What motivates you? 

I am motivated by my goal of supporting and providing resources to my colleagues and other Human Resources, Administrative, and Operations teams in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. As anti-TGNC legislation passes and TGNC violence increases across the country, it’s essential to center BIPOC TGNC needs, undo inequities in the workplace, advance transparency, and operationalize a social justice lens to our work. I am also motivated by TGNC Black and Brown multigenerational organizing throughout the South, caregivers, and Toni Morrison’s writings. 

What’s something that has surprised you about your chosen career path?

What I found surprising is doing liberation and equity work in my HR role in the philanthropic sector. I find joy and creativity in providing a wide range of support for my colleagues who are shifting resources to LGBTQ communities, from operationalizing our organization’s values and mission in HR, to total compensation grounded in racial, gender, disability, and economic justice, and improving our organization’s resources that help staff thrive in and outside the workplace.

Have you ever had to “unlearn” something in your professional life? What was it? 

I have had to unlearn producing work in high volume and operating at a fast pace. This feeds into a white supremacist and burnt-out culture. I am learning how to be more at ease, care for myself and others when things feel overwhelming, and embrace a culture of collective care, rest, and joy! 

Who has inspired your career path most in your life? 

My mentor and my previous academic advisor, Dr. Tracyann Williams, is one of the people who have inspired my career path. She provided me with transformative coaching when I attended college as an adult bachelor’s student. I had the honor to have taken Dr. Williams’s courses focused on African American studies, gender studies, and mixed-race women in modern fiction. I cherish Dr. Williams’s leadership, brilliance, and teachings that have helped shape my political lens. I often hear her voice in the back of my head when I am making important decisions and how to show up in the workplace and in life. Her boldness and courage continue to inspire me every day.