Cinnamon Pelly, a longtime nonprofit and banking leader from Ohio, on Monday began her new role as president and CEO of Minneapolis nonprofit Pillsbury United Communities (PUC).

She spent the last couple years as chief operating officer of the Urban League of Greater Southwest Ohio in Cincinnati. When a recruiter reached out to her about the opportunity at PUC, she said she wasn’t actively looking for a new job. But as she learned more about the Minneapolis nonprofit, she was intrigued.

The new job, she said, sounded like an opportunity to do everything she was passionate about “under one roof.”

Pelly also noted that PUC’s leadership team seemed to stick around. “They tend to recruit talented folks that stay,” Pelly said in an interview with TCB. “That’s kind of rare – usually you only see that type of longevity in government and places like that.”

During her time in Ohio, Pelly racked up a list of impressive accomplishments, including negotiating a multi-year, multimillion-dollar lease for a social justice center. She also had experience helping communities navigate instances of police brutality. But in her new role in Minneapolis, she plans to do a lot of listening before embarking on any new big initiatives.

“I’m a consensus builder,” Pelly said. “My approach is to hold all judgment until I get to know the people and the place better. … Part of the PUC story is this legacy of working together in partnership with neighbors, and that is how they’ve created these priorities.”

Before she worked in nonprofits, Pelly had a career in banking and finance, including leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase. Those jobs helped build her business acumen and her understanding of community building. Her banking career also coincided with the Great Recession in the late aughts – a fraught time to work in the industry. But that period came with a set of lessons learned that she carries to this day. “I was there when the bottom fell out of the housing market,” Pelly said. “I learned the hard way about crisis communication and some of the tougher things that come with being in leadership.”

Pelly, who holds an undergraduate degree in African American and African Studies and a master’s degree in human services management, favors a more holistic approach to social issues – whether it’s food security or affordable housing. “It’s multifaceted,” she said.

PUC leaders said they were attracted by Pelly’s “breadth of skills and experience.”

“Uniting people is the key to our future,” said PUC board chair Heath Rudduck in a statement. “With game-changing directives in play that will positively impact so many parts of the community, the Board is excited to welcome Cinnamon to help begin PUC’s next chapter.”