I’m Jamilla Pinder, director of Community Impact at Cone Health Foundation and above all, a lover of this city. My work centers on creating healthier and more equitable communities by addressing the full picture of what people need to thrive—health care, food, housing, financial stability, education, and safe public spaces.

I helped open a medical clinic in an underserved neighborhood by listening directly to residents about their needs, then built partnerships that connected health care with food access, small businesses, and housing stability. When the local co-op closed, I organized mobile food markets that gave families choice and dignity in accessing fresh food—an effort that continues today.

For more than six years, I’ve worked with Safer Cities Greensboro and local libraries to create spaces where neighbors, nonprofits, and institutions come together to solve challenges. Through this work, I’ve learned that lasting change comes not from doing things for communities, but with them.

For me, it’s about “we the people.” Every person has a role in shaping the future of their community, and my joy comes from seeing sparks of possibility turn into collective action. This is what makes our city stronger—and what it means to live our shared responsibility together.