For 12 years, Jamar Hardy has served on the board of The Link, a nonprofit that provides crisis intervention, supportive services, emergency shelter, and housing for youth and young families. During his tenure, the Minneapolis organization’s annual budget increased from $3 million to $16 million, helping expand its programs to include a new drop-in center, street outreach, three juvenile justice alternative programs, three emergency shelters, and six housing programs. Thanks in great part to Hardy’s dedication to creating a community where everyone, particularly BIPOC individuals, has equitable access to homeownership and generational wealth, The Link serves more than 2,000 youth and families annually. Hardy works as a managing broker at Edina Realty’s Lyndale office in Minneapolis and is the company’s director of diversity and inclusion for its 70-plus offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin.