12:00: The effort to diversify nonprofit boards of directors
1:00: 'Connections Summer Sessions:' With tick bites on the rise, how to prevent Lyme disease and other illnesses
Who gets a seat at the table when the decisions that shape our communities are made? Many of those decisions happen in a place most of us rarely think about: the boardrooms of nonprofit organizations. Across the Rochester region, hundreds of nonprofits receive millions of dollars in public funding and philanthropic support to serve the community. Yet for decades, many of the people those organizations were created to serve had little or no representation on the boards that set their policies, priorities, and long-term direction. Guest host Julio Sáenz and his panel discuss a local initiative that has become a national model for diversifying one of the community's most influential centers of power: nonprofit boards of directors. In studio:
- LaCerius Cross, leadership development program coordinator for the United Way
- Nydia Padilla, co-founder of the Latino Leadership Development Program
- Rodney Young, one of the first graduates and past coordinator of the African American Leadership Development Program
Then in our second hour, we continue our special series of shows as part of "Connections Summer Sessions." Throughout the summer, we're bringing back some of our most popular and engaging episodes of Connections — and each week's shows have a theme. This week, it's climate and environment. We begin with a conversation about ticks and what you need to know about Lyme disease. An analysis by the USA TODAY Network shows tick bites across the northeast have been on the rise. What can you do — and what can communities do — to prevent tick-borne diseases? Our guests discuss the situation in Ontario County and what we can learn about how to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Our guests:
- Kate Ott, MPH, public health director for Ontario County
- Matthew Hanggi, RN, communicable disease control coordinator for Ontario County Public Health
- Doug Merrill, councilmember-at-large for Canandaigua City Council
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
