Beyond The Blog

In a recent Beyond The Blog podcast, Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, speaks with Rich Harwood, President and Founder of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a nonprofit advancing positive community action by inspiring people and communities to turn outward.  Working with Rich Harwood and The Harwood Institute for more than a decade, The Patterson Foundation has...

On this episode of Connecting Communities, host Leah Verier-Dunn sat with Ben Tollefson, consultant with The Patterson Foundation, to discuss the Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s THIS BOOK IS COOL! program.  The summer slide is a real concern, particularly for our asset-limited families. Research spanning more than a century has shown that students can experience academic learning loss...

In this episode of Civic Sparks, host Leah Verier-Dunn talks with Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, about why TPF cares about investing in civic responsibility. Together, they discuss the history of The Patterson Foundation and its continued commitment to knowledge sharing and widespread participation.  Identifying that voting is perhaps the most important place to encou...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Thrivability Series of Beyond The Blog, a Podcast by The Patterson Foundation, host Read Corley talks with Rick Yocum, executive director of the Humane Society of Manatee County, about his experience with Margin & Mission Ignition. Rick shares how the program helped his team focus its veterinary clinic around community needs, build a stronger business plan, and...

In a recent Beyond The Blog podcast, Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, speaks with Ericia Henry, TPF Fellow 2024/26, right before she launches to the Kiwanis International Headquarters . Both reflect on her TPF Fellowship experience and what happens when someone actually leans into possibility even when it’s uncomfortable. In this conversation, you'll…. Hear what it...

In this episode of Aspirations to Actions, a Beyond The Blog podcast, host Alicia Chalmers talks with Michael Prihoda, Director of Media and Creative Content, and Menal Khanna, National Campaign Manager at The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. Together, they explore The Harwood Institute’s powerful approach to community‑driven change and why you should join the upcoming National New Civic P...

In this episode of Connecting Communities, a Beyond The Blog podcast by The Patterson Foundation, host and consultant Leah Verier-Dunn sits down with Beth Duda, Director of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, to talk about all things Suncoast Remake Learning Days–an annual 15-day FREE hands-on learning festival taking place April 18, 2026, to May 2, 2026. As a gift to the community by T...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Thrivability Series, a Beyond the Blog Podcast, Read Corley sits down with Jesse Coleman, General Manager of WSLR + Fogartyville, to talk about what it really looks like to step into nonprofit leadership and figure out fundraising on the fly. Jesse shares how going through Fueling Dynamic Fundraising helped him move from uncertainty to having a clear plan by breaki...

In this episode of Discover DeSoto, host Alicia Exantus sits down with Traci Willingham, Community Relations and Engagement Director for the Neuro Challenge Foundation, about her experience as an exhibitor at the DeSoto County Ahead community event.  From the Eight Arcadia/DeSoto Community themes , the one  that resonated during our conversation was theme #3, “Nonprofit, Business, Resident and Eco...

In this episode of Rising Resilience, Leah Verier-Dunn speaks with former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate about the ins and outs of the disaster ecosystem. Who are the key players and what are their roles? Craig dives into the details of why each layer of support matters, encourages community members to explore Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training...

In this episode of Beyond the Blog, host Leah Verier-Dunn talks with Dr. Patti Folino, Principal of Tuttle Elementary School in Sarasota County, to explore what kindergarten readiness really means. With 38 years in education, Dr. Folino brings deep experience and insight into preparing young learners for success. Together, they discuss how kindergarten readiness goes beyond letters and numbers to...

In this Beyond The Blog episode, focused on the Advancing Philanthropic Leadership initiative, Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, sits down with John Ferguson, TPF Fellow 2020/21, to reflect on his winding path to The Patterson Foundation and how the Fellowship experience continues to shape his leadership journey. Throughout the conversation, John shares how his professio...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Thrivability Podcast, host Read Corley speaks with Michael Corley, Consultant with The Patterson Foundation, and Meher Shulman, Associate Director of the Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, to explore how both foundations are working with No Margin, No Mission to strengthen nonprofit sustainability.  The conversation focuses on how No Margin, No Mission supports non...

This podcast explores how a seemingly simple connection can turn into something that can change the trajectory of your life.  Timestamps  00:14 – Welcome & Introduction 00:37 – Ericia highlights the history and background of her and Laurin’s relationship 01:49 – Laurin shares what inspired her to start her firm and how it has evolved over the years 03:00 – Laurin discusses how relationships sh...

In this Beyond The Blog episode, focused on the Advancing Philanthropic Leadership initiative, Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of The Patterson Foundation, sits down with Andrew Spector, Senior Fellow 2023/25, to reflect on his winding path to the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (LFSOP) and The Patterson Foundation and his experience in year three as a Senior Fellow.  In this conversation, And...

Leah Verier-Dunn sits down with the Director of the ESOL, Migrant, and Dual Language Program for Manatee County Schools, Deb Estes , to discuss how Manatee County has established systems to foster widespread support and programming for families in need of resources.  Timestamps 00:30 Intro ​ 01:13 Debra dives into her history and her work. 03:18 Debra explains “Two-way Immersion.” 06:25 Debra brea...

Digital equity goes far beyond internet access. It touches people, trust, language, and the systems that shape opportunity. In this episode of Digital Access Discoveries, Cook County’s inaugural Director of Digital Equity, Kyla Williams Tate, shares how digital inclusion works best when it is treated as a living ecosystem. She explores the role of storytelling, small but strategic investments, tru...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Thrivability podcast, host Read Corley talks with Megan Howell, founder and executive director of Second Heart Homes, about what it really takes to build sustainable nonprofit fundraising. Megan shares how Fueling Dynamic Fundraising helped her move beyond transactional asks and toward a true culture of philanthropy. The conversation covers donor relationships, leg...

In this episode of the Nonprofit Thrivability Podcast, Read Corley sits down with Lisa Intagliata, CEO of Resilient Retreat, to unpack how a young nonprofit built a mission-aligned social enterprise to diversify revenue and protect its ability to offer free, confidential healing programs for adult survivors of trauma and abuse, including first responders and helping professionals.  Lisa shares how...

The Patterson Foundation’s Community Preparedness, Recovery, and Resiliency (CPR-R) initiative is really starting to get its footing as it continues to uncover areas of need in the disaster ecosystem. Most notably, CPR-R has chosen to focus its current efforts on strengthening Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). Karen Windon, CPR-R Initiative Lead, joined host Leah Verier-Dunn on Rising Re...

On this episode of Discover DeSoto, Alicia Exantus speaks with Maribel Martinez , a consultant with The Patterson Foundation’s Digital Access for All initiative .  Although Maribel isn’t from DeSoto County, she has spent three years working closely with the community and has seen it shift from a rural area facing major challenges to one energized by new investments, partnerships, and growing momen...

In this episode of Connecting Communities, Leah Verier-Dunn talks with Sheila Halpin and Angela Knapek from Soar in 4 about the opening of their new children’s museum-like learning lab. Soar Lab is a new Manatee County neighborhood gem that families must check out! With a focus on the importance of family engagement, the three discuss all that one can expect when they show up at the Soar Lab.  Tim...

In this episode, we explore how "Principles & Techniques of Fundraising," a four-day, in-person training of Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's The Fund Raising School, equips nonprofit leaders with practical, research-backed tools to strengthen fundraising efforts.   Tom Melville, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Sarasota, and Board Pres...

In the latest episode of Discover DeSoto , host Alicia Exantus sits down with Regional Program Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, Crystal Walter, to explore her aspirations for DeSoto County and how her organization’s mentorship programs are empowering local youth. Crystal shares how building strong relationships, nurturing trust, and investing in young people are central to c...

In this episode of Digital Access Discoveries , host Read Corley sits down with Bruce Clark , Digital Inclusion Project Manager, Center for Digital Equity at Queens University , to explore how collaborative ecosystems can bridge the digital divide. They dive into the power of trust, community partnerships, and the critical three-legged stool of digital access: connectivity, devices, and skills/sup...