Her genuine reverence for people and her unique ability to bring them together in unprecedented ways have played a pivotal role in the growth and impact of BakerRipley, formerly known as Neighborhood Centers, Inc. Under Blanchard’s leadership, BakerRipley has become the largest community development organization in Texas and among the top 1% of charitable groups nationwide. BakerRipley currently serves more than 500,000 people in over 50 counties with an annual budget of over $300 million. Blanchard’s innovative, strength-based framework – Appreciative Community Building – has set the new standard for integrating diverse populations into thriving communities. In 2017, she was honored with the 22nd Heinz Award in the Human Condition category for creating a transformative model of community development that recognizes the inherent strengths of the people residing in low-income and immigrant communities. I first met Angela at the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Summit in 2014. We both had the privilege of being storytellers at this extraordinary conference. The title of Angela’s keynote was “You Can’t Tweet Change.” I instantly knew that Angela Blanchard was a brilliant business leader, compassionate CEO, a wonderful humanitarian and a brilliant storyteller. Since then, I have also had the honor to serve on the same board of directors with Angela, giving me the opportunity to learn from her shared wisdom, authenticity, and compassion. Angela is also a social leader, often speaking, blogging, mentoring and sharing her thoughts about crisis management and disaster recovery. You can follow Angela’s work on Twitter at @CajunAngela. During this incredible pandemic, Angela and I have been sharing thoughts on Twitter, often via direct messages (DMs). Angela is often at the forefront of guiding and leading communities during difficult and often unimaginable times. Here is Angela’s wisdom from disasters that she has pinned on our Twitter page:
‘The human spirit is not extinguishable’
I absolutely love Angela’s wisdom from disasters. In my experience, strong leaders know where and how to position themselves in good and bad times. In a crisis, you lead from the front. In a celebration, you lead from the back. Only the very best leaders know the importance of this practice. This is the time for forgiveness, courage, empathy, unselfish generosity, honesty and love. The video below is a great example of how strong leadership and the power of the togetherness, based on wisdom above, helped the Houston community recover after horrific disasters. Another one of my favorite life and leadership lessons from Angela was capture in her beautiful and brief essay on Time. I encourage you to connect and learn more with Angela Blanchard on Twitter.
