Episode Summary: From Vacant Spaces to Vibrant Places with Kathleen Guillaume-Delemar
Podcast: Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell
Host: Julia Campbell
Guest: Kathleen Jeanette Guillaume-Delemar, President & CEO, Center for Community Progress
Date: October 22, 2025
Overview
In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, host Julia Campbell sits down with Kathleen Jeanette Guillaume-Delemar (“Kat”), President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress. The discussion delves into Kat’s personal journey from a childhood in Brooklyn shaped by poverty and violence to national leadership in community development, with a particular focus on transforming vacant properties and systemic disinvestment into vibrant, thriving spaces. The conversation highlights the human stories behind policy, practical lessons for nonprofits, the importance of language, and the power of cross-sector partnerships—all wrapped in honest, powerful storytelling.
Journey to Leadership: Personal and Professional Roots
[02:15–08:38]
- Formative Experiences: Kat shares her childhood in Brooklyn, growing up in a single-parent Haitian American household, surrounded by poverty, violence, and community disinvestment. She credits her mother’s unyielding commitment to education and self-worth as the foundation for her activism.
- “I was in this community where a lot of people looked like me. ... I saw the disinvestment not just in the neighborhood, but also at home…” – Kat [03:32]
- Early Activism: Inspired by her mother, Kat participated in protests and advocacy from a young age—even for groups of which she wasn’t a member—fueled by a belief in dignity for all.
- “I would protest for Muslim rights. I’m not part of the LGBTQIA community, but I’ll go protest… I just, you know, morally wanted to make sure that people always felt seen.” – Kat [06:26]
- Career Path: Moved from grassroots organizing to working on fair housing, affordable housing (with Jubilee Housing in D.C.), and homelessness policy—always connecting her own lived experiences to her mission.
- Leadership & Public Service: Kat became a respected regional leader, serving as an affordable housing commissioner and later making history as the first Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latina, Haitian American elected to the Glen Arden City Council.
- “Well-behaved women don’t make history, right?” – Kat [08:40]
- “That’s my poster. Absolutely…” – Julia [08:47]
The Center for Community Progress: Mission & Methods
[09:50–12:36]
- Explaining the Mission: The Center is the only national nonprofit dedicated to tackling property vacancy by working with policymakers, local leaders, and communities, aiming to dismantle unjust systems and foster thriving neighborhoods.
- Human-Centered Framing: Kat emphasizes making complex, systemic issues relatable by beginning with universal questions about community quality and safety.
- “When I speak about the issue, I always make sure that I say what it is... then I go deeper into saying... I work to tackle unjust policies and systems… so that neighborhoods... are not plagued by systemic disinvestment, systemic vacancy, poverty.” – Kat [11:17]
- The Power of Voice: She highlights that meaningful change requires listening to and empowering those most affected.
Storytelling as a Tool for Change
[13:06–16:18]
- Diverse Stories: Kat underscores the importance of multiple voices in storytelling, noting that every staff member’s connection can help reach different stakeholders.
- Personal Narrative: Kat’s own experience of trauma, vacancy, and community transformation shapes her advocacy.
- “No child should be witness to that. No adult should be a witness to that. No community should be a witness to that.” – Kat [15:13]
- Hope & Outcomes: She shares how a once-traumatized vacant lot in her childhood neighborhood is now a vibrant park and affordable housing, serving as concrete proof of community-led change.
Language Shapes Perceptions: Moving Beyond “Blight”
[16:18–18:23]
- Problematic Terminology: Kat rejects the word “blight,” explaining its racist history and dehumanizing effect.
- “It’s rooted in racist ideology… there’s a connotation that the blacker and browner a neighborhood, it infected the community… as opposed to the systems that… create black and brown people to be impoverished.” – Kat [17:03]
- Alternative Framing: She prefers “systemic vacancy” or vivid, human-centered descriptors (“boarded up houses”) for clarity and empathy.
Building & Sustaining Cross-Sector Partnerships
[18:23–22:20]
- Relationships Drive Results: Kat’s mantra is “relationships that lead to results.” She breaks down how nonprofit leaders must connect community, philanthropy, and policy sectors to achieve true change.
- “It would be disingenuous to believe that only one sector can change the system… all parties are brought to the table… where they all see where they need each other.” – Kat [19:05]
- Tailored Messaging: She advises knowing your audience—philanthropy, corporate, community—so the approach (and language) resonates and avoids silos.
Fundraising & Making the Case for Systemic Issues
[22:20–26:58]
- Realistic Approach: Kat acknowledges that not every funder “gets it”—sometimes extensive cultivation is required before making the ask.
- Strategic Cultivation: She stresses deep research, making personal contacts, and aligning with the funder’s demonstrated interests—even before discussing funding.
- “I legally, emphasis on legally, stalk organizations and individuals… I see who’s on their board, I see who they are, I find out where they’re going to be…”
- Anticipating Objections: Kat comes to meetings ready to address likely objections and demonstrate clear alignment.
- Proof of Impact: She shares a story of successfully converting a funder skeptical about systemic vacancy and public health into a multi-year funder through evidence-based storytelling.
- “This happened in 2020… there was a real big funder who didn’t see the connection… I was able to show them… if you want to talk about data, I can give you the numerical and I could give you the real life human data…” – Kat [25:44]
Mentorship and Leading with Lived Experience
[27:17–29:53]
- Advice to Emerging Leaders: Especially in the current climate, Kat advises nonprofit professionals to embrace advocacy and sacrifice in pursuit of positive change, despite financial challenges.
- “It is not criminal to look at the community around you and to want to raise awareness and dollars to be part of the change.” – Kat [27:46]
- Power of Proximity: She encourages leaders to deeply engage with those experiencing the problems firsthand and to use their platforms to lift those voices in inaccessible spaces.
- “They have the power. They have a special gift… to go into spaces and into rooms where they can actually represent and open doors for people…” [29:16]
Hope Amid the Challenges
[29:54–32:25]
- What Inspires Kat: Hope comes from witnessing people “fighting the good fight,” the relentless commitment of nonprofit professionals, and communities transforming “underestimated” places.
- “What gives me hope is my being able to see so many people… are dreamers like I was, who dreamed of living in a community where they were seen, where their voice mattered, where change actually is going to come.” – Kat [30:40]
- Credit to Others: References Daquan Oliver’s term “underestimated” rather than merely “underserved” communities.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Well-behaved women don’t make history, right?” – Kat [08:40]
- “My mantra has been for decades: relationships that lead to results. That’s a Cat-ism.” – Kat [18:53]
- “No child should be witness to that. No adult should be a witness to that. No community should be a witness to that.” – Kat [15:13]
- “It’s important… to attach different people to the story when you’re sharing it to the public.” – Kat [16:09]
- “It is not criminal to take sacrificial salaries because the end result will always be you trying to be on the good side of history.” – Kat [27:51]
- “Underserved communities are really underestimated.” – Kat referencing Daquan Oliver [31:52]
Learn More & Connect
[32:37]
- Website: www.communityprogress.org
- Email Kat: kguillaume@communityprogress.org
This episode is a masterclass in community-rooted leadership, honest storytelling, and building transformational, cross-sector relationships that turn neglected spaces into engines of hope.