As Season 2 of Our WellSpring comes to a close, join us for a powerful recap celebrating the leaders we spoke with and their dynamic, often uncertain, but deeply important moments of change. We're grateful to all our guests who shared the diversity and complexity of their work and leadership learnings. This season began with Krista Tippett on redefining vocation, navigating an "in-between era," and practicing deep listening and curiosity for authentic connection and healing. We heard from Rodney McKenzie Jr. on bringing soulfulness into professional spaces, the necessity of inner healing for collective work, and the power of unshakeable hope rooted in his personal history. Markita Morris-Louis, Esq. explored her commitment to ending asset poverty, rooting her leadership in the Great Migration, and modeling sustainable engagement over burnout. Peter Gonzales, Esq. shared lessons on leadership transition, the art of reinventing oneself, and the critical importance of board governance and organizational maturity cycles. Finally, we gained insights from Rachel Lopez on participatory law scholarship, lending authorship credibility to those impacted by legal systems, and her continuous fight to elevate underrepresented voices. 

In this moving episode of Our WellSpring, we sit with Rodney McKenzie Jr.—faith leader, organizer, and Vice President of Strategic Development at Freedom Together Foundation—to explore how love, hope, and spirit can shape the way we lead, fund, and build community.

Rodney shares how his upbringing taught him the enduring power of hope and instilled a deep calling to honor the people often made invisible. His work in philanthropy invites us to fundraise and lead not just with strategy, but with values rooted in faith, soulfulness, and care.

With wisdom and vulnerability, he reflects on what it means to bring the spirit of our ancestors and loved ones into the rooms we occupy—to design businesses and missions that remember the who and why at their core. We talk about the urgency culture that plagues our systems, the invitation to slow down, and how healing journeys—personal and collective—can become the foundation for social change. This episode is an offering for anyone seeking to reconnect to the heart of their work and lead from a place of wholeness.

Guest/s 

Rodney McKenzie Jr., Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Rodney is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Freedom Together Foundation, where he forges bold, values-driven alliances with philanthropic leaders, grassroots organizers, and institutional partners to advance a shared vision of liberation, justice, and belonging. With more than two decades of experience at the nexus of movement building, philanthropy, and spiritual leadership, Rodney is guided by the belief that partnerships rooted in trust, love, and integrity are essential to lasting systemic change. Before joining Freedom Together, Rodney served as Vice President of Ally Development at the Fetzer Institute, where he nurtured transformative relationships with donors and funders committed to the role of faith and spirituality in social change. His leadership journey includes senior roles at Demos, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and Resource Generation—each grounded in the work of deepening democracy, challenging injustice, and building political and spiritual homes for those on the margins. An ordained minister and out person of faith, Rodney’s work is a powerful weaving of radical spirituality, strategic action, and moral imagination. He holds a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and began his path as a community organizer in Dallas, Texas

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Rachel shares her unexpected journey into the legal academy, her early awakening to global injustice, and her belief that the law becomes most powerful when informed by diverse vantage points—including those with lived experience of legal systems’ failures.

She introduces us to Participatory Law Scholarship (PLS), a groundbreaking approach that centers the voices of those without formal legal training but with profound expertise in the law’s inequities. Through her work, Rachel is not only reframing who is seen as a legal thinker but also advocating for a more compassionate and just legal system—one that recognizes people’s capacity for change and affirms the right to redemption.

This conversation invites us to expand our definition of scholarship, leadership, and justice—and to imagine a future where the law reflects both accountability and humanity.

Guest/s
Rachel López is the James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple Law. She has also held visiting fellowships at research institutions around the world, including at the Harvard Kennedy School, Yale Law School, University of Cambridge, Princeton University, and the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, and been a Fulbright Scholar in Guatemala and Spain.

She is a recognized expert in criminal law, human rights law, and public international law. She is a Special Advisor of the Latin American and Caribbean Law Council for the American Bar Association. From 2015 to 2019, she served as a Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission, as an appointee of then Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Professor López recently joined leading human rights experts as a co-author of the first law school textbook focused on domestic human rights in the United States. 

Her most recent research critically examines the carceral state from a human rights perspective.She is also pioneering a new genre of legal scholarship called Participatory Law Scholarship (PLS), which is written in collaboration with authors who have no formal legal training, but rather expertise in law’s injustice through lived experience. One of these works, Redeeming Justice, was awarded the 2022 Law and Society Association Article Prize. In 2024, the Virginia Law Review selected PLS as the theme of their Sixth Annual Symposium.

Our WellSpring Host
Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

How to connect with us
Spring Point Partners 

The discussion sheds light on  the importance of initiating transition processes–both organizational and personal– early on, and how genuine collaboration with board members and staff can forge a stronger, more resilient outcome.  

Whether you're embarking on a personal career shift or guiding your organization through a period of evolution, Peter's wisdom offers practical strategies for embracing change, fostering innovation, ensuring organizational and personal well-being, and ultimately, helping individuals and institutions flourish.

Guest/s
Peter Gonzales, Esq. is a social entrepreneur, attorney, and strategic consultant with more than 30 years of professional experience in the nonprofit, public and private sectors in the U.S. and abroad. He believes in the power of people from diverse backgrounds coming together to share their skills, knowledge, and networks to achieve equitable growth.

After serving as President and CEO of the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians from 2012 to 2023, Peter partnered with Dafan Zhang to launch ShopPhilly, a hyperlocal, community-based, eCommerce platform that enables business owners to

increase sales and participate in the economic growth of the city, regardless of their location, language proficiency, or digital literacy.

In addition to launching ShopPhilly, most recently Peter helped develop a strategic plan for the Greater Cleveland Area to grow their economy by attracting and retaining more immigrants, refugees and secondary migrants. He also helped launch AccessoCare, a for-profit workforce development initiative designed to improve immigrant integration into healthcare jobs, and he taught an Intro to the U.S. Legal System course for foreign- trained lawyers at his alma mater, Temple University Law School.

Peter is board chair of The Merchants Fund, a 170-year-old charitable organization that provides grants and technical assistance to small businesses in underserved communities in Philadelphia. He is also a founding board member of Greenline Access Capital, which specializes in character-based micro-lending to BIPOC and immigrant- owned businesses.

Our WellSpring Host
Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

Resource List

• AccessoCare
• The Welcoming Center 
• shopphilly.com 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

As she navigates a fundamental transition within her organization, Markita shares insights on the importance of proximity—staying close to the communities we serve—and the readiness required to embrace new opportunities when the timing is right. She discusses the role of intuition and discernment as essential leadership competencies, unpacking how self-trust influences decision-making at every level.

A remarkable leader, strategist and storyteller, Markita offers a powerful perspective on modeling the behaviors we expect from our teams and leading with authenticity. Whether you're a leader or board member in transition, a champion for economic justice, or someone seeking to deepen your leadership practice, this conversation will leave you inspired to listen to and lean on the voice of your own intuition, embrace change, and lead with purpose.

Tune in for a conversation about transformational leadership, self-trust, and the power of being in the right place at the right time when you are optimally prepared.

Guest/s
Markita Morris-Louis, Esq., proudly serves as Chief Executive Officer for Compass Working Capital, a national nonprofit engaging in policy advocacy, direct service, and capacity building to end asset poverty for families with low-incomes and to narrow the racial and gender wealth divides. Markita leads a dynamic team that reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the families Compass serves. Her leadership is focused on centering equity in every aspect of Compass’ work, leveraging asset building as a pathway out of poverty, and amplifying the voices of those Compass serves to shift narratives about communities experiencing poverty and financial challenge. Prior to becoming CEO, Markita was Compass’ founding Chief Strategy Officer, leading the organization’s national strategy for scale and impact.

Before Compass, Markita served as Interim Executive Director of the Arts + Business Council for Greater Philadelphia where she brought a data and outcomes-driven framework to the organization’s work connecting Philadelphia’s business and arts communities to grow the region’s creative economy.

Markita gained significant financial capability experience while serving as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Clarifi, a nonprofit housing and financial counseling agency. At Clarifi, Markita led a team of financial and housing counselors serving 15,000 clients annually and built and managed multiple strategic alliances and partnerships.

Before Clarifi, Markita spent a dozen years in roles related to real estate law, impact litigation and community development, including several years advocating for fair lending, housing and employment practices and supporting affordable housing transactions.

Our WellSpring Host
Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

Resource List

• Poetry by Langston Hughes
• Fear - Kahlil Gibran
• Home - Compass Working Capital

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Krista helps us navigate the tension of living in an “in-between” era, reflecting on what’s broken, what’s worth rebuilding, and how listening—truly listening—can create spaces for healing and connection. She also reminds us to  flex the moral muscle of curiosity, daring us to hope for surprise, even when we are stretched apart by fear or division. 

With insights into biomimicry and the wisdom of the natural world, this two part discussion invites us to rethink what it means to live with intention, courage, and hope and to occupy the untapped spaces where difference meets understanding. 

Join us as we redefine vocation, embrace curiosity, and imagine new ways to care for and stabilize each other at a time of constant shifts, change, and opportunity.. 

Guest/s
Krista Tippett is a Peabody-award winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author. She created and hosts On Being, which has won the highest honors in broadcast, Internet and podcasting. She leads The On Being Project, which produces a second successful podcast, Poetry Unbound, and is evolving to meet the callings of the post-2020 world.

Emergent in 2024 is the Lab for the Art of Living, alongside gatherings and “quiet conversations” to accompany the generative people and possibilities within this tender, tumultuous time to be alive. Krista grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, attended Brown University, worked as a young journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin, and later received a Master of Divinity from Yale. Her books are Speaking of Faith, Einstein’s God and, most recently, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.

Our WellSpring Host
Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

Resource List

• Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard

How to connect with us 

Spring Point Partners 

Krista helps us navigate the tension of living in an “in-between” era, reflecting on what’s broken, what’s worth rebuilding, and how listening—truly listening—can create spaces for healing and connection. She also reminds us to  flex the moral muscle of curiosity, daring us to hope for surprise, even when we are stretched apart by fear or division. 

With insights into biomimicry and the wisdom of the natural world, this two part discussion invites us to rethink what it means to live with intention, courage, and hope and to occupy the untapped spaces where difference meets understanding. 

Join us as we redefine vocation, embrace curiosity, and imagine new ways to care for and stabilize each other at a time of constant shifts, change, and opportunity.. 

Guest/s
Krista Tippett is a Peabody-award winning broadcaster, National Humanities Medalist, and New York Times bestselling author. She created and hosts On Being, which has won the highest honors in broadcast, Internet and podcasting. She leads The On Being Project, which produces a second successful podcast, Poetry Unbound, and is evolving to meet the callings of the post-2020 world.

Emergent in 2024 is the Lab for the Art of Living, alongside gatherings and “quiet conversations” to accompany the generative people and possibilities within this tender, tumultuous time to be alive. Krista grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, attended Brown University, worked as a young journalist and diplomat in Cold War Berlin, and later received a Master of Divinity from Yale. Her books are Speaking of Faith, Einstein’s God and, most recently, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.

Our WellSpring Host
Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization's external communications and  learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that inclusion, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; but always, we are students. 

Resource List

• Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard

How to connect with us 

Spring Point Partners 

In this season as the world continues to shift as, as policies evolve or devolve, and as we get stretched, divided, and sometimes separated, we're taking a deeper dive into the mindset needed to navigate change, and to stay connected to what matters most. We will lift the prompt: "In this moment, I...", to hear from diverse leaders across many organizations, sectors and social impact areas, as they talk about the reflections, vulnerabilities, and visions for a more thoughtful, just, and inclusive collective future. 

The responses reveal the interconnectedness of our work, wellbeing, and impact and how they are navigating new landscapes, re-imagining their roles and authoring new narratives that can better serve us. Join us as we learn from their bold and inspiring insights. 

Our Guests

Alicia Smith is a proud native of Detroit, Michigan, and mother of three. She and her family currently reside in Toledo, Ohio, where Alicia serves as the Executive Director for Junction Coalition. She lives, works, and enjoys the Junction community’s natural social environment with  neighbors, friends, family, and visitors. Alicia’s passion flows from her belief that all citizens need information to thrive. As such, she works to build the capacity of each family. She believes that Justice work is not limited to the Environment but touches on issues of Social and Economic Justice with the goal of promoting Peace, Public Health and a better quality of life for all citizens. To reach these goals in the community, the Junction Coalition created the Junction Neighborhood Master Plan in 2018, the first of its kind since 1968.

In 2020, Alicia was awarded the UWLN Environmental Justice and Equity Expert Award. For the past year, she’s also been an invaluable member of the UWLN Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Collaborative, hosting the Community Wealth Building as an Anti Displacement Strategy Peer Call in April 2021.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.

Takeaways:

• Public deliberation and discourse are part of democracy.
• If you want to fix something, find those spaces and people who are most tattered and harmed. When you prioritize and address their needs, you address the whole.
• Pay attention to the children and the elders. The coming into life and the going out of life. Pay attention. Pay attention to the beginning and the end. It makes a difference for the middle.

*Episode Notes: Alicia's mentor is Fania Davis. Also, when Alicia referenced conversations with community members, she was referring to Ms. Bush and a 96-year-old woman who supported her along her journey. 

Resources:

• “Today, I believe there is nothing more subversive than helping to midwife a new evolutionary shift of the human species into an era where we will no longer be entranced with socioeconomic formations and ways of being and thinking that produce disconnection, domination, and devastation. Instead, we can be present upon the Earth in ways that bring healing, wholeness, and a sense of the sacred in our connection with one another and with all of creation." - Fania E. Davis (quote)
• Young Sheldon (TV)
• I Am Enough by Grace Byers (book)
• Dr. Imani Michelle Scott (scholar and consultant)
• Joel Spring (author)
• Frankie Beverly (music)
• Indie Arie (music)
• King George (music) 

Guest/s

Kersy Azocar is the President and CEO of Greenline Access Capital, a mission-driven nonprofit financial institution that works to address the continued and persistent gap in access to capital for financially underserved people by providing customized lending products and services.

Greenline has served more than 250 people and has helped over 48 clients connect with $5.3 Million in Grants and Loans, including 23 Loans from Greenline’s funds.

Prior to joining Greenline, Kersy worked for 13 years at a Philadelphia-based Community Financial Development Institution (CDFI) where she managed a microlending department with a national scope leading the organization to become the #1 SBA microlender in the region and top

10 in the nation for over 7 years. In 2021, Kersy was the Project Manager of the Pennsylvania COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP), a $17 Million dollar grant program created by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support businesses in the hospitality industry. The program was managed by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC).

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Kersy prides herself on being able to address the needs of emerging and existing entrepreneurs providing a hands-on approach rarely encountered in the industry. She is nationally recognized, and able to leverage her expertise in the microlending and financial industries.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.

Takeaways:

• Our relationship with leadership is fluid and often evolves over time.
• When designing our work and approaches for those we aim to serve, it is important to consider demographics, cultural norms and needs, and identity. 
• We should know our value and understand the importance of exercising agency. 
• Some of us are trained to simply do our work and let it speak for itself, but often, if we don’t ask for what we want, we may not get what we deserve. 
• We ought to examine and reflect on the impact of  love as a leadership competency.

Resources:

• Greenline Access Capital 
• SBA 
• Pew Foundation - 75 years in Philadelphia
  
  

Takeaways:

• Having the same expectations for everyone doesn’t work

• We have to heal ourselves and our homes in order to begin to heal our communities

• Showing up for ourselves is critically important

• Mentorship, no matter one’s role or title,  is a strong signal to young people that the adults in their schools, communities, and lives are all invested and care

Resources:

• Philly Youth Make A Change (nonprofit organization)
• Jhene Aiko (music) 
• Mindfulness Apps - Chill – Mindfulness Reminders, Headspace, Calm (app)
• YouthBuild Philly – youthbuild (YouthBuild Philadelphia’s site)

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Guest/s

Le’Yondo Dunn is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School. His passion for working in education stemmed from his own experiences, which mirror many students attending YouthBuild. He firmly believes that all students should have access to a high-quality education and educators who believe endlessly in their potential regardless of their zip codes.

His excitement about leading YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School arises from its inspiring mission and the opportunities it provides young adults. The school's commitment to fostering an environment of love, support, and respect for the whole person deeply resonates with him. By empowering students with vital skills and connecting them to opportunities, YouthBuild equips them to graduate high school successfully and transition to college and career paths as critically conscious leaders devoted to positive change for themselves and their communities.

Before assuming the role of CEO at YouthBuild, Le’Yondo made significant contributions to the field of education during his time as the principal at Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia. There, he spearheaded an impactful anti-gun violence initiative, leading to its subsequent adoption by the entire Mastery Charter system, implemented across all secondary schools. For the first time since 2012, Le’Yondo successfully united Gratz as a comprehensive 9-12 high school under one leadership team, bringing improved educational opportunities. He also launched Career and Technical Education programming to ensure students have multiple pathway options when transitioning to their postsecondary paths. Prior, he worked as a school administrator in several other large, high-performing charter management organizations. Le’Yondo's dedication to education advocacy began in Southeast Louisiana, his home state, where he first recognized the power of education to create positive change. He also played a crucial role in supporting the founding of one of the first charter schools in the state of Washington, where he witnessed the transformative potential of alternative education models. Mr. Dunn attended the University of New Orleans and St. Joseph’s University. Le’Yondo resides in Germantown with his wife, who is also an educator, and son.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.

Key Takeaways 

• Education is a tool to liberate young people. 

• Representation matters. We can’t leave things to a matter of luck - luck is not equitable and must be taken out of the equation.

• We have to slow down, practice understanding and empathy  and be willing to both learn and push our thinking and views. 

• As leaders, it’s not our role to only make change. We must also sustain change. 

Resource List

• Self-Care for Black Men: 100 Ways to Heal and Liberate by Jor-El Caraballo (Book)
• The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming Their Power by Courtney B. Vance and Robin L. Smith (Book)
• Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones (Book)
• I Love Neo-Soul (Spotify Playlist) 
• YouthBuild Philly – youthbuild 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Guest

Bob Nardo is founding executive director of Libertas School of Memphis, the first Montessori neighborhood turnaround and charter school in Tennessee, and Arete Memphis Public Montessori Residency, the nation’s first dual-licensure urban teacher residency. Bob previously served as COO of the Tennessee Achievement School District, of KIPP Newark, and a similar role at the Noble Network of Charter Schools in Chicago. Bob has taught band, choir, philosophy, and Latin. Bob earned a BA from American University, MA from the University of Chicago, and a postgraduate diploma in character education from the University of Birmingham (UK). Bob, his wife Sara (a homeschool educator), and their five children live on a small homestead near Memphis.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As theorganization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.

Key Takeaways 

• It's important to say and share the “hard” things whenever we can. Our voice is a valuable tool—as is the time we have at our disposal to use it. Both should be leveraged.

• Pay attention to what children are saying; their observations, feedback and ideas are about what they need and not about what adults prescribe their needs to be. 

• By giving children meaningful work to do and freedom of movement in the environment, you eradicate willpower battles and empower them with a sense of contribution. 

Resource List

• Culturally Responsive Curriculum (Libertas) 
• Omni Americans by Albert Murray (Book) 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Guest/s

Dr. Candace Croney is the Associate Vice-Provost for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Director of Purdue University’s Center for Animal Welfare Science, and professor of animal behavior and well-being in the departments of Comparative Pathobiology and Animal Sciences.  

Dr. Croney earned her PhD in animal sciences from Penn State University. Before joining Purdue University, she conducted postdoctoral studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, was Assistant Director of Conservation Education at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, and held faculty appointments in animal behavior and bioethics in the Animal Sciences Department at Oregon State University and in Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University.

Her research focuses on: developing and applying non-invasive metrics of welfare in agricultural and companion animals; understanding effects of rearing environments and management on animal behavior, health, and welfare; public perceptions of animal agriculture and welfare; bioethics-science interfaces in animal care and welfare policy, practice, and public communications. She recently translated her collaborative research on canine welfare to create a unique voluntary national certification program, TM Canine Care Certified, that sets rigorous standards for the care and welfare of dogs in breeding kennels. Her work has been featured in national and international broadcast programs by outlets such as Animal Planet, National Geographic, and the British Broadcasting Corporation.  

She serves as scientific advisor on animal welfare to numerous groups, including the American Humane Association, Tyson Foods, Fairlife, and Bob Evans Farms.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As theorganization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity,human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.

Key Takeaways 

• Try to suspend judgment and lean into learning cultural contexts in order to arrive at optimal, animal welfare work. 

• We must be truth tellers. We can’t do good work in ethics without being honest. 

• Biases are part of the human condition. Understanding them and working through them is part of our responsibility. 

• In centering for animals, don’t view people as part of the problem but rather prospective partners in sustainable problem solving

Resource List 

• Some We Eat, Some We Love, Some We Hate by  Hal Herzog (book) 
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (book) 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Guest/s

Jessica Berwind, Director, Spring Point Partners 

In her various roles across the multinational multi-sector Berwind Group of Companies, Jessica Berwind operates at the intersection of learning, art, and business. In 2017, she joined her siblings in conceptualizing and leading the establishment of Spring Point Partners, a growing Philadelphia-based social impact organization that invests in the transformative leaders, networks, and solutions that power community change. Through Spring Point, the Berwinds are advancing their family’s entrepreneurial legacy to center equity and achieve justice. As a director of the organization, Jessica focuses on the intersection of human-centered learning, community, and equity through ember. Jessica worked as an art dealer for almost 10 years and owned and operated a contemporary art gallery in Philadelphia. A practicing metalsmith, she has been producing gold and silver jewelry since the 1970s. She is also a proud mother. 

Joanna Berwind, Director, Spring Point Partners 

In her various roles across the multinational multi-sector Berwind Group of Companies, Joanna Berwind operates at the intersection of business, impact, social work, and youth development. She has contributed to the growth and vision of the fifth-generation family-owned investment management company, Berwind Corporation, for more than 20 years through positions in corporate development, marketing, and sales. In 2017, she joined her siblings in conceptualizing and leading the establishment of Spring Point Partners, a growing Philadelphia-based social impact organization that invests in the transformational leaders, networks, and solutions that power community change. Through Spring Point, the Berwinds are advancing their family’s entrepreneurial legacy to center equity and achieve justice. As a director of the organization, Joanna oversees strategy for Spring Point’s strengths-based youth development portfolio, The Hive, which amplifies voice, choice and opportunity for young people.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.  

Key Takeaways 

• Elevator pitches don’t always work - you need to speak from possibility and from the heart. 
• Why listening to the connection between our bodies and minds can serve as the spark to ignite change. 
• Mistakes are not a tragedy. Mistakes are part of how you get from point A to point B. Nobody knows how to get from point A to point B unless they've already done it a thousand times.

Resource List 

• The On Being Project: Mary Oliver — Listening to the World (audio interview)
• In Other Words: A Memoir by Jhumpa Lahiri (book)
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (book)
• Yo-Yo Ma — Bach Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor Prelude (YouTube video) 
• The Creative ACT: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin (book)

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

Guest/s

Catherine Murphy, President & Senior Advisor to the Berwind Family

As president and senior advisor to the Berwind Family, Catherine Murphy brings a commitment to service and innovative leadership acumen to Spring Point Partners. Since joining the Berwind Corporation 17 years ago and helping the owners build their family office, she has pioneered efforts to create and bolster social value through impact investments and grantmaking. Through SPP, she continues to support stakeholders while ensuring continued innovation. She is a mother of three with a passion for children, animals, and the outdoors.

Our WellSpring Host

Uva Coles, Chief Learning Officer

Uva Coles serves as Chief Learning Officer for Spring Point Partners. As the organization’s external learning steward, Uva’s leadership ensures that equity, human-centered leadership, and narrative change are woven through every aspect of SPP’s partner-based learning deliveries. A writer, speaker, inclusive organizational strategist, and lifelong learner, Uva believes every room we step into is a classroom. Sometimes we are teachers; sometimes we are students. Our best learning happens, she believes, when we can be both.  

Key Takeaways 

• The importance of humility, grace, and finding the joy in making mistakes while on the journey of becoming a leader. 
• Trust, learning, and trying new things are values that sit at the center of the work being done at Spring Point Partners.
• One can get lost at sea without core values and tying every part of your work to represent those values - allows the work to stay centered. 

How to connect with us 

• Spring Point Partners 

In Season 1, we’ll be exploring leadership origin stories that impact what we do and how we do it. We’ll shed light on the source of something beautiful - human-centered leadership. This season we will hear from emerging and established voices in social impact who will speak candidly about their work, their leadership lens, and what they are learning and unlearning about themselves. Our highest aspiration? To share stories with you that inspire and seed the ground for community-driven impact and narrative change.