Monday,  April 5th from  6 PM – 7:30 PM: a panel discussion to launch Connecticut's 3rd annual Health Equity week: “The Path to Health Equity in Connecticut.” To register click here.

Cyndi Suarez

February 4, 2021

Editor’s Notes: The Nonprofit Quarterly’s new editor in chief, Cyndi Suarez, launches a new podcast series today featuring women of color in leadership. Through candid, in-depth interviews, listeners will come to understand how these women embarked on their paths to leadership, how their leadership styles have evolved over the years, how they envision their work now, and what they hope to see for their fellow women of color leaders.

“I’m noticing that women of color have been moving into key leadership positions in the nonprofit sector, including philanthropy,” Suarez explains in inaugural podcast. “Some of us are leading predominantly white organizations, often with the charge of transitioning them to more racially just design and practices.” Other leaders of color, like Amoretta Morris, direct organizations that are by and for people of color. Morris, who kicks off this series, is the newly installed president at Borealis Philanthropy.

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/new-borealis-leader-outlines-bold-vision-for-racial-justice-philanthropy

In our fifth episode of the Voices of Local Leaders series, we interview Adrian Huq, a young environmental activist with strong roots in New Haven. As a middle school student in the area, Adrian already cared deeply about the environment and would go out of their way to improve recycling efforts and reduce food waste at school. In high school, at the Metropolitan Business Academy, Adrian had the opportunity to engage with their school community about environmental issues and started organizing youth-led climate strikes and other initiatives, which led them to co-found the ‘New Haven Climate Movement’   and coordinate the youth internship at the ‘Climate Health Education Project’ . Based on solid scientific evidence about the impact of human actions on global climate, Adrian’s activism creates awareness of these issues and pressures local communities and policymakers to advance plans for broad climate education across the city and potential solutions to mitigate human impacts. Adrian inspires other young students to take action and is definitely helping New Haven move in the environmentally right direction!

Check the full interview at: https://www.scienceyourself.org/en/blog/2021/interview-with-adrian-huq

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In honor of Women’s History Month, Continuum is highlighting some remarkable women whose accomplishments we hope will inspire you to dream big and fight for the less fortunate.

Visit link to view the full-size poster with clickable links: https://www.continuumct.org/newsItem/womens-history-month

Please join Health Equity Solutions and panelists to launch Connecticut's 3rd annual Health Equity week on April 5th at 6 PM. Health Equity Week is a week-long annual campaign created to bring awareness and start conversations on advancing health equity throughout the state of Connecticut.

Moderator, Tekisha Dwan Everette, PhD - Executive Director, Health Equity Solutions

Panelist, Nichelle A. Mullins, JD - President & CEO, Charter Oak Health Center
Panelist, Steven Hernández, JD - Executive Director, The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity
Panelist, Wizdom Powell, PhD, MPH - Director, UConn Health Disparities Institute

This event will be recorded. Can't make the live webinar? RSVP anyway and we'll send you a recording afterward.

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5bGqiZURSp-TEOGSfDi-CQ

In our fourth episode of the Voices of Local Leaders series, we interview Dr. Gale Ridge, a concert pianist that became an insect researcher at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Although Dr. Ridge’s specialty is bedbug’s behavior, she has helped solve several bug-related mysteries, from intercontinental transportation of exotic insects, to forensic entomology in murder cases, to mental disorders in which patients believe they are being fed on by insects. As she points out in the interview, her curiosity and attention to detail have been prevalent in her life and are a driving force that facilitated her crossover from working on the theater stage to the microscope in her laboratory. Her passion for six-legged creatures and her compassion for learners and patients in distress are inspiring and will make you want to learn more about her work!

Check the full interview at: https://www.scienceyourself.org/en/blog/2021/interview-with-dr-gale-ridge

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To create public works that truly serve our shared experience, we must maintain that community organizers and city-appointed art directors are sitting at the table as peers, not outweighed by power or pedigree but rather equalized by their lived experience.

Imagine that public space put the ideas of the artist at its center, with urban transformation, public infrastructure, and civic architecture as its foundation. In such a space, creative culture would be championed by the public and be financially supported by those who understand that art is essential to social advancement. In that world, hasty cycles of development would become more thoughtful, collaborative civic movements that represent people from all backgrounds and abilities...

https://nonprofitquarterly.org/public-art-the-case-for-a-cultural-heart-transplant ;

Let your voice be heard and testify in support the PROTECT Act, our bill that will eliminate solitary confinement and mandate external oversight over the Department of Correction! You can register for the testimony and learn more here. 

In our third episode of the Voices of Local Leaders series, we interview Gammy Moses, an environmental educator currently working as the extended day PM coordinator at the Elm City Montessori school. Gammy has been connecting young students and their parents to accessible, open green spaces around New Haven for the last 16 years. Through references to his childhood in the island of Dominica, spending as much time outdoors as possible and following the musical steps of his father, we can easily understand and admire his passion for environmental and outdoor education. Using captivating lessons that combine arts, rhythm, and movements with nature exploration, Gammy engages our youth in learning about science and taking action to protect our environment. There is absolutely no doubt that Gammy is an inspiration to how we should work together and teach our children.

Check the full interview at:: https://www.scienceyourself.org/en/blog/2021/interview-with-gammy-moses

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On March 11th, we launched our promotion campaign which includes billboards on I-84 and I-95 as well as digital ads, targeted mailings, and bus ads. Check out coverage from our presser yesterday in front of NHCC. 

Health care workers answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines

This information is shared for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at time of filming. Always consult a health care provider for any personal health decisions. Click here for vaccine FAQs from the CDC.

Why We Need The Conversation

W. Kamau Bell shares why he joined THE CONVERSATION, “I want to be part of getting our people vaccinated and healthy. Too often we don’t get access to healthcare, and I would hate it if we don’t get access at this critical time. So, I have to be a part of the solution here.”

https://www.greaterthancovid.org/theconversation/?utm_source=betweenusaboutus.org&utm_medium=vanity%20url/

In our second episode of the Voices of Local Leaders series, we interview David Carter, one of the facilitators for the ‘Neighborhood Leadership Program’ (NLP) from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. After 30 years working as a project manager, David decided to shift his career and dedicate his efforts to help local leaders make a difference in their communities. From being the professional that was expected to have all the answers to embracing the unexpected challenges of community development, David’s journey has been centered in listening and learning. Not by chance, both attitudes constitute two of the main pillars of the NLP program. But they are not fundamental only for creative, community problem-solving. They also embody essential aspects of critical thinking and the scientific mindset we foster here at Science Yourself. We truly believe that David’s experience and perspectives illustrate how everyone can benefit from an empathetic, scientifically literate community!

Check the full interview at: https://www.scienceyourself.org/en/blog/2021/interview-with-david-carter

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Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) is accepting applications for membership on our Board of Directors!

DESK is a New Haven-based nonprofit organization, committed to serving people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty by providing food assistance and services that promote health, community, and equity. We are a small organization, but we are growing significantly! (Have you seen the recent article on the Yale Daily News?!) As we continue to grow, we would like to invite passionate and committed people to join the organization as Board Members.

DESK’s Board of Directors is comprised of a group of dedicated individuals who are highly engaged in the community, each bringing at least one area of specialization or knowledge to their Board service. Ideal candidates will be passionate and committed to DESK’s mission. To learn more about Board Membership, please take a look at our posting here.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and CV or résumé to Sofia Morales at sofia.morales@yale.edu with “Board Member Application” in the subject line.

Grant news: We're pleased to share the news about a $400,000 flexible funding grant from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven to expand The Prosperity Foundation’s capacity. Read about it here

Welcome to the first season of Voices of Local Leaders, an interview series created by the Science Yourself initiative to promote and recognize the efforts of professionals and community members of the greater New Haven area. These leaders and their local initiatives value factual information, science literacy and critical thinking as the fundamental base for advancements in education, community engagement, and social transformation.

It is our great honor to kick-start the Voices of Local Leaders series with this delightful interview with Leslie Long, conducted in October 2020. We greatly appreciate Leslie for taking her time to talk to us and share her inspiring views on science education. Her great passion for science, education, and child development is so contagious and insightful that we bet this interview will make you revisit your own views on these topics. We hope you all enjoy learning more about Leslie’s experience and motivation as we did!

Check the full interview at: https://www.scienceyourself.org/en/blog/2021/interview-with-leslie-long

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Job Opening:  Coordinated Access Network (CAN) Housing Coordinator

We Love What Makes You Unique
Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are
committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and
lived experience. As a team, we are also committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice
in our community, our partnerships, and our practices.

Who We Are Looking For
Do you enjoy managing data, organizing information, and facilitating effective communications
between community organizations? Are you the type of person who takes pride in getting the
details right and is excited to support a team to reach the goal of ending homelessness in
greater New Haven? Are you passionate about using your organizational talents as a force for
good in our community?
United Way is seeking a CAN Housing Coordinator who is passionate and organized to
coordinate the exit side of the system to end homelessness in our region. This person will
facilitate critical meetings, maintain data, and collaborate with multiple partner organizations in
the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network system, to ensure that progress is
continually made towards meeting system goals.

What You Will Do
● Collect and analyze data to monitor system performance and drive improvement.
If that statement gets you excited, keep reading. If not, this may not be for you. This
position will maintain accurate lists for households seeking housing support. They will
also compile, monitor, and report on data and trends for the CAN, including monitoring
data quality. The right candidate will be comfortable with viewing and analyzing data to
provide suggestions for constant system improvement.
● Review, revise, and approve documentation for housing entry. Federally funded
housing programs require specific documentation. When a homeless household is
matched to a housing program you would be responsible for maintaining the threshold of
documentation needed. The CAN Housing Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing
documentation in a timely manner, maintaining high quality documentation, and
collaborating with CAN partners for revision, as necessary.
● Facilitation and coordination of housing meetings among partners. The CAN
Housing Coordinator will be responsible for the preparation and facilitation of housing
meetings. These meetings are comprised of multiple CAN partners. You will create and
distribute the agenda as well as be the neutral facilitator pushing the work forward. You
will ensure that CAN policies and procedures are being followed during housing
matching.
● You will work as part of a team. You will report to the CAN Senior Manager and meet
regularly with the CAN team. You will collaborate with our Marketing team to tell the
story of United Way to ensure that our community understands the work and impact of
ending homelessness in our community. You will also maintain good working
relationships with community, nonprofit and business leaders in the community. And of
course, there will be other duties as assigned.

What You Need
• Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred with at least one year of relevant experience
OR the equivalent of lived experience in a related field.
• Knowledge of the challenges and barriers that people who experience homelessness
face, is preferred.
• Technology Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, especially
managing and analyzing data in Excel is required. Experience working with various
types of databases and content management systems is preferred. Knowledge of CT
HMIS is preferred. Ability to develop visual presentations of data/metrics is preferred.
• Communication Skills: Strong communication skills; able to interface with all
departments internally and ability to represent United Way in a variety of settings.
Demonstrated ability to synthesize material, both verbally and in written form for a
broad audience. Able to present information at meetings.
• Partnership Skills: Positive customer-service orientation to both external partners as
well as our internal United Way team. Skills to establish and maintain high quality
relationships with a variety of stakeholders Ability to be diplomatic when working with
staff from other agencies and clients in crisis.
• Planning Skills: Excellent organization skills and a sharp attention to detail. Flexible
thinker who can balance systems thinking and on-the-ground implementation. Ability
to proactively see what actions are needed, take initiative, and implement projects.
Ability to work independently, adjusting to changing priorities is required.
• Facilitation Skills: Ability to facilitate meetings efficiently and effectively is required.
Ability to facilitate meetings effectively while balancing multiple points of view.
• Relationship skills: Community minded with high-level active listening skills and the
ability to connect with people of different economic and ethnic backgrounds. Ability to
balance a variety of perspectives representing all areas of diversity including race,
ethnicity, gender, ability, age, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs/faith practices.
• Project Management Skills: Ability to take initiative and implement projects. Ability to
analyze and exercise sound judgment. Highly motivated and creative out-of-the-box
problem solver.
• Local and statewide travel is required; Out of state travel as needed.

Compensation and Benefits
Compensation includes generous paid time-off, health and dental insurance, and a 403(b)-
retirement plan with employer matched contributions. Starting salary will be between $40,000 -
$43,000 commensurate with demonstrated skills, experience, and background.

About United Way
United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions
to Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and
Financial Stability, grounded in racial and social justice. United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter, telling us about why we should bring you in for an
interview to employment@uwgnh.org. No phone calls, please, but we encourage you to explore
uwgnh.org to learn more about what we do. The position will remain open until filled.

We Love What Makes You Unique
Your perspective fuels our mission-driven work at United Way of Greater New Haven. We are
committed to building a team that is inclusive across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and lived
experience. As a team, we are also committed to addressing systemic racism and injustice in our
community, our partnerships, and our practices.

Who We Are Looking For
Do you enjoy accounting and being part of a mission-driven team? Do you work well in a fastpaced environment in which you are involved with a variety of financial tasks? Do you find satisfaction in setting up finance processes to make the department and organization work more efficiently? Do you enjoy working with colleagues from all departments and being an integral part of making an organization work? If you answered yes to the questions above, this position may be an opportunity for you to use your talents as a force for good in our community!

The Staff Accountant position will play a critical role in our Finance Team.

Key responsibilities will include Accounts Payable, Payroll, Journal Entries, Balance Sheet and Bank Reconciliations.

What You Will Do
• Perform all Accounts Payable duties within the agency utilizing Abila/MIP, maintain vendor
files, process 1099s
• Obtain required approval, code invoices for proper expense allocation and issue payments to
vendors and partner agencies, including payments related to Fiscal Sponsorship Agreements
• Designation Payments: prepare designation payouts using data from donor database system
and prepare payments through Abila/MIP. Verify nonprofit status and maintain demographic
data for recipient agencies. Perform reconciliation of designation payables between Abila/MIP
and donor database
• Perform all Payroll related functions; maintaining and updating employee records in payroll
software, process bi-monthly payroll, retirement account deposits, and reconciliation of payroll
related general ledger accounts
• Prepare necessary journal entries to record transactional data in general ledger, including
banking transactions
• Reconcile various balance sheet accounts; perform/assist in bank reconciliations
• Maintain supporting schedules for grant related expenses to facilitate reporting and budgeting.
Assist in reviewing partners reports, evaluating requests of partners and submitting reports to
funders
• Assist in providing reports to fiduciary partners
• Assist with annual audits, preparing necessary schedules
• Serve as back-up for Finance Manager
• Identify areas of continuous improvement on finance functions and document processes
• Other duties as assigned

What You Need
• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Preferred
• A minimum of three years of non-profit accounting experience with a working knowledge of
non-profit accounting principles and standards, including GAAP.
• A minimum of three years of experience in Accounts Payable and Payroll
• Ability to multi-task and work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Team Player who inspires collaboration and communicates effectively
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility and dedication to the mission of UWGNH
• Proficiency in Excel
• Experience with Abila/MIP a plus

Compensation and Benefits
Compensation includes generous paid time-off, health and dental insurance, and a 403(b)-
retirement plan with employer matched contributions. Starting salary will be between $55,000 -
$58,000 commensurate with demonstrated skills, experience, and background.

About United Way
United Way of Greater New Haven brings people and organizations together to create solutions to
Greater New Haven’s most pressing challenges in the areas of Education, Health, and Financial
Stability, grounded in racial and social justice. United Way is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter, telling us about why we should bring you in for an interview
to employment@uwgnh.org. No phone calls, please, but we encourage you to explore uwgnh.org
to learn more about what we do. The position will remain open until filled.