ALF's The Dialogue

In 2016 a group of non-profit CEOs came together to explore how to put equity at the center of their organizations and how to navigate the sometimes challenging conversations that accompany significant cultural change. ALF was invited in to facilitate this CEO Diversity Inclusion Equity Liberation affinity group, whose journey has been transformative for the members and their organizations. Joining host Suzanne St. John-Crane is the group's founding members, Senior Fellows Shiloh Ballard Executive Director of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Poncho Guevara Executive Director of Sacred Heart Community Service, and Chris Wilder CEO of the Valley Medical Center Foundation. Each graciously shares their origin story, impact to date, and their hopes for scaling what they've learned.

In the past few years, Silicon Valley’s economy has reached new levels of employment, income, innovation, and investments as major companies are fundamentally altering the character and evolution of innovation in the region. While there are certainly many positives attributed to this boom, we cannot ignore its attributed problems and the disparity it has created. Established in 1993, Joint Venture brings together Silicon Valley’s established and emerging leaders from different sectors to have focus on issues and work toward innovative solutions. Russ Hancock (Class XX), President and CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley shares with us his thoughts and observations of Silicon Valley; the changes that this valley has seen through the past few decades, the ups-downs, the innovations in tech and other sectors, and possible solutions to this growing disparity we are experiencing.

From an early age, ALF Senior Fellow Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins (Class XVI) has taken on leadership roles that catapulted her to the center of creating a more just, equitable and inclusive world. Her eclectic career path has lead her to running the South Bay Labor Council - representing more than 110,000 union members, to expanding universal healthcare for kids, engaging negatively impacted communities in environmental justice policies, to working with pop sensation Prince in reclaiming ownership of his music catalog. Her latest venture, Promise, is a "decarceration" startup that uses technology to reduce recidivism, minimize costs and promote public safety.

In November of 2018, ALF Silicon Valley hosted Leading with Purpose, a live event featuring Ellen Grace O’Brian, Author and Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, and Ela Gandhi, Founder of the Gandhi Development Trust in South Africa. Ellen and Ela were joined by surprise special guest Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farmworkers Movement and renowned nonviolence leader in her own right. The three women had never met before, and we at ALF couldn’t resist the opportunity to host an impromptu dialogue facilitated by Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese (ALF Class XXXIII), on what keeps them leading with purpose in tireless pursuit of a non-violent world.

In November of 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved a $950 Million affordable housing bond projected to fund 120 new affordable housing developments over ten years, including 4800 new units for extremely low income and very low income individuals. In October of 2018, Supervisor Cindy Chavez (Class XII) – an architect of Measure A - and San Jose City Councilman Raul Peralez (Class XXXI) spoke with ALF CEO Suzanne St. John-Crane at a San Jose Rotary Club meeting about Measure A funded developments in progress, in the pipeline, or struggling to get through a sometimes contentious public process.