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Blueprints for Belonging: Liz Gordon-Canlas on Care, Connection, and Leading Zora’s House
Manage episode 516939799 series 3689465
In this inspiring episode, Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder welcomes Liz Gordon-Canlas, Managing Director of Zora’s House, a vibrant hub for women and gender-expansive people of color in Columbus, Ohio, to discuss how disruption can mean building radically different spaces rooted in care, connection, and collective courage. Drawing on her transformative journey through higher education, nonprofit leadership, and personal advocacy as a transracial adoptee and community builder, Liz shares her vision for equity, belonging, and economic empowerment. Through programs like the Leadership Fellows and Wealth Builders, she is redefining what thriving looks like and challenging limiting narratives about women of color, proving that when we invest in dreaming, policy, and solidarity, we don’t just survive, we create a blueprint for the future.
- Season focus on disruption and reimagining change
- DLE program takeaways and Black professional cohort impact
- Origin story from residence life to governance fluency
- Mentorship from Black leaders shaping career pivots
- Pandemic-era shift and readiness for new work
- Building Zora’s House and the $6.3M campaign
- Programs including Leadership Fellows and Wealth Builders
- Regenerative economics and keeping talent in Columbus
- Boundary-setting as a launchpad, not social service
- Internal blueprint for centering Black women at work
- Visions for policy, community, and the next decade
🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder.
🔗 Follow the Center for DEI Innovation and Leadership on LinkedIn.
🌎Visit Oberlin College's website.
Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group
Chapters
1. Blueprints for Belonging: Liz Gordon-Canlas on Care, Connection, and Leading Zora’s House (00:00:00)
2. Season Theme: Disruption (00:00:01)
3. Meet Liz And Her Mission (00:00:14)
4. EDLE Program: Why It Mattered (00:00:53)
5. Transformative Learning And Community (00:03:03)
6. Origin Story: From Theater To Housing (00:05:05)
7. Mentors Who Open Doors (00:07:11)
8. Policy, Governance, And Purpose (00:09:03)
9. Pivot To Small College Leadership (00:10:35)
10. Pandemic Years And Readiness To Shift (00:11:59)
11. Finding Zora’s House And The Fit (00:13:36)
12. Building A 10,000 Sq Ft Home (00:15:18)
13. Community Backing And Black-Led Partners (00:17:01)
14. Programs That Spark Wealth And Leadership (00:18:15)
15. Funding Realities And Solidarity (00:20:22)
16. Disrupting Survival-Only Narratives (00:21:21)
17. Rapid Fire: Joy, Worry, Future (00:23:01)
18. Closing Reflection On Building Differently (00:25:21)
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