(Editor’s note: This new feature is a partnership between CNYBJ and Leadership Greater Syracuse (LGS), spotlighting graduates of the civic-leadership training program and their community involvement.) LGS Class of 2019 Job Title: Community Services DirectorHometown: Syracuse Home today: Manlius Pride & Vision What makes you proud to be a Syracusan? Syracuse is where I became […]
(Editor’s note: This new feature is a partnership between CNYBJ and Leadership Greater Syracuse (LGS), spotlighting graduates of the civic-leadership training program and their community involvement.)
LGS Class of 2019
Job Title: Community Services Director
Hometown: Syracuse
Home today: Manlius
Pride & Vision
What makes you proud to be a Syracusan?
Syracuse is where I became what I am today. My parents met in Syracuse. My grandparents came to Syracuse as immigrants. As a struggling single parent, I moved from neighborhood to neighborhood in Syracuse — living on the Northside, Eastwood, Westcott, and Lyncourt at various points. I learned to value and harness the power of the indomitable underdog spirit, in Syracuse. What is your vision for Syracuse?
What is your vision for Syracuse?
I believe that it is by actively cultivating diversity that we build strength and lasting resilience. I believe in deliberately removing barriers to resources and in strategically creating spaces for honest, authentic collaboration. To that end, I envision a region where meaningful resident engagement leads every decision, where disagreement is not dismissed but is embraced as a learning opportunity, and where conflict is productive without needless escalation.
About Your Community Work
How do you help strengthen our community?
Most of my life has been spent working in direct service to underrepresented populations, people living with disabilities, people with mental illnesses, and individuals wrestling with poverty — and all that goes with it. My effort has always been to insist on full inclusion and rights, with dignity and respect for all members of our collective community, regardless of social standing. At a moment of deep personal reflection, I came to understand that the best use of my remaining days and energy, in order to have the most meaningful positive impact, would be to address poverty and its many implications for individuals, families and communities. Today I am proud to continue waging President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, at a community action agency.
Causes Supported
What causes, issues, or organizations do you actively support?
So many of the most important influences and heroes throughout my life have been women, and their lasting positive impacts upon my perspective and life course have made me a strident advocate for supporting women in positions of authority and power. I joined the board of a startup refugee women’s organization in 2018 to help get them on track; I helped a local refugee woman start a childcare facility to serve other working refugee mothers; I assisted with fundraising for a startup doula organization focused on serving black mothers; and I continue working to elect and support women in local, regional and state government.
ABOUT LGS
Share an LGS memory
My most important memory of the LGS year is that I learned to lean into discomfort, to go directly where I thought I might not find agreement or comfort and start dialog there. It has enhanced my perspective, my work, and indeed my personal life and lasting relationships. Some of the deepest friendships and collaborations have been with my LGS cohort.
