Meet Speakers from the Workforce Catalyst, NHSA’s Bold New Action-Oriented Initiative
by Frank Nolan, Staff Writer, NHSA
Workshops are not only opportunities to think collectively about how to tackle specific issues, but to explore common ground and connect through sharing stories.
At the National Head Start Association’s Workforce Catalyst, held last week in Anaheim, CA, the Head Start community and its partners heard from workforce experts with a range of experience working in business, philanthropy, and nonprofit organizations. The experts’ enthusiasm for the potential of what could be achieved for the Head Start workforce by the Catalyst was evident, and inspired the participants to take action.
We asked some of the speakers for highlights from the two-day design-thinking workshop.
“Working with Head Start Makes You a Much Stronger Leader”
Chaka Booker, The Broad Center
Chaka Booker, managing director of The Broad Center, a national nonprofit focused on leadership development in public education, brought his expertise in recruitment, selection, and professional development to the Workforce Catalyst.
For Chaka, leadership development in early childhood education is a personal mission. “I think back on my youth, and the thing that affected me was people looking out for me,” he said.
Chaka noted the crucial role that Head Start’s “whole child” model of comprehensive services plays in the program’s success with preparing children for life.
“Head Start is an incredible program,” he said. “Both the academic support that Head Start provides, but also the social-emotional support — both of those things matter. Head Start does a great job of looking at the whole child.”
Chaka told the Catalyst participants that he believes there is a unique opportunity for leadership development in the Head Start workforce. “Working with the Head Start population makes you a much stronger leader because of the context that you’re in. You have to be able to work with students. You have to be able to work with people that work with students. You have to work with the very young. You have to work with parents, community members — but you also have to be able to run an organization and understand how an organization works. It’s situational leadership. Leaders can make adjustments, and all those things are things you’re learning when you’re working in a Head Start program.”
Chaka recognized the opportunity the Workforce Catalyst created for participants to use the momentum coming out of the two day workshop to make immediate change at home. “I hope they come away inspired that they can actually continue to make a difference….And I hope they come away with practical tips; things they can actually do right when they get back to work.”
Head Start Staff are “Real Amplifiers”
Marc Martens, A Hundred Years
“[Head Start’s] mission of every child being able to lead a successful life is about the most important mission one could have — not just for the lives of the children, but for the good of our society,” A Hundred Years CEO and founder Marc Martens told participants in the Workforce Catalyst.
With his firm, A Hundred Years, Marc consults for large-scale corporations, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropies, and early-stage social enterprises. He has guided brands such as Sony, Redbull, and the Rockefeller Foundation and has spoken at Tedx Phoenix, TedActive, and the National Art Education Convention. Marc also teaches design thinking and design for impact at UCLA, and brought those skills to the Workforce Catalyst, which was a hybrid of a conference and design-thinking workshop.
After spending time with members of the Head Start community at the Catalyst, Marc reflected on the importance of what they do.
“They’re real amplifiers.” he said. “I think every single person in this room is able to influence the lives of many, many kids, which in return will build the kind of future we want to live in.”
“Supporting [Head Start Staff] Must be a Firm Commitment of All Who Believe in the Head Start Mission”
Sue Schank, Walt Disney World
Like Chaka Booker, Sue Schank has a personal attachment to Head Start and early childhood education. Sue is a former early childhood educator and professional development expert who began her professional journey in 1969 in the Michigan pre-k system. She spent 14 years working in public education before joining the Walt Disney World team. With Disney, Sue led youth education and leadership development, designing and leading training and development initiatives.
“[Early childhood education] was where I started my career,” Sue said, “I have a total passion for the critical nature of early childhood development.” she said. “Helping the children and the parents create the best possible environment for children to come to the world of education ready to be successful — there’s nothing more important.”
In her opening remarks for the Workforce Catalyst, NHSA Executive Director Yasmina Vinci said: “We all are aware of the selflessness and dedication of Head Start staff, and supporting them must be a firm commitment of all of those who believe in the Head Start mission.”
Sue could not agree more. “A leader can only be successful when their team is successful,” she said.
“Children and adults,we learn the same way. We all respond to the same things. We all want to be valued. We all want to be celebrated for success.”
“It’s Not Important; It’s Vital.”
Strahan Wallis, Porter Novelli
Strahan Wallis brought his 20 years of experience in public relations and communications to the Workforce Catalyst. A managing director for the southern California region at global agency Porter Novelli, Strahan is responsible for leading market growth, team culture and talent, and client engagement.
In his personal life, Strahan has a deep appreciation for early childhood development and community service. Both his mother and wife have been child protection social workers and have long been involved in family services and nonprofits. Strahan also serves as an advisor to a medical ship that delivers health services to impoverished rural communities in Papua New Guinea and loves getting involved in mission-driven nonprofits like NHSA.
Much like the other Catalyst experts, Strahan sees the big picture in Head Start’s mission of investing in America’s most vulnerable children and families. “It’s not important, it’s vital.” he told the Catalyst participants. “Think about the future they can bring, not only for themselves, but for the community and for the nation. It’s enormous.”
“I feel privileged and humbled,” Strahan said with a smile.
Expertise From a Broad Range of Experts
Nadine Farid Johnson and Nick Martucci, Google
Also bringing their expertise to the Workforce Catalyst were Nadine Farid Johnson and Nick Martucci from Google.
In her role as facilities manager at Google, Nadine curates the workplace environment for employees and visitors and serves as an ambassador for the site. Nadine has a background in law, university teaching, and diplomacy.
Nick is a human resources business partner at Google. In this role, he supports the local engineering teams in day-to-day HR matters and people programs, in addition to working to maintain a productive culture as a regional office. Prior to working at Google, Nick was an HR business partner and HR analyst at the Walt Disney Company.
