In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Kadar Lewis, EdD. Kadar tells us he was a low-income student of color who was, fortunately, given scholarships to attend private schools when he was growing up. Often, he was the only black kid in his classes. This meant he was the low-income kid surrounded by money. It was everywhere, yet his family didn’t have much. Kadar considers that dissonance as the beginning of the money trauma he experienced throughout his life. One component of that trauma was denying the importance of money. But then he realized that we all need money to move, to function, and to fulfill our life dreams and purpose. That realization changed Kadar’s life and his relationship with money forever.

Kadar, author of “Thrive at Work in Your 20s,” is an educator and community leader dedicated to enriching the world with life skills and leadership education which help youth and young adults succeed at their highest levels. Since 2019, Kadar has served Los Angeles County as a program officer for The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, which provides $20 million in grants each year to approximately 300 highly impactful and transformative local nonprofit organizations.

An educator and organizational leader for 20 years, Kadar began his career as a classroom teacher in South LA, which catapulted him to leadership positions with ICEF Public Schools, Magic Johnson Foundation, and the Fulfillment Fund.  He has led thousands of students through workshops and individually advised and mentored hundreds of young adults to achieve their educational, career and personal goals and dreams.

Kadar earned a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola Marymount University, a master’s degree in Educational Technology Leadership from Cal State LA, and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Harvard.