Transcript

Denver: It’s time for Take Five with Carol Naughton, the President of Purpose Built Communities. Are you ready, Carol?

Carol: I am ready.

Denver: What idea in philanthropy is ready for retirement?

Carol: That we’re not going to fund overhead.

Denver: What should we be worried about?

Carol: North Korea.

Denver: What is one of your favorite documentaries or movies?

Carol: Ken Burns film on Vietnam.

Denver: What is today’s most underreported story?

Carol: That we’re making some success in helping people move up and out of poverty.

Denver: What is something you believe that other people think is just insane?

Carol: That we will end intergenerational poverty in our lifetime.

Denver: Name some organization or person that you have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for?

Carol: Larry James at CitySquare in Dallas.

Denver: What is one of the most interesting part of your morning ritual?

Carol: Coffee with my husband.

Denver: What is the most important thing that makes for a healthy organizational culture?

Carol: The ability to talk about difficult things honestly and openly.

Denver: What did you change your mind about in the last 10 years? 

Carol: I have come to the conclusion that the best answers do not come from Washington but they come from local leaders trying to solve local problems.

Denver: If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be?

Carol: I would be a potato masher.

Denver: What do you wish people were more open and honest about?

Carol: Race.

Denver: What is your superpower?

Carol: I’m mixed-income woman.

Denver: If you could have one gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say?

Carol: We can do this.

Denver: What is the one book you would give as a gift?

Carol: To Kill a Mockingbird.

Denver: What topic would you speak about if you were asked to give a TED Talk on something outside of your main area of expertise?

Carol: Race.

Denver: What is something about you that very few other people know?

Carol: That I had two broken arms at once.

Denver: Given the choice of anyone famous in the world, dead or alive, that you could come over to your house as a dinner guest, who would you invite?

Carol: Abraham Lincoln.

Denver: When was the last time you sang to yourself?

Carol: This morning.

Denver: To someone else?

Carol: Probably my child’s last birthday.

Denver: What advice would you give to your 25-year old self?

Carol: Don’t be afraid.

Denver: And finally, do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?

Carol: It’s Margaret Mead’s quote about a small group of people being able to change the world.

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