Meet the Panelists

Natosha Reid Rice

Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Habitat for Humanity International

Natosha Reid Rice previously served as the Associate General Counsel for Real Estate and Finance at Habitat for Humanity International. In addition to her work at Habitat, Natosha served as an Associate Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church for 11 years before accepting her new role as Minister for Public Life at All Saints’ Episcopal Church. Prior to joining Habitat, she practiced law in the commercial real estate practices of Alston & Bird LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia and at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison in New York City. Additionally, she is a highly regarded keynote speaker and workshop facilitator on topics such as the power of authentic leadership, the intersection of faith and justice, the power and impact of privilege, equity and inclusion, race and gender justice, and community empowerment. Natosha received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Government with honors from Harvard/Radcliffe College where she was a Harvard/Radcliffe Class Marshall and awarded the Captain Jonathan Fay Prize (Radcliffe’s Highest Honor) and the E.P. Saltonstall Prize. Natosha is married to Corey Rice and they are the proud parents of Kayla, Malachi and Caleb.

Tawanna A. Black

Chief Executive Officer, Center for Economic Inclusion

Tawanna A. Black is a nationally recognized thought leader. In 2018, Tawanna launched the nation’s first organization dedicated exclusively to creating inclusive regional economies, the Center for Economic Inclusion. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tawanna leads a team of people who equip leaders and institutions throughout the Minneapolis-Saint Paul region with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to dismantle institutional racism and bias, foster shared accountability, and catalyze an inclusive, equitable, and growing economy. Prior to founding the Center, Tawanna was Executive Director of the Northside Funders Group. The place-based funders collaborative consisted of 20 corporate, community, and private foundations and public-sector investors committed to aligning investments and strategies and changing philanthropic practices to catalyze racial and economic equity in North Minneapolis. Before moving to Minnesota, Tawanna was the Director of Diversity for Cox Communications and served as the first Executive Director for Destination Midtown. Tawanna is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. She has a Bachelor of Public Administration Degree from Washburn University in Topeka, KS.

Henry Rucker

Financial Coach, Project for Pride in Living, & Real Estate Broker, Banneker Realty, LLC

Henry Rucker, Homeownership and Financial Coaching Coordinator, joined Project for Pride in Living (PPL) in January 2014. Before coming to PPL, Henry worked at Lutheran Social Services as a Financial Opportunity Center Program Coordinator, as a banker for US Bank, and as a real estate broker for Banneker Realty. His 15 years of experience as a banker make him well versed in the tools available to consumers. Over his six years coordinating financial training, he has developed expertise in helping lower-income individuals attain greater financial stability, with a strong interest in helping people make the transition to homeownership. Henry now conducts financial training workshops and provides financial and homeownership coaching to participants at PPL. In addition to his work at PPL, he is a certified provider of Home Stretch workshops and currently teaches classes for PPL and other local non-profits. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University in 1992 and is a licensed real estate broker.

Kirsten Delegard

Co-Director & Co-Founder, Mapping Prejudice Project

Kirsten Delegard is one of the co-founders of the Mapping Prejudice Project and the Historyapolis Project. Delegard also holds faculty affiliations with the Department of Geography, Environment and Society and the Heritage Studies and Public History Program at the University of Minnesota. She was awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment of the Humanities and has been a Legacy Research fellow at the Gale Library at the Minnesota Historical Society. In 2012, the University of Pennsylvania Press published her book, Battling Miss Bolsheviki: The Origins of Female Conservatism in the United States. Delegard was also the co-editor, with Nancy A. Hewitt, for the two volume textbook Women, Families and Communities: Readings in American History (Longman Publishing, 2008). She was also part of the team behind Mary Wingerd’s North Country: The Making of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press, 2010). Delegard was the image curator for that volume, writing a series of interpretive essays that explained the visuals. Delegard received her Ph.D. in history from Duke University, where she trained as a women’s historian. In her early research, she explored the history of women and politics.