“Ready Enough” Leadership with Angel Charley

July 25, 2022
Marsela Rojas-Salas
[This podcast graphic uses modified images of: Alice Walker from The American Library Association, Angela Davis from Columbia GSAPP, Audre Lorde from Esla Dorfman, bell hooks from Alex Lozupone (Tduk), Grace Lee Boggs from Kyle McDonald, Ida B Wells: Public Domain, Patricia Hill Collins from Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil, Sojourner Truth: Public Domain, Yuri Kochiyama from Kochiyama family/UCLA Asian American Studies Center.]

[This podcast graphic uses modified images of: Alice Walker from The American Library Association, Angela Davis from Columbia GSAPP, Audre Lorde from Esla Dorfman, bell hooks from Alex Lozupone (Tduk), Grace Lee Boggs from Kyle McDonald, Ida B Wells: Public Domain, Patricia Hill Collins from Valter Campanato/Agência Brasil, Sojourner Truth: Public Domain, Yuri Kochiyama from Kochiyama family/UCLA Asian American Studies Center.]

In July 2022, The “Leadership Moves” podcast features Angel Charley, a former LEAP Fellow and executive director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women. The coalition was founded in 1996 in New Mexico by 3 native women Peggy Bird (Kewa), Darlene Correa (Laguna Pueblo), and Genne James (Navajo). Over 2 decades later, the coalition continues to be a resource for training, advocate support, technical assistance and policy advocacy. 

In this episode, we’ll be zeroing in on Angel’s experience “falling into” movement work and the behind the scenes process to becoming the executive director at a native-led coalition. She shares the intimate details that led to her being nominated as interim executive director and later becoming the Executive Director from creating a more financially stable organization to addressing organizational trauma and conflict among staff. 

Creating a healthier, more stable organization both fiscally and staff-wise takes time. It’s the everyday, mundane decisions we make as leaders that move us towards a resilient and healthier organizational culture and structure, but we couldn’t help but wonder how dominant culture’s expectations for leaders continue to impact how they show up in the workplace:

  • What impact do the  silent expectation for leaders to “hold it together” during a collective trauma have on the retention of leaders of color? 
  • How can we support our executive leaders, who are often going through silent trials and tribulations, when they are often  expected to keep challenges  to themselves?
  • And if our executive leaders are often unable to seek support internally, then where do they go for coaching and mentorship? 

To hear how Angel responds to these questions and to  learn more from her early days of becoming an executive director, listen to her episode on Spotify, Apple, or anywhere you listen to podcasts!


This project is supported by Grant No 2020-TA-AX-K022 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.