Jenny Leal had an idea that sounded almost too simple: what if all the community resources people needed were in one place?

Not scattered across different zip codes. Not hidden behind websites that require three clicks and a password. Not dependent on knowing exactly which agency handles which problem.

Just… together. Under one roof. Easy to find. Easier to access.

People told her it was ambitious. Maybe even naive. She built it anyway.

Her journey to co-founding Elevate Northland started during her public health master’s program, when a capstone project opened her eyes to a critical gap in the community. She was assessing the needs of New American communities in Northland, talking with local leaders, agencies, and residents about what was actually working and what wasn’t.

What she found wasn’t a lack of resources. It was a navigation problem. Services existed, but finding them required insider knowledge most people didn’t have.

With a background spanning journalism, public health, administrative work, and research — including time working abroad as a writer and copy editor in China and two master’s degrees — Jenny brought a unique lens to the challenge. She describes her professional path as “a bit all over the place,” but really, it gave her exactly what Northland needed: someone who could see systems, tell stories, and understand community health from multiple angles.

She started meeting with mentors and sketching out what she called a “Nonprofit Mall” — a place where community organizations could gather under one roof, where getting help didn’t require a roadmap.

Not long after, she partnered with Alice Foeller and Alicia Ward to make that vision real. Together, they built what is now Elevate Northland: a hub where entrepreneurs and nonprofits thrive side by side, where residents can access resources without jumping through bureaucratic hoops, where community actually means something tangible.

“Everything we’re doing is elevating Northland,” Jenny says. “Every step we take is part of that mission.”

Looking ahead, she’s focused on expanding support for entrepreneurs and nonprofits — and eventually opening another location that’s even more accessible for the community. Her dream? A true community center. The kind where people actually show up and know each other’s names, because it meets them where they are.

ABOUT ELEVATE NORTHLAND

Elevate Northland Center provides entrepreneurs with coworking and shared meeting space, office resources, and hands-on technical assistance in the heart of Columbus’s Northland neighborhood. As a nonprofit community hub, we reduce barriers to economic opportunity by offering a professional, values-aligned workspace designed for growth.

Our model is simple: as members grow their businesses, they help fund community programming and workforce development, strengthening long-term economic mobility and neighborhood stability. From first-time founders to established businesses scaling with purpose, Elevate Northland is where work, values, and community impact align.