“Everyone is where they are because of the journey that brought them there. So if I can take a minute and listen more to the journey that brought you to where you are, it changes how we communicate and what we’re doing better is greater awareness and acknowledgment of the value of the change that we are fighting so hard to create.”
In his own words, that was the essence of Robin Reed. He was a man dedicated to society over self, with a constant desire to improve the lives of those around him.
“If you met Robin, he always left you better than he found you,” said longtime friend and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Monica Villalobos.
Reed died this past February at the age of 62.
From providing the voice of Franklin in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” in 1973, to serving as the CEO of the Black Chamber of Arizona in recent years, Reed dedicated his life to lifting others to make communities better.
“He found your strengths, he found your motivation, and he was like a chess master,” said STN founder and CEO Eric Sperling. “He knew where to put you in this community in order for you to accomplish your goal of changing the world.”
At the time of his death, Reed, along with Villalobos, was serving as a producing partner of the Community Collaborative, a discussion-based show produced by STN focused on diversity and inclusion in professional and nonprofit spaces.
“He was a connector, he was a convener, and that allowed us to make a bigger impact together and we always said, we’re stronger together,” Villalobos said. “Robin was everything that Arizona could be.”
