Centro Community Partners Part 2 - Arturo Noriega

#068 - Our discussion with Arturto was so inspiring and really went in 2 directions. In episode 67, he talks about his journey of starting Centro and we brought in a Centro entrepreneur, Annie Wang from Little Moon Bakehouse. In this episode, Arturo shares his journey as a social entrepreneur, providing wisdom from his experiences founding Centro, and writing his book *In Pursuit of a Noble Cause*. Arturo’s work centers on uplifting low-income and marginalized communities through innovative tools and social impact initiatives.

Arturo Noriega penned “In Pursuit of a Noble Cause” to support social entrepreneurs looking to start a social enterprise.  It will also resonate with professors who teach principles of social entrepreneurship.

“I have read several books on nonprofit management, nonprofit leadership, and some tools, but they didn't necessarily hit home for me. I think what was missing is really the pain of starting a nonprofit or a social enterprise. It requires a lot of perseverance. It's a book really written about waking people up to our industry, the economic development industry, the struggle of women entrepreneurs in particular, and people of color, and my personal struggles.”

Arturo highlighted the rapid growth in the number of people of color leading nonprofit organizations. He emphasized that these leaders require support due to their unique leadership styles, which are often rooted in their cultural norms and understanding. Implicit bias can be a significant barrier to success for leaders of color, and it can negatively impact both their direction and overall achievements.

Arturo discussed the challenges with writing the book as a new author and while recovering from long COVID and also having dyslexia.

It’s a lot so we split it into 2 episodes.