Filene Fill-In Ep. 72: Introducing Dr. Mai Nguyen, Community Social Impact Fellow

Filene Research Institute

Last fall, Filene launched a new research center to focus on the power of credit unions’ social and community impact — not only to explore the way that this type of work being done by credit unions, if strategically maximized, partnered and amplified, has potential to significantly and positively transform entire communities, but also to explore the way that, through putting a focus on making transformative change for those they serve, credit unions can rightfully claim a key differentiation point in a crowded financial services space. To move this focus into action, we needed to find exactly the right person to lead the work. This is where Dr. Mai Nguyen comes into the Filene picture. Officially, through her role as fellow for the Center for Community Social Impact, Dr. Nguyen seeks to measure and expand credit unions' social impact and help credit unions develop strategic advantages in their communities as they affect long-term positive community transformation. Dr. Nguyen, however, is known to be refreshingly unconventional through her work that speaks to the power of what research can do to move people to action when it is translated in ways that are emotionally compelling. For an example, look no further than her multi-media project called “In the Shadows of Ferguson” that tells a 100 year history of how housing and urban policies have racially divided U.S. communities, through an empathetic and accessible approach that bridges research, social science, history, performing art, media, and digital humanities. Dr. Nguyen’s research is inspired by the goal of creating equitable and resilient communities through structural and systemic change. She is the director of the design lab at University of California San Diego, a professor of city and regional planning and a housing and urban scholar who seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable and underserved populations. In this episode, you’ll get an introduction to her work and her vision for the opportunities credit unions have to change their members lives, positively transform their communities and strategically grow and differentiate their businesses while doing so. More on Mai's research with Filene: filene.org/socialimpact Watch "In the Shadows of Ferguson" https://vimeo.com/247598465