EP 50: How Lifting The Bottom Lifts Us All with LaChaun Banks

Listen as Raven Heyward, founder and host of DiversifyHER, converses with LaChaun J. Banks a nationally recognized leader in equitable economic development, inclusive growth, and cross-sector collaboration. LaChaun is a Professor of Practice at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she teaches Markets, Government, and Sustainable Growth, and a research fellow at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, contributing to the American Growth Project on place-based economic growth. She previously held senior leadership roles at Harvard Kennedy School, including serving as the inaugural Director for Equity and Inclusion at the Ash Center and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, where she co-created the City Leader Guide for Equitable Economic Development now used by city leaders nationwide. With experience spanning academia, government, and the private sector, LaChaun has advised senior public officials, led multimillion-dollar initiatives, and helped shape frameworks that move equity from theory into practice, offering powerful insights on leadership, strategy, and building economies that work for everyone.Connect with Professor Banks!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachaun-banks-3a201721/