Kim Janey speaking with EMPath participants and advocates Meshell, Tiffany, and Toneva at the New Heights Celebration in June 2022.

It’s been more than 100 days since EMPath welcomed former Boston Mayor Kim Janey as our new president & CEO. To celebrate this moment, she reflects on her time at EMPath so far and shares her thoughts on the future of the organization.

What’s a powerful moment that has stood out to you during your time at EMPath so far?

I’ve been fortunate to meet with so many wonderful people who make EMPath’s work possible – from participants in our programs and member organizations of our Exchange, to supporters in the community, our very own staff and Board of Directors, and donors who graciously support our work. Getting to know the families in our programs has been a highlight for me.

One standout moment was meeting a woman who recently graduated from our flagship program – the Career Family Opportunity (CFO) program. In sharing her experience, she told me that her mother had also participated in the CFO program, as part of the very first graduating class. This illustrates the multi-generational impact our programs can have – that our participants now have seen the impact from those who participated in our programs in years past and know it can make a difference.

What has surprised you the most about EMPath’s work so far?

Just how much work EMPath does – it’s incredible. Not only does the organization have a meaningful impact here in the Boston community, but we also are spreading our economic mobility coaching model and what we’ve learned across the country. The organizations we partner with in our learning network – the Economic Mobility Exchange™ – have seen the impact of our coaching model so much that they have adapted it in their own work supporting families. And now the Exchange is 150+ organizations strong.

How has your own lived experience informed your work so far at EMPath?

Beyond my connection to Crittenton (one of the legacy organizations that formed EMPath), where I received support to finish my high school education as a young mom, I also bring my experience as someone who has had to overcome many challenges our families now face – from housing insecurity to food insecurity. This means I bring a different understanding of the experiences that families have in trying to meet their basic needs. I know that it’s not just about getting a temporary better-paying job or a temporary apartment. We want to create that lasting impact – generation to generation.

I hope that, for the families we support, I can serve as an example of someone who has lived in shelter, who got their first apartment with a Section 8 voucher, who bought a home with the support of a first-time homebuyer’s program, and years later, is leading a national nonprofit. Much of what we talk about in our programs here at EMPath are the things that made the difference for me along the way: having people I could turn to for sound advice, mentors that helped get me on a particular road.

There’s a lot of power in seeing someone in leadership who has been on a similar journey and, by many people’s standards, has achieved success. I hope that I can inspire the families we support to believe in what’s possible.

How has your lived experience shaped the kind of leader you are?

Too often, the experiences of poor people, particularly poor people of color, have not been valued or centered in organizations. The perspectives of women of color coming into leadership as CEO – whether it’s a nonprofit, a Fortune 500 company, or an academic institution – matter, because of the experiences that we’re bringing to the table.

It leads to better decision-making and more equitable policies and practices at organizations. It can move us beyond the status quo to more deeply center the perspectives of all our staff and the families we support. I’m excited to bring that experience to EMPath as we continue to grow and evolve in the future.

What are you most excited about in the coming years at EMPath?

I’m excited about our AMP Up Boston Study, which is being conducted in partnership with the Boston Housing Authority (BHA). The study will seek to understand how our coaching model – Mobility Mentoring® – can advance the economic mobility of BHA residents.

I’m looking forward to seeing what this could potentially mean for families here in the Boston area and across the country. If the study affirms what we’ve long known, we’re hopeful we can expand our model even further.

I’m also energized by the potential for our learning network – the Exchange – to grow and expand on its impact to date. There’s a tremendous opportunity to continue learning from our peers in the space and put these learnings into action – to help us work towards our goal of supporting one million families.

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