Episode 85: Amanda Ramos

Join Lori and her guest, Amanda Ramos, as they discuss creating a world where women lead in shaping better futures. Amanda Ramos, the CEO of Women in Innovation, brings a wealth of experience, having been dedicated to this nonprofit for numerous years! Amanda showcases the potential for creating a world where women define their futures and design pathways for others to follow. It is a narrative of empowerment, collaboration, and the collective strength that arises when women unite to build a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow!

Here are the things to expect in this episode:

• What factors contribute to the limited participation of most women in making a significant impact in the world?

• Women in Innovation (WIN) offers opportunities for increased involvement in designing the future.

• WIN's range of programs and people who can participate. 

• In what ways did Amanda's prior job values serve as a foundation for her contributions to the mission and vision of Women in Innovation?

• And much more!

Women in Innovation: https://womenininnovation.co/

WIN Donation Page: https://womenininnovation.co/donate-1

WIN Awards Page: https://womenininnovation.co/women-in-innovation-awards

Amanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-ramos-3441552b/

Connect with Lori Kranczer!

Website: https://www.linkphilanthropic.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorikranczer/

Episode Transcript

00:14

You're listening to the positive impact philanthropy, a podcast where we share the journeys of everyday philanthropists as they incorporate philanthropy into their lives. Philanthropy is a personal journey through the stories we will share here. We hope that is something in you and how you can make your own philanthropic impact in the world. I'm your host Lori Kranczer attorney, philanthropic advisor and legacy giving strategist. Together we're going to explore what it looks like to be an everyday philanthropist and make a positive impact in the world. Before we get started, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode posted Wednesdays and today I'm really excited to support our getting into the new launch of philanthropy month that we're focusing on this month. I have Amanda Ramos. She is the CEO of women in innovation and I will share that we know each other for a bit. We're both Brooklynites and I've had the pleasure to follow Amanda's journey. So I was so excited to have her join us today. So welcome, Amanda.

01:20

Hi, thank you very, thank you for having me.

01:22

It's great to have you, so, why don't you share with our audience a little bit more about what you do?

01:31

Yes, so I'm very, very excited to share with the world that I am stepping in as CEO of WIN, which is Women in Innovation, and we are nonprofit, really dedicated to increasing the impact and influence of women in the field of innovation. And I'm thrilled to be here, I've been a member of WIN for, for several years. So I'm now not only a CEO, but I'm also I've also been a member and so my journey has been really really incredible in terms of having felt the effects of what WIN is and what it's done for me in my life and my career, and now need to pay that forward, to others.

02:14

So let's get a little bit into your backstory. And why don't you share a bit about what your professional life looked like before?

02:24

Sure, so, I guess going way back in terms of I was raised, born and raised by activist parents, and they really taught me a lot about equity and justice and how to make sure that whatever I do and whatever, whatever form that it always takes a stand, and I always really participate in the movements that are around me. And so that was really formative and immediately in the work that I've been doing, there's always been a strong purpose agenda. I also learned from the very beginning about my sort of interdisciplinary journey. So I studied as an architect. And that was my sort of starting point and really thinking about what are the things we're trying to solve? How do we go about it and what are the big ideas that we can inspire others to believe and so much so that it causes them to act upon it? And my mentor from the very beginning taught me about, there was a phrase “avoid field stumps senses”. And I put that very strongly and in thinking about, well, what is it that's possible and how do I want to participate? And how can I bring creativity to that so I jumped into the world of innovation and I, for several years working in a consultancy, really got excited about this field about transformation and about game changing ideas and doing really exciting things at a very, very big transformational level. And so, I started our innovation consultancy group in the firm that I was in and, and that's where it all began. I fell in love with the field. I fell in love with really making a mark and in terms of understanding, what are we doing and how are we a part of it. And so that was the beginning of my journey in the field of innovation. And that's when I met WIN, I was really excited to jump in and I felt like we wanted to position ourselves and have a community that we are part of. And specifically, there are all these women that were involved in the field and I was really drawn to that group.

04:40

You know, so I want to hear more about WIN, I want us to talk about that. But before we even get to that, when you were talking about innovation and transformation, because many of us when we're involved in philanthropy want to make an impact, right? So whatever that looks like, and that's sort of a journey that we go through with ourselves to figure out what that looks like. So how does one move into transformational work or innovative work? How do you tap into that? And how do you then measure that?

05:09

Yeah. So there's a huge part of what we focus on in WIN and also what's a critical aspect of what innovation is about which is about creating futures. And creating the future and creating multiple features is something that I learned from someone she told me about a community that she was working with that when you don't have the means or there's just a lot going on. Whether it be in your life or in your work. You don't really have the capacity to think about the future and so therefore you're not really participating and therefore, you're not really included into that vision or that feature. And so what's really important is opening up the opportunities for more people to be engaged in the development of that future. And so that's a big part of what innovation is about is about designing and defining what the future wants to be, whatever shape that might take. And what happens is when that's an exclusive process then you're not going to have an equitable or strong vision of what that is. So I think there's a big part of it is, is just really making sure that that what it is what that process is, is inclusive. How do you measure it? That's, it's really tricky. I mean, I think there's a lot of aspects about the more you can have inputs that are better in a way that people are able to participate in their whole selves. And that's really, really important. But it's more than just having a seat at the table. We talk about that a lot. It's really about making sure that when you are at the table you have, will talk a lot about the command and the clout and the capital to be able to participate fully in that. So that's really what WIN is all about.

07:00

When you're talking about innovation, you mentioned design a couple times, is that the focus or is it designing as it could be like any type of topic or it could be program programmatic and could be actual design. What does that entail?

07:19

Sure, so, so our community of innovators and all of the women that are part of this, they're coming from multiple areas and also coming in from with multiple capabilities. So design is one of them. There's a lot of individuals who work in agencies or work as consultants, and they're, they have clients and clients are coming to them to really think about what's next for them as a company. And the process of design is very much put to great use in those scenarios. There's also women who are working inside organizations and they're really championing new ideas or new models or new ways of working. And that community has a different sort of set of challenges in terms of being able to participate and, and really make a difference in those scenes that they're in. And then there's others who are founders and entrepreneurs who are starting new businesses or bringing new ideas into the world and they're more independence and they're also really kind of coming forward with with great ideas and maybe having challenges in terms of getting funding for those ideas or having people believe and what their capabilities are and what they want to do so. So there's some sort of not so fun facts about where their support for a lot of those situations we only see 25% of the top innovation firms led by women. We only see 2% of VC funding going to women only startups. There are these kinds of key metrics that are showing the divide and more kind of inequity that we're seeing. And so our goal now is to not only bridge that, that was a huge part of the foundational mission of when we talked a lot about bridging the gender gap. And now what we're talking about is well, there's more to it. There's also how do we allow for a stronger community and a stronger command of the industry and really sort of having a voice and being recognized, you know, having that clouds and then also getting greater capital. So, we're excited to level up our mission. That's a big part of what is happening. This year. And it's really serving innovators in all of those different facets.

09:40

Okay, so let's talk about WIN and the work that you're doing and you're and the goals that you've set or you hope to attain for WIN and then we'll go back into how you made that transition into it.

09:55

Yeah, yeah. So, so it's, it's pretty exciting. As, as you mentioned, I'm at the beginning of my journey, week, week three, so a very, very early, but as I said, I've been involved with WIN for the past few years and so I i understand and have really participate in the experience but the magic of WIN what we're thinking about now is really we're in a phase that's all about capacity building. We have been going strong for seven years and the programming and everything we've been doing has been sort of brought to you by our incredible community of volunteers, and this community is, continues to go strong. They're doing it sort of during their lunch break and on this side, and so we just see a lot of excitement and energy and enthusiasm, but we also want to be able to make the experience for those volunteers, amazing. We want to get the best out of them and, and really understand you know, be supportive of them. So, a big one big goal that we have is to put more of a dream team in place. And I call it a dream team because I've been draining this really important part towards actions. So the goal is like myself. We have a few others that are being put in place to really make the, the WIN way possible. You know, we are all innovators. So we also want to push ourselves in terms of practicing and walking the talk. And so a big part of what one of the big goals that we have right now is to build up enough capacity to be able to have a dream team in place that can really level up all of the things that we've seen are successful. But also create a consistent, and my hope is to become like the best nonprofit to work for. So we really want to make sure that we create that working environment that's really really incredible so that we can deliver more of the great programming that we're excited about. 

11:58

So tell us a little bit more about the programming. And then who, who is right for WIN and who should consider being involved.

12:07

Sure, so we have a number of programs that we do. We do have three chapters. So there is a Nexus around New York, San Francisco, and London. They are a global organization. And those are really just there was a strong community, great leadership, and a lot of awesome energy that existed in those three cities. But what happened during the pandemic is that we did move a lot of just like lots of organizations, we moved a lot of that content online and we started to grow virtually. So now we have members we have over 5000 members and they are across all neck of the woods and so it's it's really incredible to see how many how much our community is, is out there across the across the world. So our programming, it consists of a number of things. So there's a lot of workshops where we'll talk about whether it be career growth or learning processes, and also community development where you just need a group of women that she wants to be around to talk about certain things that are on your mind. It might be topical. So we'll talk about different new trends or things that are important to discuss and talk about you know, what is our point of view and the use of these certain technologies. And then there's other things about you know, just how, how to be a strong leader on how to work with a team or know what is it to really sort of think about more from an innovation standpoint, certain methodologies. So there's a number of events that will do, we do in person will have like really amazing salon like events or community events where we're gathering and bringing people together. There's a lot that are looking at different stages in their career and looking for support or advice. And then we also do publish. We publish research that we've done a number of sponsored research projects, which really are exciting. They have typically highlighted a number of women and what their journeys have been. And then we start to look at just different strategies for success within within the fields. And so I remember being a part of a report and learning so much from it. And then after having received the report furthering different ideas that that really helped me in my career. In terms of certain language to use and strategies deploy. So for those are really great. And then one of our signature events and experiences is our WIN awards, which we do every fall and that's where we really celebrate so many women who are doing amazing things, great projects, wants to know, and then this year was the first time where we also had a demo day where a number of startups pitched and we were able to fund one of them to to move forward on something. So those are really exciting. A lot of the programming we do because there's a connection to a community looking for it. And then there's a partner excited and interested to support that and so when we find those connections, we bring them together and make things happen.

15:31

And then so, what was your membership look like? Who should consider joining as a member?

15:39

Yeah, so we have a lot of women who are maybe early career who are new to the field or wanting to join in some capacity and the kind of innovation role and so they're seeking some some more you know, basics around what, what you need to know how, how this industry works, or they're looking for a new job and want to get into the field. So there's that committee which is more early career and then we have a lot of women especially now that are transitioning from one role to another or wanting to go out on their own or, you know, really make a pivot in their career. And this becomes a really wonderful space to be in and a community to share. Go in that journey. So you don't feel alone loneliness of stuff like you're always looking to cure and, and also to find resources, so to understand and to network. So those transition moments are also really incredible. And then we have an amazing roster of women who are very senior or have held really incredible positions in in whether it be an innovation or within whatever industry that they're in and they want to be more part of, of an organization like this, they see that the crafting and the development and the active participation in the future is an important piece of it. And so we have really strong mentors. We have really strong advisors and leaders on our board as as well as on a number of committees and councils and they are all bringing so much great experience and also questions about what's possible, what's possible for the next generation. So we see across the gamut. I think one of the things that we are looking into more and I think would be really great as part of our capacity building is to start to look into certain verticals that are of particular relevance and importance, especially for for us to be participating in either because there aren't a lot of women there are just something that's really important in our time and things like innovation in the field of health or innovation in the field of attack, or innovation in the field of sustainability. These are some of the topics that we're finding ourselves, wanting to just lean in more and make sure that there's our voices part of the conversation. So that's those are some of the ways so it could be it could be where you are in your life and your your work or it could be a particular topic, but we we do try to be broad in our definitions so that because we want for the field or the you know the world I like to say more of the world of innovation to be more inclusive. So we're very excited about the different audiences at least for me.

18:42

Well, you know, you mentioned people making a pivot in their career. So let's talk about yours, so what prompted you, within still innovation of going from working in the for profit sector as an architect to moving into the nonprofit sector as an Executive Director or CEO of a nonprofit? So what was that moment?

19:12

Yeah, yeah. A lot of my work when I was in a for profit, corporate role, was actually engaged in innovation consulting, or nonprofits. So a lot of my clients were in the nonprofit sector, and I just loved, I love the nonprofit sector. I've always found a very strong connection. I felt that within the nonprofit profit sector, the strategic thinking was always so strong and the purpose was always so aligned. And the mission was, there was so much passion around it. It just naturally I was drawn to serving that community. And so I remember marching up to the Office of my Managing Director and talking about, I want to start an innovation practice here. I also want to serve the nonprofit world, and I love my team and I want to lead a dream team. And I said, these are all the things that I remember her saying you have to pick one and I said I never I am going to find a way where all of these things come together and I feel like this is the best rendition of that I feel like the manifestation of combining innovation with nonprofit with this amazing group of people that all volunteer has been just like an incredible realization of that of that and the fact that it's all integrated. You know, there's something about that that's just really exciting and I don't have to choose, it's all here and I think that's a big part of it. I think it's also in my pivot, my career pivot, being able to find a way to have a number of things that all have synergy so I also do some advisory work I also teach. I also am a mom of twins. There's a lot there's a lot going on in all of our lives and, and I recently learned about this idea of fractional work. And what's been so exciting is that I feel so whole when all of all have the values of everything that I'm doing online and everyone is kind of mutually excited about the other things and I think that's something I feel very lucky. Very excited to have this more multifaceted dimension to my career and my life right now.

21:38

You know the things you mentioned values because I look at just knowing what I know from your work before to work now. It is all aligned with your values. It's so it's not it may be a transition from one, one job to another, but it's still really around the same type of work, essentially, value based work that you're doing.

22:02

Yeah, yeah, it's really important. I think there's something about inclusivity and equity that has always been pervasive to all of my work, as I mentioned from when I was born, is something that was always taught to me as something that is so worth fighting for. And so I really, I'm honored to be a leader of such a great organization and I feel that to create the conditions for a culture that are that are supportive of everyone who is living it and allows for them to have the ability and the inspiration to thrive is is really incredible and to be able to extend that I, I find that when you create this sometimes people will call it a coral reef. When you create this coral reef to work in. What what will happen is if people feel that and experience that, working with or experiencing an event that we put together or some program or some activation, we hope that it will stick with them, and they will bring that out they will extend that and and model that out in the world and then it will continue to grow. So there's a ecosystem or sort of forcefield that that exists within WIN and we trust that every interaction experience that you have with us as an organization or then continue to grow and, and spark that kind of inclusive environment beyond so that's that's really our purpose is to bring to create these, these situations that can have a lasting effect. And then for you to bring that forward and continue to have influence in the world. The world really needs us. And this is important.

23:51

Yeah. And, you know, perfect segue and my next question is about your legacy. So you're talking about bringing something into the world through when what you're seeking to do, what about yourself, what do you see your legacy being?

24:08

I think I think there's something really incredible about participating in the future. And the more we can create features that are we talked about, or features that are all of us. I think the more great things can happen and the more we can plant seeds for the next generation. So I feel really excited and strong about finding ways to create those kinds of situations and scenarios for for thinking about the future and being an active participant in a thing that future and I think organizations like this and all the things that I've been involved with and have continued to be looking for are really circled around that. That's really exciting to me.

25:01

Yeah, it's very exciting three weeks, and I'm sure there will, we'll check in later. Another later date to see all the things that you've been doing. So thank you so much for sharing the beginning. of your journey with when we're so excited to see how it evolves and as you build capacity, where can people find out more information about you and WIN?

25:19

Sure, so we have our website, which is women in innovation, all one word.co And there you can see what types of programs are upcoming. can learn more about our communities and see the impact that we have. And there's other opportunities to participate in a deeper way. So we have a donor page that we're really looking for more partnerships to get involved. We're excited about the upcoming international women's day there's always opportunities to really help boost our, our capacity through through those portals. And then we have our annual I mentioned, our annual awards, which is our signature moment to really bring the community together. And celebrate and so that's a great way to connect with us and show your interest and your investment and just being a part of the movement that we were all part of.

26:20

Great. Well, Amanda, thanks again. for joining us and sharing your journey. And, you know, for everyone that's joining us, we hope that we provided some insights and inspiration that you use for your own philanthropic journey. Thanks again, Amanda.

26:35

My pleasure. Thank you so much, Lori.