Kristyn began her equity-focused career at a community redevelopment agency in Delray Beach FL. She quickly learned from resident leadership that systems and institutions responsible for oppressing communities were not going to offer sustainable solutions to problems communities face. Collective training received from the Racial Equity Institute (REI) on systemic and institutionalized racism; the power of community assets and capacity from the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute; and systems change by deepening community through collective impact by the Tamarack Institute - validated this perspective, particularly for communities of color. Kristyn leaned into the power of community and community-based solutions and organized stakeholders and gatekeepers around equitable development and policies through a refacing of the community’s neighborhood redevelopment plan, prioritizing Power Principles: Civic Stewardship, Community Capacity Building, and Community Wealth Building. It was through this work and other collective impact initiatives that she met like-minded change-agents and transformational leaders, that now inspire and drive the work of Thrive.