Vitalyst Spark

On this episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast, we are talking about impact investments, and we are joined by Kerwin Brown, of UPI Loan Fund, and Dave Castillo, of Native Community Capital, two of Vitalyst’s recent impact investments. Also joining the podcast is Suzanne Pfister, Vitalyst’s President and CEO, to talk about what impact investing means to Vitalyst and philanthropy. We discuss the roots of both organizations and why it’...

On this episode of The Vitalyst Spark podcast, we're going to be talking about housing, a huge issue that the state is facing overall, not just through the pandemic, but prior to. Housing has been on a climb in price and rental prices continue to increase. And we're seeing a lot more people struggle, and it's getting more difficult for everyone to squeeze more out of their dollar. That's why we're talking about this today, somethin...

On today’s episode, we are joined by Juan Salas, Director of Operations and Accounting with the Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona, or TAPAZ as we refer to it in-house. TAPAZ is a fiscal sponsorship organization that provides back office technical assistance to nonprofits across the state but he will tell us more about that. Also on today’s podcast is Nicola Winkel, Project Director with the Arizona Coalition for Military ...

It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities, new challenges and new state leadership.  The results of the 2022 Arizona general election propelled a new Governor and over 40 new legislators (which is nearly half of the entire legislature) into state office.  This political shakeup can also be felt on the policy front as new state agency directors and advisors are settling into their positions. Today, we welcome two outstand...

Throughout the life of this podcast, we’ve hosted a few episodes speaking to the importance of housing.  Those conversations often center on the critical roles that government can and should play in preventing and addressing homelessness and housing instability in Arizona. Today’s episode, however, features someone who’s developed a unique take on housing solutions in Arizona. Howard Epstein, by trade, is a national executive for B...

Arizona’s general election is right around the corner, and this presents an incredible opportunity for us to ensure that the people we elect and the policies we pass set Arizona on a promising path toward improved health and well-being. Ballot measures may not always be top-of-mind during an election, but their existence and their implications are critically important to our state. Today, we’re speaking with three local leaders who...

On November 8th, Arizonans will cast their votes to determine who will represent their interests at the legislature and in other statewide offices, including that of the Governor. In our daily lives, we’re only exposed to a handful of these candidates – often through television ads and local media – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of candidates running for office; candidates who need your vote and need to be informed about t...

Today we’re joined by Justin Chase, President and CEO of Solari Crisis and Human Services. As you’ll hear from Justin, Solari, formerly known as Crisis Response Network, provides an array of important resources to individuals experiencing challenging times. These challenges could range from a mother needing to locate to closest food bank, to finding a safe place for your loved one who’s experiencing a bipolar episode. Solari even w...

Today we’re talking with Dr. Amanda Burke from the Center for the Future of Arizona about the Arizona Voters’ Agenda, a new resource which takes a radically different look at voters’ interests and political campaigns in Arizona. What is this radically different approach? Instead of continuing to fuel the fires of division that seem to inundate our lives, CFA’s latest research reveals the issues that a majority of us actually agree ...

Today we’re joined by two Arizonans working to create healthier communities that recognize, address and prevent traumatic experiences. We’re not referring to the type of trauma you see in the traffic section of the news each day. Rather, we’re discussing the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs, as they’re commonly known) and toxic stress that can stem from harmful relationships with the people, places and policies that s...

For more than 100 episodes, we’ve hosted this podcast to highlight the inspiring work of Arizonans working to create healthier communities. We’ve spoken with experts focused on a wide range of issues, ranging from food systems to housing to transportation, as well as local leaders among Arizona’s Latino, Black, Tribal and Rural communities. Today, we’re doing something a little different. Today, we’re taking a moment to look inward...

Today we’re taking a long-overdue look at the health and well-being of refugee communities in our state. You may not know this, but Arizona is widely known as a welcoming state for refugees from around the world. These are individuals and families who have fled their home countries due to persecution or fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. In t...

On today’s episode (the 100th episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast!), we’re capping off Women’s History Month by bringing you a conversation with Dr. Amalia Luxardo, CEO of the Women’s Foundation for the State of Arizona. Dr. Luxardo graciously shares her personal journey to her leadership role at the Women’s Foundation and gives us a glimpse into how Arizona’s women and girls are forging new paths to social, political and economi...

Well, this it. Barring any unforeseen developments (knock on wood), this is the last COVID-19 Roundtable episode of the Vitalyst Spark Podcast. We’re not out of the woods, but case numbers and deaths are rapidly declining, hospital admissions have waned, and the latest CDC guidance shows Arizona moving toward a low level of community risk.  So, for what we hope will be our final COVID-19 Roundtable discussion, we brought our paneli...

In this episode, we’re talking about Arizona’s legislative session with Zaida Dedolph, Health Policy Director with Children’s Action Alliance. Yes, we’re all exhausted from the constant barrage of partisanship and political anger we hear about on a daily basis, but rest assured, this is not one of those conversations.  Instead, this is a conversation that attempts to understand the fundamental power dynamics currently at play withi...

In recognition of Black History month, we’re speaking with two leaders in Arizona who are working to advance the health and well-being of Black Arizonans. Teniqua Broughton is the Executive Director of the State of Black Arizona, an organization best known for its thorough publications that highlight…well…the state of Black Arizona. These ‘Volumes’, as they’re titled, provide an evidence-based foundation from which one can better u...

This week we’re back with our COVID-19 Roundtables guests, Dr. Kara Geren, Dr. Joshua LaBaer and Will Humble, discussing the latest – dare I say – optimistic developments in the pandemic.  We’ve been on this ride before, and we know we’re not out of the woods. Far too many Arizonans are still being infected with COVID-19 each day and our hospitals are under extreme pressure, but the latest research and trends do indicate that brigh...

Today, we’re talking about the importance of coming together – across sectors, across populations, across issues – to find common ground.  Sounds like a pipe dream, right?  Well, lucky for us, one Arizona-based organization has 60 years of experience under its belt doing just that: hosting forums, facilitating dialogue and lifting consensus above conflict.  We’re talking about the Arizona Town Hall and its topic for 2022: creating ...

Two months ago, we hosted what we hoped would be our final COVID-19 Roundtable.  Infections were declining and we seemed to be entering into a new and safer normal.  Wishful thinking.  Today, we stand on the shoreline, the water level is rising, and we await the tidal wave named Omicron we know is about to hit.  So, it’s bittersweet that we find ourselves speaking yet again with our COVID-19 Roundtable guests to clarify what we kno...