Runway Project Founder Jessica Norwood Works to Reshape Financial Infrastructure
Jessica Norwood is founder of the Runway Project, which works to improve access to capital for black entrepreneurs. She is also executive director of the Emerging ChangeMakers Network, an organization collaborating with inspiring leaders and innovative ideas to end economic inequality. As a leading social entrepreneur, Norwood supports strengthening social enterprise and social investing as a way to build community resilience.
Norwood previously worked in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere as a political fundraiser and consultant, raising millions of dollars for various campaigns. She is a past member of the board of directors for the Highlander Research and Education Center, a former emerging leaders fellow at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, and the political power fellow with the Hiphop Archive at the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute at Harvard University.
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Here are some highlights from the LIFT Economy interview with Norwood:
- How she first became interested in the type of work she is doing today.
- How the Runway Project supports black entrepreneurs with non-extractive finance.
- How her Buddhist practice influences her work.
- The individuals and organizations she most admires.
LIFT Economy is an impact consulting firm with a mission is to create, model, and share a locally self-reliant economy that works for the benefit of all life.
B the Change gathers and shares the voices from within the movement of people using business as a force for good and the community of Certified B Corporations. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the nonprofit B Lab.
Uplifting Black Entrepreneurs Through Community and Capital was originally published in B The Change on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
