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You pour your heart into your mission every day. But how do you know what’s truly working—and how to make it work even better?
Join us for a free, live webinar on Monday, September 9 at 1:00 PM ET to explore how research can shine a light on the impact you’re already making—and help you reach even further.
Shana Berkeley leads Corner to Corner, a Nashville nonprofit helping underestimated entrepreneurs build businesses and wealth. Patrick Turner is a researcher at the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), partnering with nonprofits to uncover what works—and why.
In this conversation, you’ll hear what a true nonprofit–research partnership looks like:
- How organizations and researchers work together to answer the questions that matter most
- How to navigate real-world challenges, from staffing to resources
- How evidence can help you strengthen programs, attract funding, influence policy, and change lives
Moderator:
 Lucas Grindley
Lucas is executive director of Next City and host of our podcast. He's the former President of Pride Media and led LGBTQ brands The Advocate, Out magazine, Out Traveler, Plus magazine, and PRIDE.com, which he founded. Grindley was also editor in chief of The Advocate, the longest running LGBTQ magazine in the country. In both 2016 and 2018, NLGJA honored Grindley as “LGBTQ Journalist of the Year” with its Sarah Pettit Memorial Award. Previously, he was managing editor for online at National Journal magazine in Washington, D.C.
Guest Speakers:
 Patrick Turner
Patrick Turner is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and a researcher with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). He is an applied microeconomist who focuses on the intersection of public policy and the labor market. Through his work with LEO, he partners with state and local governments and social service agencies to quantify the impact of their adult education, workforce, and anti-poverty programs. His research has been published in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Journal of Human Resources, and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. Since 2024, he is a research affiliate with the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). In 2018, he joined the University of Notre Dame as a research faculty with LEO.
 Shana Berkeley
Shana Berkeley is the Executive Director of Corner to Corner, a Nashville nonprofit whose work is firmly grounded in educational and economic equity. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, she went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and her Juris Doctorate from Belmont University College of Law. She left the practice of law in 2019 to take on the role of the Director of The Academy, Corner to Corner’s 10-week entrepreneurship program that helps neighbors turn their business dreams into money-making realities. Under her leadership, she scaled the program to one of the top programs for early-start entrepreneurs in the nation. In 2022, she started her role as the Executive Director. Outside of Corner to Corner, Shana owns The FashionChase, a fashion firm that helps corporately creative women find and redefine their personal style. She does not have children, but she is the proud mother of over 100 pairs of shoes.
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