With more than two decades of experience working to improve the quality of life for people with limited financial resources, Aisha Nyandoro is a leader in the campaign to end generational poverty. She is the founding CEO of Springboard To Opportunities, a nonprofit that helps affordable housing residents reach their life goals. In 2018, Nyandoro launched the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, a first-of-its-kind guaranteed income program for Black mothers in the United States, and she has worked to scale the program’s success nationally through policies such as the expanded Child Tax Credit and a federal guaranteed income.
Nyandoro is an Emerson Collective Dial Fellow as well as a fellow of the Highland Project, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network and Ascend at the Aspen Institute. She is a TED speaker, 2022 McNulty Prize Winner and the 2022 Disrupter Change Champion from Community Change. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence, NBC, and CNN. She holds a B.A. from Tennessee State University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. When not working to liberate financial capital, she is a wife and mom to two very charming sons.
Reflecting on JEI’s core values — Community, Interconnectedness, Transformation — which value speaks to you most, at this moment in time? Why?
Community resonates mostly with me… We are stronger together. The ecosystem of community creates opportunities for everyone to get what is needed. During this time of so much separation we need community more than ever to keep us grounded and secure. It is always a safe landing spot.
What are a few things about you that would surprise other people?
Because of how I show up in community people think I am an extrovert. I am not. LOL.
What movements for a just economy, past or present, inspire you?
The movement itself inspires me. I am inspired by the bold leaders who recognize that the economy as currently constructed is not working. And that these leaders are taking the bold steps to create a just economy that centers the needs of ALL of us, not just the financially privileged.
