Episodes

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... When most of us think about high school, we think about teenagers. Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools is challenging that assumption by providing public high school education to adults 22 and older who are ready for another opportunity. My guest is Jonathan Raymond, CEO and Executive Director of Highlands Charter Schools and a familiar name in Sacramento education. The average Highlands student is over...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... The 2026 Philanthropy Summit is officially sold out, with more than 600 people expected at Cal Expo on September 15. I’m joined again by Kelly Siefkin, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, for one final update before the big day. We talk about what attendees can expect, from the keynote and breakout sessions to networking, celebration, parking, food and some practical advice for m...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... I thought I knew Fairytale Town. I didn’t. Like a lot of people who have spent years in Sacramento, I knew the familiar storybook park in William Land Park. The slides, the play structures, the animals and generations of families who have grown up visiting it. What I didn’t fully appreciate was everything happening behind those gates. My guest is Fairytale Town Executive Director Kevin Smith-Fagan, and we explore why...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Sacramento Venture Philanthropy’s Fast Pitch is back for its 11th year—and it’s going to be bigger than ever. I’m joined by SVP Chief Operating Officer Drew Hayes to reveal the 16 nonprofits selected for the 2026 Fast Pitch cohort and take a closer look at what happens before anyone ever steps onto the stage. From nearly 100 applicants to intensive coaching, workshops and pitch development, Fast Pitch is designed to ...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Sacramento Splash has spent 27 years connecting children with nature through hands-on, science-based environmental education—and their upcoming Backyard Bash for Sacramento Splash is helping ensure that work continues. In this NewsPod, I’m joined by Gina Fleming, Director of Development at Sacramento Splash, to talk about the organization’s impact, the importance of getting kids outdoors, and what’s planned for this ...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... In this episode, I'm speaking with Jenny Davidson, founder and CEO of Academy Stay, to talk about one of the most difficult transitions a young person can face: aging out of foster care without a stable place to live or a dependable family safety net. Jenny’s journey to Academy Stay is deeply personal. After losing her youngest son, Jordan, in 2005, she returned to college in her late 30s, earned both an undergraduat...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... The Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s third annual Philanthropy Summit is coming to Cal Expo on September 15, and if the first two years are any indication, you’ll want to make plans early. I’m joined by Kelly Siefkin, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, for a NewsPod update on what attendees can expect from this year’s gathering. The Summit brings together nonprofit profe...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... What happens when students who may have never seen a river, a deer or the Sierra's are given the chance to learn outside the four walls of a classroom? In this episode, I sit down with Sean Hill, CEO of Sierra Nevada Journeys, and Advancement Officer Corrie Calderon to talk about the life-changing power of outdoor education. Sierra Nevada Journeys is approaching 20 years of service and now reaches more than 30,000 yo...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Violence prevention doesn’t begin when someone enters a shelter, calls law enforcement or asks for a restraining order. It begins much earlier, with awareness, education, relationships and people recognizing when something isn’t right. In this special continuation of a conversation I began at My Sister’s House’s Preventing Violence event late June, I bring together four extraordinary Sacramento-area leaders working e...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... For decades, local musician Clemon Charles has shared his talent throughout Sacramento, frequently performing at nonprofit fundraisers, community celebrations and events, often simply because he wanted to help. Now, Clemon needs some help of his own. I’m joined by my longtime friend and KFBK personality Kitty O’Neal, who shares what happened after Clemon suffered a serious stroke earlier this year and the difficult r...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... What happens to a child when a parent goes to prison? For Dawn Adams, that question isn’t theoretical. Her father was incarcerated when she was just 12 years old, and she remembers the shame, isolation, uncertainty, and adult responsibilities that came with growing up without him. Years later, Dawn began recognizing those same experiences in friends of her own daughters—and eventually decided something needed to exis...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... The Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Philanthropy Summit returns September 15, 2026, bringing together nonprofit professionals, board members, donors, and community leaders for a full day of learning, connection, and celebration at Cal Expo. In this NewsPod, I talk with Kelly Siefkin, Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, about what attendees can expect from the third annua...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... I’ve known Derrell Roberts for over 25 years, and somehow it has taken over a year to get him into the studio. I’m glad we finally made it happen. Derrell and his wife, Tina, founded Roberts Family Development Center 25 years ago with a philosophy shaped by their own lives: children have a much better opportunity to succeed when they are surrounded by caring families, mentors and community support. That belief contin...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... California CareForce does not wait for patients to find their way to a traditional clinic. It loads nearly $1 million in dental, vision and medical equipment into trucks and brings an entire temporary healthcare operation directly into communities across California. In this episode, I sit down with Executive Director Cyndi Ankiewicz to learn how California CareForce transforms fairgrounds and other large venues into ...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Human trafficking and sexual exploitation are realities that many people would rather not discuss. For the women and young people experiencing them, however, finding a safe and nonjudgmental place can be the beginning of an entirely different future. In this episode, I sit down with Sawan Vaden, Executive Director of Community Against Sexual Harm, better known as CASH. Sawan first came to CASH as a client in 2014. Sh...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Junior Achievement of Sacramento is giving local high school students an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, develop practical business skills and discover what it takes to turn an idea into something real. In this NewsPod, I speak with Junior Achievement Sacramento President and CEO Chris Marshall about the inaugural Ideas to Income Startup Lab, taking place July 27–28 at Golden 1 Center. During the two-day int...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Most of us remember our first job—not because it launched our career, but because it taught us how to show up, work with others, take direction, solve problems, and begin taking responsibility for our own future. For many young people facing economic hardship, foster care involvement, housing instability, interrupted education, trauma, or long-term unemployment, getting that first opportunity can be incredibly diffic...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Getting housing is a major milestone for a young person transitioning out of foster care, homelessness, or the juvenile justice system. But what happens when they walk into that apartment and there’s nothing inside? No bed. No table. No dishes. No towels. No basic furniture. In this episode, I speak with Jan Judson, founder and board president of Make It Happen for Yolo County, and executive director Cathi Schmidt to...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... The July 31 deadline for the 2026 SMUD Shine Awards is approaching, and this final NewsPod in our three-part series has one simple message for Sacramento-area nonprofits: If you have a potential project, now is the time to get started. I’m joined once again by Kevin Burdick, Sustainable Community Partnership Specialist at SMUD, to talk about why organizations should not count themselves out before exploring the oppor...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... Childcare is one of the most urgent issues facing working families, employers, communities and children across California — and in more rural regions like El Dorado and Alpine Counties, the challenge becomes even more complex. This episode I'm speaking with two Heathers: Heather Slimp and Heather Della Ripa of Catalyst Community about the organization’s work supporting families, childcare providers and children throu...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... When Salwa Kasabian transferred her children to a school many families were actively trying to avoid, she discovered something that would change the course of her life—and the lives of countless students across Folsom. What started as volunteering in her children's classrooms revealed a hidden reality: many students lacked the support, structure, mentorship, and safe spaces they needed outside of school. Rather than ...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... For nearly 50 years, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center has been a place of support, advocacy, and belonging for LGBTQ people throughout our region. In this episode, I'm talking with CEO David Heitstuman to discuss the remarkable transformation of the organization during his 15-year journey—from a nonprofit struggling to survive with one employee and just $6,000 in the bank to a multi-million-dollar organization se...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... The future of Sacramento's River District is taking shape, but an important challenge remains. In this NewsPod update, I'm speaking with Sam Greenlee, CEO of Alchemist CDC, to discuss the latest developments surrounding the Alchemist Public Market project. After years of planning and more than $13 million secured in state and federal funding, construction is underway on what promises to be a transformative community ...

I would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Please send me a text... In this Nonprofit Podcast Network NewsPod, I talk, once again, with Kevin Burdick, Sustainable Community Partnership Specialist at SMUD, to discuss one of the region's most impactful funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations undertaking energy saving projects. Celebrating its 10th year, the SHINE Awards help Sacramento-area nonprofits fund projects that support clean energy, sustainability, workforce developm...