to build boards that are manageable and strategic: start with the right size for your capacity, set clear roles and expectations, and give board members the tools and training they need to be effective partners in development and oversight. She also shares ways small teams can balance metric-driven reporting with the qualitative stories that demonstrate long-term impact.

Whether you’re a development director sharpening donor cultivation, a board chair strengthening governance, or an Executive Director planning for an uncertain funding landscape, Anike’s practical frameworks and real-world examples will help you shore up financial resilience and deepen program impact.

Tune in now on Spotify. Follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations that uplift Black nonprofit leaders, strategy, and systems change.

This episode features Henry W. Saxon, Managing Principal of Saxon Advisors LLC, a high‑performance strategy and implementation consultancy helping “brave” nonprofits deepen and scale their mission impact.

Drawing on 32 years at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, where he directed Major Metro Services, an $80 million portfolio spanning 110 Clubs and serving over 70,000 young people, Henry brings frontline expertise in mission alignment, governance optimization, operational effectiveness, talent management, and culture development. He joins us to share the moment he realized youth development was his calling, and how early experiences teaching middle schoolers the legislative process shaped his lifelong devotion to service.

Henry unpacks the “holistic approach” at Saxon Advisors: starting with a nonprofit’s social contract and mission fidelity, then strengthening its core pillars, governance, finance, talent, and operations, to drive sustainable growth. He offers real‑world insights on elevating board performance (from recruitment through engagement and fundraising), distinguishing outputs from outcomes, and deploying scenario planning to navigate uncertainty, from DEI pushback to funding turbulence.

Whether you’re reinforcing your governance structures, designing metrics to measure true impact, or charting a path from passion to consultancy, Henry’s disciplined yet people‑centered perspective will equip you to lead with strategic excellence, resilience, and integrity.

Tune in now on Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations that elevate Black nonprofit leadership, innovation, and lasting change.

This episode features Kieta Iriarte, founder of Bmore Empowered and Mpolo Business Solutions, a dynamic strategist whose work sits at the intersection of Black economic liberation and community self-determination.

With over 18 years in the nonprofit trenches, Kieta has redirected more than $300 million into Black-led, community-rooted initiatives, building the fiscal infrastructure that keeps resources firmly in Black hands. She joins us to unpack how to break free from dependency on traditional funders, design resilient revenue streams that withstand political shifts, and center Black-defined success over performative inclusion.

Along the way, she reflects on cultivating “Black Girl Brilliance” through entrepreneurship and mindfulness, the power of building coalitions over competition, and the nonnegotiable role of robust fiscal systems and transparent governance in safeguarding community resources. Whether you’re rethinking your funding mix, strengthening your board, or simply seeking inspiration for sustainable impact, Kieta’s insights will challenge and equip you to reclaim control and reshape systems from the inside out.

Tune in now on Spotify and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations that amplify Black nonprofit leadership, justice, and transformation.

This episode features Regina Salliey Cooper, MSW, founding principal of R. Salliey Philanthropic Advisors, a seasoned strategist and social worker whose guidance has strengthened leadership, resilience, and impact across nonprofits, philanthropies, and NGOs. Regina draws on decades of experience managing a $24 million public grants portfolio, co-creating international leadership exchanges for Black girls, and advising organizations on moving through complexity with clarity, equity, and intention.

In this conversation, Regina shares the pivotal moments that pushed her from a “cushy” secure role into entrepreneurship, revealing three core revelations: embracing discomfort as an invitation, boldly asking for what you need, and recognizing that you often already possess the seeds of your next step. We dive into what it really means to lead from the inside out, centering emotional awareness, authenticity, and purpose as essential tools for transformation. Regina unpacks how to move from planning to practice, offering practical guidance on navigating peaks and valleys, delegating effectively, and staying true to your core values even when financial pressures mount. She also explores why self-reflection and emotional intelligence are nonnegotiable for sustainable leadership, how to counter imposter syndrome, and what it looks like for Black women to cultivate presence and influence without hiding their truth.

This episode is packed with actionable insights and affirmations for Black leaders seeking to reimagine strategy, service, and leadership that lasts. Tune in now and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more powerful conversations at the intersection of leadership, justice, and transformation.

This episode features Candace Chance, Interim Executive Director of the Baltimore City Intergenerational Initiative for Trauma & Youth (BCIITY), a bold and visionary leader dedicated to advancing equity and empowering Black-led organizations. Under Candace’s leadership, BCIITY has distributed more than $3.5 million to over 60 grassroots organizations, supporting trauma-informed care and sustainable development across Baltimore. With a background in biology and cultural sustainability, Candace brings a unique lens to leadership, blending data, strategy, and community wisdom to drive impact.

In this conversation, Candace shares her journey from community-rooted advocacy to leading a high-impact nonprofit, reflecting on the challenges and opportunities facing Black-led organizations navigating today’s philanthropic landscape. She breaks down the dynamics of funding disparities, the emotional labor of “proving” impact, and how confidence, clarity, and authenticity can transform relationships with funders. Candace also dives into BCIITY’s data cooperative model, organizational capacity building, and her bold vision for community ownership, equity, and influence.

This episode is packed with practical insights, sharp truths, and affirmations for Black leaders working to create real change. Tune in now and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more conversations at the intersection of leadership, justice, and transformation.

This episode features Nico Sanders, President and CEO of Community Housing Associates, a nonprofit organization providing permanent supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and mental illness in Baltimore City. With over 25 years of experience in business, mental health, nonprofit leadership, and advocacy, Nico shares how his journey, from lobbying and compliance to executive leadership, shapes his approach to equity-centered housing solutions.

In this conversation, Nico discusses the intersection of housing and mental health, the funding challenges nonprofits are facing under the current political climate, and what it means to lead authentically as a Black man in a space historically dominated by white leadership. He opens up about imposter syndrome, servant leadership, and how collaboration—not competition—can help organizations survive and thrive. Nico also reflects on CHA’s success stories, his hopes for the future of housing, and how community-rooted solutions are essential for creating long-term impact.

This is an inspiring, honest, and timely episode you won’t want to miss. Tune in now and follow the Dear BLK ED Podcast for more powerful conversations with Black leaders driving change.

This episode features an enlightening conversation with Krystle Myers, Esq., founder of ElevEn Law Firm. A Baltimore native and legal powerhouse, Krystle shares her expertise in business law, intellectual property, and entertainment law, guiding entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and creatives on how to thrive while staying legally fortified.

In this special episode, Krystle discusses the importance of being proactive about legal needs to avoid costly challenges down the road. She offers insights on building strong legal foundations for nonprofits and small businesses, including key considerations for protecting intellectual property and navigating collaboration agreements. Krystle emphasizes how proper legal structures can empower leaders to focus on their missions while ensuring their organizations are sustainable and compliant.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in learning actionable strategies to safeguard their ventures and grow with confidence. Listen now on Spotify and gain valuable knowledge to elevate your organization!

This episode features an enlightening conversation with Dr. Tammira Lucas, founder of The Cube and co-founder of Moms As Entrepreneurs. Dr. Lucas shares her journey as a mother and entrepreneur, revealing her mission to empower women to pursue their dreams without compromising family commitments. From building spaces that support mothers in business to pioneering change in local communities, Dr. Lucas discusses the trials and triumphs she has faced and the lessons she has learned along the way.

In this episode, we explore her insights on navigating the balance between motherhood and business, establishing partnerships, and her strategies for building sustainable models in social entrepreneurship. Dr. Lucas also reflects on how her personal experiences as a Black woman have shaped her approach to leadership and mentorship.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in women’s empowerment, social innovation, and the unique challenges and rewards of leading in the nonprofit and entrepreneurial spaces.

This episode features an enlightening conversation with Dr. Franklin Lance, President and CEO of Parks and People Foundation, Inc., where he leads efforts to revitalize Baltimore's green spaces and foster community connections. Dr. Lance, a lifelong Baltimore resident and respected community leader, shares his journey of service as the first Black executive director at Parks and People, emphasizing the importance of authentic leadership, collaborative partnerships, and creating accessible green spaces for all Baltimore residents.

In this discussion, Dr. Lance also reflects on his dual role as a senior pastor and community leader, blending his faith with his commitment to social impact. He highlights the unique challenges and strategies for balancing these roles while driving meaningful change in Baltimore’s neighborhoods, as well as his approach to cultivating sustainable partnerships with funders and city organizations.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, urban development, and building inclusive communities. Tune in for insights on impactful strategies for nonprofit success and the power of staying true to one's mission. Don’t miss it!

This episode features an inspiring conversation with Dr. Heather Lamb Battick, Executive Director of Social & Economic Empowerment through Knowledge, Inc. (SEEK, Inc.), and author of How Not to Be a People Pleaser: 5 Action Steps to Using Your Voice Without Regret.

Dr. Lamb Battick discusses her journey as a leader in the nonprofit sector, focusing on her work in dismantling barriers and promoting inclusivity through education, social justice, and entrepreneurship. She shares the transformative impact of SEEK’s programs, which are designed to empower at-risk individuals by providing them with the tools they need for personal and professional growth.

This episode is a must-listen for those interested in leadership, social justice, and strategies for community empowerment. Tune in for key insights from Dr. Lamb Battick on fostering equity and creating opportunities for underserved communities. Don’t miss this powerful conversation!