Opportunity and Belonging with Ze Min Xiao

In this episode, host Paul Kuttner talks with Ze Min Xiao, President and CEO of The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging in Utah. Ze founded the center just a few years ago, with the goal of building “a Utah where everyone can thrive and belong.” As you’ll hear, that means bringing community leaders and organizations together with highest levels of state government, businesses, nonprofits, and funders to tackle economic and educational disparities.

Ze shares how her family, and her many years working in immigrant and refugee services, shaped her belief in putting community wisdom first. She talks about what it takes to build partnerships across lines of faith and political party in deep-red Utah, even on major political lightning rods like immigration. She opens up about the emotional toll this work can take, and where she finds resilience and hope when things are at their bleakest.  

Ze doesn’t hold back in her assessment of where things stand right now. But she leaves us with what she says good leaders offer us: a future vision we can work toward together.

Visit Ze's organization at belonginutah.org

Learn about Team Democracy's river rafting project at raftforamerica.org

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Partnership Work is an independent podcast, produced with the support of Urban Media Arts in Malden, MA. Visit them at https://urbanmediaarts.org/

The music for Partnership Work is Revolution, composed by John August Pregler and Bernard James Perry II.