We Can Be Podcast - The Heinz Endowments

Sonya Tilghman, Executive Director of Hazelwood Initiative, joins Heinz Endowments President and “We Can Be” host Chris DeCardy for this episode of “We Can Be.”   Communities experiencing the exit of major economic drivers often face a fresh challenge when revitalization opportunities arise: how to ensure that their voice will be heard and respected so new business investments don’t push them out of their longtime homes and neighborhoods.   Raised in Washington D.C., Sonya came to Pittsburgh through an AmeriCorps position that sparked her interest in the intricacies of public policy, especially how it often seemed to lack input from the very people it was meant to serve.   Sonya has spent nearly 25 years empowering individuals and communities so they can share in the success of revitalization efforts. For the past decade she has led Hazelwood Initiative, an organization that works to build futures in communities where economic reinvention doesn’t mean displacement, and residents have healthy homes and thrivin