--- title: Who Gets to Help Shape a Region? description: Strong institutions do not happen by accident, it shaped by who gets invited into the room, whose experiences are valued, and how willing we are to look beyond the familiar. image: https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/The%20Architecture%20of%20Shared%20Prosperity.jpg --- [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201.png?width=114&height=48&name=image%201.png "image 1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) [![image 1-1](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%201-1.png?width=1500&height=625&name=image%201-1.png "image 1-1")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) [Join The Thriver's Path™](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) - [Books](https://orvinkimbrough.com/books) - [NIVRO AI](https://orvinkimbrough.com/nivro-ai) - Content - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-move-podcast/id1790945701) - About - [Meet Orv](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Contact](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Media and Testimonials](https://orvinkimbrough.com/media-testimonials) [Join The Thriver's Path](https://orvinkimbrough.com/begin-the-thrivers-path) # Who Gets to Help Shape a Region? ![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/The%20Architecture%20of%20Shared%20Prosperity.jpg) ## *It has been many years since we held our first Nonprofit Board Connect event.* Not everyone understood the idea initially. Why create an event specifically to connect talented, diverse leaders with nonprofit boards? The answer was and remains, fairly simple: strong regions need strong institutions, and strong institutions need boards that reflect the breadth of talent, experience and perspective within the communities they serve. Too often, the same visible people are asked to serve repeatedly, not because there is a shortage of capable people, but because institutions continue looking within the same familiar networks. The data reinforce the point. BoardSource found that 78% of nonprofit board members were white, 19% of participating organizations had all-white boards and 62% of nonprofit chief executives surveyed said their boards did not reflect the communities they served. This year’s Nonprofit Board Connect event is the largest in its history. We are oversubscribed. That tells me more people understand that board diversity is not about filling seats or checking boxes. It is about strengthening governance, widening perspective and connecting institutions to the communities they serve. This work continues something I cared deeply about in my former role and still believe is essential to the success of any region: preparing great people, all kinds of people, to help lead its institutions, while being intentional about increasing the presence of Black and brown leaders in rooms where consequential decisions are made. I have long believed that part of the problem is that many white people do not see themselves as part of diversity. They see diversity as everyone else. But a truly diverse society includes all of us, Black, white and people of every background. The goal is not to suggest that being white is somehow bad or to replace one group with another. It is to stop treating any one group as the default while everyone else is labeled “diverse.” That broader understanding does not eliminate the need for intentionality. Black and brown people remain underrepresented on many boards, and changing that requires deliberate action. The goal is to build governing bodies that draw upon the full range of people, experiences and perspectives within the communities they serve. At this year’s event, I will also release my newest mission brief, The Architecture of Shared Prosperity. It builds on papers I released in 2019 and 2020. This is not an academic paper. I wrote it to be accessible to Main Street while challenging those of us in positions of influence to think more deeply about how a region creates shared economic prosperity. The paper reflects what I have learned during nearly eight years in my current role. I have tried to hold two truths together: we should challenge people to rise, exercise agency and do what is within their control; and we must be honest about the structural barriers that can constrain even their best efforts. Shared prosperity requires both personal responsibility and institutional responsibility. Dignified work, entrepreneurship, ownership, education, health and neighborhood stability are connected. Each becomes more achievable when more people can participate meaningfully in the economy. Not everyone will agree with everything I have written. That is okay. My purpose is to put forward a vision for St. Louis and perhaps other metropolitan regions—that gives us something concrete to examine, debate and improve. Board service and shared prosperity may appear to be separate subjects. I believe they are part of the same architecture: \*\*who participates, who influences decisions and whether the institutions shaping a region draw upon the full range of talent already present within it.\*\* That is how stronger *institutions* and stronger *regions* are built. ---   "What part of your voice have you muted because comparison convinced you it wasn’t enough?" ###### — Reflection Question Reading List ## Books for Every Stage Wherever you are on your journey, there's a book to meet you there. ![Ward and the State book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ward_and_the_State_1360x1800_no_crop.png?width=200&name=Ward_and_the_State_1360x1800_no_crop.png "Ward and the State book cover") For Young Readers ### Ward and the State *A Story for Young Thrivers.* A picture book that helps children see that where they start doesn't decide where they can go. Get the Book ![More Than a Conqueror book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/More%20than%20a%20Conquerer_FINAL-1.png?width=200&name=More%20than%20a%20Conquerer_FINAL-1.png "More Than a Conqueror book cover") For Teens & Young Adults ### More Than a Conqueror *A Toolkit for Young Thrivers.* Practical tools to help young people move through hard seasons and build the life they want. Get the Book ![Twice Over a Man book cover](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Twice_Over_A_Man_800x1200_HQ.jpg?width=200&name=Twice_Over_A_Man_800x1200_HQ.jpg "Twice Over a Man book cover") For Adults ### Twice Over a Man *A Fierce Memoir of an Orphan Boy Who Doggedly Determined a Finer Life.* Orvin's own story of growing up an orphan and choosing to thrive. Get the Book Introducing ## The Thriver’s Path™ This blog is part of **The Thriver’s Path™** — a growing ecosystem of writing, courses, reflections, and community designed to help people of all ages reframe their thinking, reclaim their agency, and take their next meaningful move. Ready for your next move? → Explore More writings, resources, and ways to engage at [**orvinkimbrough.com**](https://orvinkimbrough.com) Connect Join the conversation inside the **Thrivers Club™ community** Tags: [Community](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/tag/community) Keep Reading ## Related Articles ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(27).jpg) November 5, 2026 What Really Drives Us: Why “Enough” Isn’t the Same for Everyone](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/what-really-drives-us-enough-and-margin) ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(26)-2.jpg) October 29, 2026 Purpose Over Pressure: The Motivation Strategy That Actually Lasts](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/purpose-over-pressure) ### [![](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hubfs/BLOG%20VISUALS%20(25).jpg) October 22, 2026 Stewardship, Not Hustle: A Faith-Centered Model for Modern Leadership](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog/stewardship-not-hustle-faith-centered-leadership) [![image 3](https://orvinkimbrough.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image%203.png?width=88&height=84&name=image%203.png "image 3")](https://orvinkimbrough.com/) - - - - - - - [Home](https://orvinkimbrough.com) - [Blog](https://orvinkimbrough.com/blog) - [About](https://orvinkimbrough.com/about-orv) - [Give Back](https://orvinkimbrough.com/give-back) - [Get in Touch](https://orvinkimbrough.com/contact) - [Privacy Policy](https://orvinkimbrough.com/terms-of-use-privacy-policy) Subscribe to our newsletter. 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