The Eric McDonnell Story: Show Notes
A native son of San Francisco, Eric McDonnell went from growing up in public housing to becoming the Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of United Way Bay Area. He has over 25 years as an experienced executive leader with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit management industry. Currently, he serves as a Principal at Peacock Partnerships LLC, promoting diverse perspectives and leading to better solutions. McDonnell has expertise in strategy development, management & leadership development, executive coaching, facilitation, and keynote speaking.
He also serves on the boards of Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) and Leadership San Francisco.
During our interview we discuss growing up in San Francisco, choosing the inside game to effect positive change, and facilitating courageous conversations in the workplace.
Peacock Partnerships https://peacockpartnerships.com/
Topics discussed in this episode:
[00:00] Introductions
[01:32] Quietly optimistic
[06:45] Politics is a game of compromise
[10:00] Public housing in the Fillmore District
[16:00] A pimp, like my Uncle
[18:20] Choosing the Inside Game
[28:00] You talk white, you act white — you’re not down
[32:40] No one questioned their Blackness
[37:57] Courageous Conversations
[47:02] Liberate me
[51:32] Rapid Fire — “Be You, Be Great”
Book Recommendations:
“How to Start a Podcast During a Pandemic”
About The Host:
Stevon Cook is a small business owner, policy maker and media personality. He is the founder of The Luther Harris Holding Company, a strategic advising company that focuses on creating partnerships, diversity recruitment and helping companies drive impact in the communities where they do business.
As the host of The Cook on Monday Morning podcast, he interviews high capacity leaders in a variety of industries. The goal of the podcast is to build a community of people creating lives that make them excited about Monday morning. At Cook on Monday Morning we believe that if we can own Monday morning, we can own the week, if we can own the week then we can own the year and if we change your year, we can change your life.
Cook is the former President of the San Francisco Board of Education. He was elected in 2016 with over 150,000 votes. He also served as CEO of Mission Bit, an education nonprofit focused on ending generational poverty through coding education for high school students.
Stay in Touch:
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Book Recommendations: https://www.stevoncook.com/bookshelf
Stevon Cook
Consultant: Strategic Advising & Recruiting | SF Board of Education | Cook on Monday Morning Podcast.