The Collective

January 31 - February 2, 2023

The Collective is SA2020’s signature annual event. Happening January 31 – February 2, 2023, The Collective will host three virtual conversations over three days bringing together national, statewide, and local experts. These conversations will explore how we can leverage the power of a shared community vision to lead community change. The Collective will coincide with SA2020’s online release of the newest community data showing where San Antonio stands on reaching the shared vision. 

Speakers

Jennifer Tran, Director of the National Equity Atlas, oversees the day-to-day management of the Atlas and leads the development of high-impact quantitative and mixed-methods analyses and data tools. She has over 15 years of experience producing data and actionable research for those working on the front lines to advance racial and economic equity. She previously worked at the Washington State Budget & Policy Center as the research & policy director and was formerly at PolicyLink from 2010-2015 helping to build and launch the Atlas in 2014.

Jennifer Tran
PolicyLink

Teri Castillo is a community organizer and a historian of Urban Policy elected to represent San Antonio’s District 5. Castillo is the proud daughter of a United States Navy Veteran and migrant farm workers. As a life long and generational resident of District 5, Castillo has committed to ensure our public money works for the people of San Antonio.

Councilwoman Teri Castillo
District 5

Carlos serves as the Director of Executive Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. He is a recognized champion of education justice, immigrant rights, and racial equity and brings over a decade of expertise in community organizing, movement building, and philanthropy. Most recently, Carlos was the Director of Special Projects at Youth on Board, where he developed, staffed, and executed various capacity-building programs for the youth justice movement field and partnered with philanthropy to advance support for healing justice initiatives across the country.

Carlos Rojas Álvarez
Decolonizing Wealth Project

Laura Cabanilla is a Corporate Responsibility Director strategy lead for the diversity, equity, and inclusion portfolio, aimed at empowering underrepresented communities to advance economic opportunity through education, employment, small business, and financial readiness. She also plays a leadership role in USAA regional campus citizenship strategies, investments, and impacts. Laura has 20+ years of experience designing and executing community development initiatives, brand management, corporate social responsibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies.

Laura Cabanilla
USAA

Chandra Villanueva joined Every Texan in 2010, and oversees their policy and advocacy work. Prior to joining Every Texan, Chandra was the manager of Advocacy and Public Policy with the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) in New York City. At WPA, and served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center. Chandra earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.

Chandra Villanueva
Every Texan

Anika is the co-founding Co-Executive Director of We Make the Future (WMTF) and We Make the Future Action (WMTFA). WMTF/A launched in early 2021 to combine strategic communications and coalition building to implement race forward narratives that motivate our base and persuade the middle for wins that allow all our communities to thrive. In 2016, Anika also became a Registered Nurse and continues to practice pediatric and community health nursing to stay grounded in the impact of our policies on the lives of families.

Anika Fassia
We Make the Future

Julián Castro was first elected to San Antonio City Council at the age of 26. He was elected Mayor in 2009, serving until 2014. As Mayor, Julián Castro led San Antonio’s original visioning process in 2010 and oversaw the formation of SA2020 as an independent nonprofit. He also led the effort to launch and fund Pre-K 4 SA through a sales tax increase, which was approved by voters in 2012 and again in 2020. In 2014, he was appointed as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Barack Obama. Castro published his memoir, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream, in 2018 and today is a political commentator on MSNBC and NBC News.

Julián Castro
NBC/MSNBC

Daryl oversees AFRE’s strategic communications for narrative change, including media training and media relations support to amplify Fellows’ voices and bring greater attention to their work. Prior to joining AFRE, Daryl was a vice president at BerlinRosen, where he led strategic arts, media and culture campaigns to advance racial equity for non-profits, international foundations and cultural institutions. He also worked in public relations for the Council of Fashion Designers of American (CFDA) and was the Director of Media and Community Partnerships with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Kiran is the Executive Director of SA2020 and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity.

Kiran Kaur Bains
SA2020

Schedule

Day 1 (January 31): Influencing Results-Driven, Data-Informed Public Policy | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Data is only as helpful as the critical questions we’re able to ask of it and the change we’re able to then affect. How does a shared vision help us ask the most critical questions? What does the latest community data tell us that’s new? What do we already know that we don’t need more data to prove? How can this information be used to shape public policy that gets us closer to the shared vision?

With Jennifer Tran, Councilwoman Teri Castillo, and Chandra Villanueva

Day 2 (February 1): Reimagining Philanthropy Toward Systems Change | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

While philanthropy has increasingly recognized racial inequities, institutional grant-making often reinforces unsustainable power dynamics. What examples exist today of philanthropy that redistributes wealth, builds trust with communities, and ultimately contributes to systems change? How might a shared vision guide this reimagination to reality? Who might be the evaluator of its progress and how?

With Carlos Rojas Álvarez and Laura Cabanilla

Day 3 (February 2): Shaping Narratives to Support a Visionary Future | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

The way we talk about problems shapes how we think about possible solutions. How can a shared vision help us talk about racial inequities with greater responsibility and more depth? What dominant narratives work against our desire for a visionary future? What is narrative change work and why does it matter?

With Anika Fassia, Julián Castro, and Daryl Hannah

Frequently Asked Questions

This year, The Collective is made up of three virtual conversations, taking place across three days. These will each take place at lunchtime, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.

Nope! Ticketholders will have access to the recorded conversations through March 2023. That means you can catch a conversation later if you’re not able to join live or return to it again after The Collective ends.

After you purchase your ticket, you’ll receive an email with access information for the live conversations by January 24th. Recorded conversations will be sent after the live session.

Tickets are on sale now through Eventbrite

To make our events as accessible as possible, SA2020 offers three ticket options. Each level provides the same access and perks.

  • The Connector level ticket is discounted for folks who are covering the ticket cost out of their own limited funds, including students, underemployed individuals, or those living on a fixed income. 
  • The Sustainer level ticket covers the actual cost per attendee. This ticket is for folks who have the resources to cover this level, or their organization is purchasing or contributing to the cost of their registration.
  • The Multiplier level ticket makes the event more affordable for folks who need it by allowing SA2020 to offer the Connector-level ticket option. 

Each ticket includes access to all three conversations (live and recorded), a $20 Favor Delivery credit to enjoy lunch from a local eatery during The Collective, and a curated playlist by Bonnie Cisneros—AKA DJ Despeinada—complementing the themes of the conversations.

Yes. We’re glad to offer ASL interpretation for each conversation, in partnership with Alamo Colleges. The live transcription feature will be also enabled during the conversations.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

CLAIMED

  • 30 guest admissions to all three virtual conversations
  • Recognition on SA2020 website, social media, and newsletter
  • Logo on all event & promotional graphics
  • Logo on conference app or platform
  • One 30-second (recorded) welcome message shared on Day 1

1 opportunity available

  • 20 guest admissions to all three virtual conversations
  • Recognition on SA2020 website, social media, and newsletter
  • Logo on all event & promotional graphics
  • Logo on conference app or platform

3 opportunities available

  • 15 guest admissions to all three virtual conversations
  • Recognition on SA2020 website, social media, and newsletter
  • Logo on all event & promotional graphics

Unlimited opportunities available

  • 10 admissions to all three virtual conversations
  • Recognition on SA2020 website, social media, and newsletter

Learn more about sponsorship opportunities, or email Ariane at Ariane@SA2020.org.

Friends,

After 12 years of driving progress toward a shared community vision, SA2020, the nonprofit organization, is dissolving. We believe this is the most visionary thing we can do. We made this decision with the greatest care for our organizational values of leadership, community, and accountability, and we hope you’ll read more about it on our blog.

Our website is live with our final data release, showing where San Antonio stands on reaching the shared community vision. The data release is accompanied by our final call to action—a policy agenda for City government based on our unique bird’s-eye view of San Antonio.

While SA2020’s operations ended March 28, these resources, along with the last twelve years of our research and stories, will be available to download from our website through September 2024.

– Team SA2020