We hear a lot about the ways nonprofits are preparing to cope with both new and perpetual challenges under the current Trump administration. Mary Beth Collins is the director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in this episode, she shares her birds-eye-view of the state. She brings her deep roots as a Wisconsinite, along with her personal experience as a teacher, an attorney, and as a nonprofit director, to this work. It’s both big-picture and action-oriented. Collins’ passion for working to help community-based organizations comes through in this conversation with co-hosts Jen Rubin and Jessica Becker. We get her take on how things are going, how Wisconsin looks from a national and global perspective, and what each of us can do to bolster civic health for our future. This conversation is a reality-check and a chance to choose a way forward.

Additional Links to check out:

→ Terry Collins is a proud Wisconsinite who raised his kids, including Mary Beth Collins, in La Crosse. In this Love Wisconsin story, meet the father of our interview subject from this episode and learn more about the Mississippi River valley community of La Crosse.

→ The Civic Health of Wisconsin initiative of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies is dedicated to strengthening current civic health efforts around Wisconsin and fostering more connected and engaged communities. Learn more here.

This episode of Human Powered was produced and edited by Chrissy Widmayer. All rights reserved.