Welcome to Operations Unfiltered, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of influencer and talent management. I'm your host, Zaina. Today's episode is a little different because I'm giving you a front row seat to my personal journey. Journal entry style. Yes. I'm bringing you inside my thoughts, my experiences, and my occasional overthinking because let's be real, I tend to do that a lot. So let's set the scene.
I have officially embarked on week one of a six week board member pipeline leadership program with the associated Black Charities organization here in Baltimore. And honestly, this has been on my vision board for years. For those of you who are unfamiliar Associated Black Charities was founded in 1985 as a way to represent and respond to issues impacting Maryland's black communities. It started with a $100,000 planning grant from the United Way since its establishment in 1985.
Associated Black Charities has been instrumental in advocating for black people. They do this through five focus areas, education, support, resources, advocacy, and engagement. Some of their premier initiatives include the A, B, C, gala support in the workplace and their board pipeline leadership development training program, which is what I'm in. Now I've always heard about the prestige of being on a board of directors. Like how many times have you heard someone say, oh, I know Joe Schmo.
We sat on the board together. Honestly, in my mind, it's basically like corporate America's version of, we go way back. But here's the thing, when I looked around at who was actually on these boards, it was a sea of older white men. And don't get me wrong, I have learned so much from white men who have supported me in my career, but be very clear, I have never had one actively sponsor me in a corporate setting. And that distinction truly matters. So let's rewind. Picture this.
It is 2016 and your girl just graduated from the Stevenson University with a bachelor's degree in business Communication. And I just started my first big girl job at a major insurance company here in Baltimore. I went through a tumultuous time figuring out how to navigate the corporate side of things, understanding the corporate nuance, if you know, you know, girl.
And one day I found out that my department's vice president, who was a woman of color that I truly admired, she was a member of several boards. I spent some time getting to know her, her assistant, just trying to get the lay of the land to understand how she had time to do all of those things. And honestly, that's when the light bulb moment happened for me. Board member service wasn't just about prestige, it was truly about impact. Representation, sparking change.
And if you're from Baltimore, you know this city thrives on connections. Honestly, they don't call it Baltimore for nothing. For me, I literally run into people I went to elementary school with, like I'm talking about fourth graders. So this is a city where board service can really open doors. But here's where my overachiever tendencies kick in, because once I realized I needed experience to even get on a board the perfectionist in me panicked.
One year turned into two, then covid hit, then I had a baby. Then life was lifeing, and suddenly my ambitions shift, but something in me changed. Maybe it was my incessant replays of the Wicked soundtrack. Maybe it was Divine Timing, but in January, 2025, I finally did it. I applied for the Associated Black Charities Board Pipeline program and y'all, this program is different. They are equipping black professionals with the tools to serve on nonprofit boards, not just a seat at the table.
Real knowledge, real strategy, real impact. Now, like I said, this is week one and my nerves are real. They were so bad. I've been working remotely for three years and let's just say social interactions can feel a little bit awkward for me. And to top it off, I am the most introverted extrovert you will ever meet. When I first got to the meeting, we started off with some icebreakers, which immediately gave me flashbacks to RA training. If you are an RA at Stevenson, you know, but go Mustangs.
But honestly, I walked in with zero expectations and immediately I was hit with some serious inspiration. Our first meeting was with Chrissy Thornton, the president and CEO of associated Black Charities. And you know when you meet somebody that just commands the room, that was her. The moment she started speaking, I was like, oh, okay. I need to be in the room with her. I need to shake her hand. I need to add her on LinkedIn immediately. But more than that week one, it kind of felt like.
Syllabus day in college, like you're getting the lay of the land, but also hitting us with some harsh facts and realities. Like honestly, the lack of black representation in board service is really staggering. And while we didn't really get into the mechanics just yet, which kind of gave me anxiety because the project manager and me was looking for action items, we focused on the why, the mission, and that hit different.
After week one, I kind of sat down, digested everything, looked at my notes, and I wrote a list of social causes that really inspire me. And y'all, that list was long. I'm talking things like cannabis reform, equity, and access to cannabis ownership. Financial literacy beyond kids, because the middle class needs that education too. The insane black maternal mortality rate, food insecurity, housing insecurity. But one issue that really stood out to me. And it might sound crazy.
Social media equity as a project manager, a talent booking agent, a marketing project manager. And let's be real. I'm truly just a girly, trying to be the modern day Olivia Pope. I have seen how much black content creators are undervalued, underpaid, and overlook. Honestly, the transparency just isn't there. And on top of that, we need social media literacy. Kids are jumping on these platforms so young and it's impacting their mental health in ways that we don't even fully understand yet.
And then there's the elephant in the room, NIL, name, image, and likeness. A whole new world, a whole new frontier that parents and young athletes need to understand. Honestly, we could be creating generational wealth from our iPhones, but we not ready for that conversation yet. Whew Chow. If week one was this eyeopening, I cannot wait for what's next. I'm truly excited for this journey, and I'm excited about the impact that I'm gonna be able to make in Baltimore and beyond.
And of course, you know, I'm gonna be bringing you guys along for the journey. So what do you think, have you ever considered serving on a board? What causes fire you up? Is it cannabis reform? Is it the insane black maternal mortality rate? Food insecurity? Let me know. Let's talk about it. But until then, keep making an impact and I'll catch up with you guys next time. Thanks for tuning in.