How can you show up for others? According to Derrick Fleming, Jr., you have to start by showing up for yourself. In this episode of Business Edge, Derrick explains how being your authentic self and learning how to navigate the spaces that you’re in is the first step in learning to cooperate with and liberate those around you. He also speaks to his current work with helping black and brown youth in Chicago get into college, through college, and into the workforce through the Chicago Scholars program. Plus, hear him talk about his time working under the Obama Administration, and the important lessons he learned along the way.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:00:00] You only get one life. You only get one body. So how can I create a space where I can teach you how to be personally liberated? We cannot liberate anyone else. I don't care if you're black, white, Christian, whatever it may be, you cannot liberate anyone else until you start to liberate yourself.
Finn Lambouris [00:00:16] You're listening to Business Edge, the podcast for professionals looking to excel in the workforce. In each episode, our guests take a deep dive into their personal and professional experiences to give you an edge in the marketplace. This podcast is brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:31] Welcome back to another episode of the Business Edge podcast. I'm Chrissy Vasquez.
Nicole Klemp [00:00:36] And I'm Nicole Klemp.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:00:37] We're so glad that you joined us today, and today we have Derrick Fleming joining us. We're going to share a little bit about him, and then we'll jump into the conversation.
Nicole Klemp [00:00:46] Yeah, we're really excited to have Derrick with us. I'm going to talk a little bit about Derrick. So, "When you think of style and class, organization and structure, education and empowerment, equity and advocacy, Derrick Fleming, also known as Derrick The Gent, is the man to make it happen. As a former White House staff member under the Obama administration, now currently serving as the managing director of strategic engagement for Chicago Scholars, a social entrepreneur (the Just Be Campaign) and serving in other national and local community education leadership capacities. Derrick leads with a heart to serve and a passion for youth, collective impact, and systems change. Derrick brings electrifying energy to any atmosphere, and with over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors focusing on education, social impact, youth development, and mentorship. He has eight plus years of project management, coaching and training experience, and over six years of program and people management experience. Derrick brings a level of problem solving skills that sets everyone at ease and makes solutions-focused work feel like fun." Derrick, we're so excited to have you with us today.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:01:50] I'm excited to be here! It's always funny to hear my bio being read.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:01:57] So, Derek, my first question to you. So you went to Alabama State, and you got your degree in Communication. Tell us a little bit about how you found AKPsi and why you thought it would be a good opportunity.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:02:08] Yeah. Well, for first, thank you all for having me on this morning, and I'm excited to have this conversation. When I first enrolled at ASU or Alabama State University in 2006, I saw a lot of amazing people on campus and I saw this one organization walking around and doing amazing things, always dressed up in a suit. Me coming from Chicago, you know, I was used to urban wear, and it was my first time seeing a lot of young professionals in suits and ties, and I kept an eye on them. And then my junior year, someone was like, "Hey, do you want to try out for AKPsi?" And I did it, and I was initiated, and it was a beautiful time. The Brotherhood was something that I needed and to this day still hold strong with all my brothers who through that process.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:02:56] Awesome.
Nicole Klemp [00:02:57] Yeah, that's great. So tell us a little bit about what you're doing today and kind of how you got from those college days to where you are now with your fancy bow tie you've got on today.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:03:09] Yeah. As you mentioned, my undergrad is in TV and film, and at one point in my life I thought I was moving to Hollywood and becoming the next Spike Lee and creating films. And you know, when I graduated from undergrad I'm like, "Hey Derrick, well look at your resume, you only have two internships, you know, in TV and film when you have a lot of experience in community and community education." And I tried my first year as a teacher and I hated it. It's not that I hated teaching, I hated the US way of educating our young people. So I took an internship at the White House that turned into a job, and hearing President Obama, you know, as I'm doing scheduling advance work, traveling around the country talking about going back to your community, talking about grass roots, talking about being a part of the change, that solidified for me that that's what I wanted to do. And I went back to graduate school in 2013 and got my masters in nonprofit management and been working in the space in Chicago ever since. I thought I was gonna go back to D.C. after I got my masters to return to the Obama administration. But I ended up staying in Chicago and been here almost 10 years. Back serving my community in various capacities. I was the high school counselor for some time and then moved up to a regional supervisor. Then I transitioned my organization and now I'm a managing director overseeing strategic engagement. And my primary job is just to bring opportunities together to really meet the needs of our unique young people here in Chicago and communities here in Chicago.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:04:34] Great. Thank you for sharing. So talk to us a little bit about the work of Chicago Scholars.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:04:39] Yeah. So we've been around 25 years. We are the largest college access organization here in Chicago, serving with 5000 young people. We are one of the few organizations that does all three parts, so that's making sure young people get into college, through college, and into the workforce. Most times, organizations in our sector either does one or two of those. We do all three, which hints why we have five thousand students in our program. And at the core of our work is about economic mobility, it's about leadership development, it's about belonging. We want to make sure first generation and low income students from various backgrounds and diverse identities have all of the things they need to make sure they make the best informed decision in the college if they want to attend to. We want to make sure that they have the least amount of debt, so we are advising students for a four year degree. You should not take out no more than 20 to 40 thousand for a four year degree. I don't care what school you go to, if you're going to Harvard or a directional college. You should not be taking out a lot of debt, especially when we're dealing with majority black and brown youth. We want to make sure that we are setting them up for success. As you can imagine, here in Chicago, we have a lot of injustices happening in the city and we're trying to disrupt the achievement and wealth gap here in Chicago. So how we do that in terms of making sure our students select the best match, that are financial fit institutions that allow them to go from college right into career.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:06:05] Wow. We've talked a lot on the podcast this season about how the landscape of higher education is changing. And so how is that impacting your work when you work with the students?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:06:15] Yeah. So there is a report that came out, I think, either earlier this year or last year that said there's up to a million less young people in college right now. So, and then you also got Google and you have, you know, Apple, you have all these tech conglomerates doing some amazing work that make education different. You can go on YouTube and learn how to do amazing things. You can go to LinkedIn and Google and learn amazing things. So, you talking about college, you really have to make sure that it's understanding like what is the ROI in going to these institutions and taking out almost a quarter million dollars, you know, to go to school? So when we think about the work that we do at Chicago Scholars, the students we are serving, these are students that want to go to school. So we admitting 600 students every year into our program and these six hundred students want to go to college and they have the ambition. They have the excitement. They know, as first generation, low income individuals, that this is the path forward for them. So when we talking about the importance of college, you know, right now with the pandemic going on, the job market is scarce, you know, depending on what you want to do. So for some of our young people, the best bet is they're going to go to college right now, gain the skills. And we often say college is not just about the degree, but it's about the leadership experience along the way. While you're in school, those essential skills, those soft skills, those networkings, those internship opportunities that really allow you to go into that job once you graduate. Our young people are making an average of 40 to 60K in their first position once they graduate. So we are changing generations by making sure that they are not just going to college, but they're going to college, least amount of debt to zero debt and coming out with a living sustainable wage in order to move their futures and families forward.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:07:58] So if I'm hearing a little bit, it sounds like you're doing some financial literacy with them for them to be able to understand that, because I know that's one thing that I feel like our country's missing tremendously, right? If you don't learn it in the household, you don't learn it anywhere else. And I think that's where a lot of our country's in some debt because, you know, they don't have that. So do you guys do some financial literacy programing with them?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:08:22] Yes, it's a part of our core programing. So our core program is, of course, the college access and success work. But the other piece is leadership development and within that curriculum, there's a lot around financial literacy and that's about money management. We partner with some of the big banks around the nation that come in and give pro-bono opportunities to our students to understand finance. And so we're doing a lot of that work because a lot of times our students are going to school with full rides, so sometimes they're being paid to go to school. So if you're getting a check compared to some students, that just have to fight to get the money to go. We want to make sure they're navigating those finances, so yes, financial literacy is very big for us as well.
Nicole Klemp [00:09:02] That's great. That is so important, I think right now, especially with college being as expensive as it is, it really, really is fantastic.
Nicole Klemp [00:09:11] You’ve been listening to Business Edge, brought to you by Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity, and sponsored by Synergos Association Management Company. Now, let’s get back to the conversation.
Nicole Klemp [00:09:24] I want to back up a bit. You know, you mentioned being a White House staffer in the Obama administration. And of course, we have to ask a little bit about that and we'll tie it in to the leadership piece. So obviously, you know, professional development and leadership is something we talk about a lot here at AKPsi and I'd love to know, you know how that experience shaped how you define leadership by obviously working for the leader of the free world for some time? How did that shape, you know how you look to leadership and how you feel about leadership and how that reflects how you, you know, educate your young people today?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:09:57] Yeah, that experience-- I was there about a year and a half, almost two years. And it was transformational. I mean, imagine, you know, working for the first black president or any president at twenty four or twenty five years old. I had a friend from college who did the internship two years prior and it turned into a job, like, "Hey, Derrick, you know, I know you are trying to figure out your next steps. Maybe you should try this opportunity. And I applied as an intern, and interned for four months and then that turned into a job where I was an advanced associate traveling around the country doing government logistics. So imagine anytime the president goes into any city or country, there's a team of 7 to 20 people going ahead of the president to make sure that city can get them in and out smoothly. So you're working with mayor, military officials, and you're telling them what to do with their city for a short period of time to get the president in. So I was able to do that for about a year and a half traveling around the country. And I think for me, what it did was taught me project management, you know? And I didn't even know at that time that was the phrase. It was a few years later that I learned that project management was a real thing. And also, what does it mean to communicate effectively, you know, to different stakeholders? When you're talking to mayor and military officials, they communicate a certain type of way, and then also you're protective about coming into the city and navigating, you know, what needs to happen there. So that experience transformed my life. And I think one of the biggest takeaways that I had from that experience before I became a staffer and was an intern, a lot of upper staffers, the senior leaders of the organization, would bring the interns into a room and they would say, "Hey, don't come in here trying to suck up and kiss up to all the bigwigs. Get to know the people that's in your internship class, 'cause those are the next presidents. Those are the next senators. Those are the next ones that, you know, that's going to move alongside you in this space." And even to this day, I always believed that. Make sure you network with all three levels of people. You want to make sure you networking with the big wigs because we want to make sure we get those doors open. But you also have to network with the people that's at your same level as well, because they're walking side by side with you. And then you also want to network with what I call your humble keeper, the people that helped you get there along the way. They may not be where you are, but they're still cheering you on along the way. So don't forget about them. I often say those are the people that keep me humble in doing this work, because sometimes when are, you know, given the clap on the back or saying good job, you forget like who got you to that place. So I always tell people, when you're in these spaces, make sure you network on all three levels and not just one.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:234] Oh, that's great advice.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:35] Yeah. And Chrissy and I have talked about that too on the podcast about, you know, networking and helping out others as well who aren't in the place you are. And if somebody asks for a coffee, take that coffee and help them out because you might be working for them one day, you just don't know.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:12:48] Exactly, exactly.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:12:49] Absolutely. And when you were talking about that, it even makes me think about, you know, some of the best CEOs have said they know who is taking care of their building, so they know the maintenance people by name. They know the housekeeping by name. And that kind of stays in mind, too. So did you actually get to meet the president?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:13:06] Yes! So one time. I saw him many times, but one time he spoke at an event in Washington, D.C., I believe it was at the Holocaust Museum, and there was another staffer that was supposed to prep him before he went on stage to tell him like, where to stand. You know, what to do? And you know, everyone has a job. So the speechwriters are telling him what to say and someone's telling him how to stand and where to look. And the person that was supposed to do it cannot be found. They're like, "Hey, Derek, you're the second in command." And I'm like, "So I'm gonna tell President Obama where he's supposed to stand." And you know, at that time, I had been around him or in the space with him a few times. But I had never had, like a, direct conversation, and it's not even a conversation and moreso telling the president what to do. So that was a pretty cool experience. I will never forget that. Yeah. So that's probably one of the most memorable experiences outside of just being in the space with him many times.
Nicole Klemp [00:14:04] Amazing.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:05] I bet that was just really cool and inspiring just to be in his presence.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:14:09] It was, I mean, and it's been so ironic, even since the times when I worked at the White House, every job I've had since then have had some connection to the Obamas.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:18] Oh, OK.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:14:18] At my previous organization, Youth Guidance - Becoming A Man, his top organization he selected when he first launched My Brother's Keeper. At my current organization, our previous CEO was a part of the Obama fellow class, so I went--and in most recent years, I'm a community member, a part of My Brother's Keeper connected to the Obama Foundation. So even though, you know, I once worked with him, I still been connected to the Obama work over the past ten years.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:14:47] Oh, that's really cool. And I think that brings up a point. And Nicole even made it too, is that you just never know where your paths are going to cross with people later in life. And so it's always, you know, to be on good terms with people is always the best policy.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:15:00] Life is nothing but a circle of lessons and opportunities.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:15:04] Absolutely. Absolutely. And you never know when you're talking with somebody that knows somebody else. And so you have to just really watch what you say and also be authentic and be who you are. And so I think that's a good tie in to tell us about the Just Be campaign.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:15:19] Yes. Wow. I didn't expect for you all to ask about that, so I'm excited that you did. So, the Just Be Campaign was really birthed out of a lot of different things. In 2019, as someone that has multiple identities, I identify as an openly gay, black, gay, Christian male, and it took me a long time to get to a place to be able to say that openly. And I remember at that time, Alicia Keys, you know, the singer, if you all know her, released a video of her son who wanted to wear fingernail polish and the way social media lit into this young black boy about wanting to just be his creative self. It had nothing to do about sexual orientation. It had nothing to do about wanted to be more effeminate. It had everything to do with wanting to be more creative. And I started a talk series in 2019 called redefining masculinity, and I did that all the way up until the pandemic hit. I did about four sessions where I brought black and brown, gay and straight, Christian and non-Christian men into a space to have an honest conversation about, "what does it mean to redefine masculinity and toxic masculinity?" And then the pandemic hit, and a lot of things was happening. And you know, our Asian brothers and sisters were being targeted because of, you know, COVID 19. We saw a uptake in misogyny against women in spaces and trying to control what they do with their bodies when it comes to childcare and birth rights and things like that. And I said I'm just tired of everyone trying to control how people should be. How can we create a world where you can honestly just be yourself? And that's when the Just Be Campaign was birthed. And there truly is a campaign to really allow all humans to live their authentic, transparent, honest selves. What I call putting on your H.A.T., Honesty, Authenticity and Transparency. How can we create a world that, regardless of how you identify, how you show up, how you choose to live, that you can live together. It should not matter how you feel about someone, but how you respect them. And the quote that I often say, "When the collective," meaning every human person on this earth, "chooses to live, their authentic life, we start to show what respective difference looks like." And the Just Be Campaign is truly out here, trying to empower people to live your honest and bold self. You only get one life, you only get one body. So how can I create a space where I can teach you how to be personally liberated? We cannot liberate anyone else. I don't care if you're black, white, Christian, whatever it may be, you cannot liberate anyone else until you start to liberate yourself. So that is the Just Be Campaign.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:17:56] Nice. Thank you for sharing. That's really awesome. I commend you for your courage. That's really courageous to take that out there and take that message to people. I saw that we have something in common. We both went through the DEI in the Workplace certificate program from South Florida. And just curious, real quick before I turn it over to Nicole because I know I've been asking a lot of questions today--
Nicole Klemp [00:18:17] Oh, that's fine, go for it!
Chrissy Vasquez [00:18:18] What your impressions were of that program?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:18:21] I loved it, you know. I didn't know what I was going to get in, I almost missed the deadline to register and I was torn between the University of South Florida program or the program over at Cornell University and I was like, "Well for the one at Cornell, you got to pay. So let me see what the free one looks like."
Chrissy Vasquez [00:18:37] I've done both, actually, I did the paid one first at Cornell, and then I did that one.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:18:42] OK, well, I would love to hear about the Cornell one, but the one at USF was amazing. I think the speakers, the way they brought it together, I think that the number one session I loved the most was the one on accessibility. I did not know how much I did not know about accessibility. The Chief Accessibility Officer from Microsoft, I believe it was. I am still quoting, and still looking at her notes after everything she said. I didn't even think about--I mean, ever since then, the way we engage people on Zoom has changed. The way we have reorganized our offices has changed. The way I show up as someone that manages many spaces throughout the nation. How can I make sure we are truly looking at accessibility beyond the physical, but the mental, the technology, all of the different things. So I truly enjoyed that program. And for me, the session on accessibility was the top one that I took away with.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:19:39] Yeah, you're very right. It was things that I never thought about, and I feel like I'm a pretty inclusive person. And I was like, oh boy, I have not even been--not have been on my radar. And I really liked about how they talked about psychological safety in the workplace. I think, that's so key too. Yeah, I really commend the university for offering--for the listeners, it was a free certificate in DEI in the Workplace, I think it was six or eight weeks and they had speakers like Tony Dungy was a speaker. Like, they had some really powerful people. They also had a lot of local South Florida businesses and like you said, Microsoft, and they just did a really nice job with it. And it was really cool that it was free for everybody who registered. I think they had a hundred fifty thousand.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:20:18] Yeah, they did. They did. And all you had to do is commit to the eight weeks and finish all the work.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:20:23] I just found out that you could take it now for $99. So if you missed the first time for free, invest the ninety nine dollars and take it.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:20:31] Yes, I agree.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:20:32] Great program.
Nicole Klemp [00:20:32] I'm going to need to check that out because now I'm the only one in the room, apparently, who hasn't done it. Our producer Finn over here has also done it.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:20:40] Get on it, Nicole.
Nicole Klemp [00:20:41] I think that that's great to call out, too is, you know, like Chrissy said, I thought I was a pretty inclusive person, but I didn't know this or that. Like, we can all learn something new. You know, even if we think, "Oh yeah, I'm all about it, I'm inclusive." You can always learn a perspective that you didn't have before, so that's fantastic. That program sounds amazing. Speaking of inclusion, Derrick, talk a little bit about, with our listeners, a lot of young professionals or those still in college getting ready to join the workforce. How can they contribute to building more inclusive workplaces?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:21:14] Yeah, I mean, I think the first step is identifying how you want to show up in the space. You know, I think when we talk about the DEI work, this inclusion work, this respective difference work. If you haven't done your own work to know your biases, if you haven't done your own work to know what you need to show up in these spaces, you don't know what to look for to advocate in the spaces that you enter. We are living in a world right now where DEI, anti-racism, anti-misogyny, all of these buzz words are popular, and it's great and I'm excited. I see the change happening across the landscape. Some change is easier, some places, and some are still struggling to come along the way. But I think the number one thing we have to realize is at some point another hot topic is going to come through. And Anti-racism, anti-misogyny, DEI will not be the hot topic. Doesn't mean it's still not happening, that means the newest craze is out in the space. So if a young professional is coming into these spaces, especially the Gen Z-ers, who I love, who are radical people tearing down all the different things and making new spaces. We have to understand how do we navigate these spaces? Not every space is ready for all the change, and I'm not saying we have to conform. I'm not saying we have to go along with the way, but we have to understand how do we navigate this space to really make the change that you want? I would love to go into every room and wave my gay flag or wave my Christian flag or wave my man flag, but I cannot because there are thousands of people that I'm carrying along with me as I enter that space. So if I'm going into a space, and my primary goal right now is to get 5000 students, I mean, or about 600 annually into college, and about 3000 through college and a thousand into jobs. How will I make sure I'm going into those spaces truly advocating for the unique identities of those spaces, but then also understand, like, those spaces they are trying to enter to may not be ready. So it has to be levels of accountability. It has to be levels of understanding and negotiations along the way. So I think that's the part of it. Sometimes you want to run in and tear all the things down right away and I'm here for it, like sometimes that is needed. That's called agitation and agitators. We need those in the space. But we also need orchestrators, we also need innovators in the space. So understand what is your role in navigating the DEI landscape? Are you an orchestrator? Are you an agitator? Are you an innovator? You know, are you an infiltrator? I often coin myself as an infiltrator. Yeah, I know how to navigate the space. I know how to play the game. And sometimes I may not advocate on that thing right away, but once I'm in the room, once I'm at that table, please, no, I am screaming to the mountaintops, "No, you should not do that." So you have to--so yeah, I guess its in understanding the game and understand how to navigate it.
Nicole Klemp [00:23:51] That's great. Thank you. So you mentioned kind of your experience during the pandemic a little bit, and we've been talking with most of our guests lately about this topic of this great resignation that we've seen with people leaving their careers or, you know, leaving college or deciding, you know, to go back to college or changing their career path completely. What have you seen within your work and how do you kind of see that changing the future of work and how especially young professionals will kind of approach their career and building a career that will be engaging for them?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:24:26] I think it's both an exciting and a troublesome time to be in. You know, I think that, you know, an exciting part is that people are getting more aligned with their passions and their personal missions in life. You know, I made a career shift. I'm still in the nonprofit sector, but I've been in programs working directly with young people for the past ten years, and at the height of 2020 I was like, "I love doing this work. I love, you know, creating programs and opportunities for young people. But that's not doing enough, it's not changing the root cause with some of these, you know, situations." And when you think about the nonprofit sector when it was first founded in Europe and all of that, it was meant to be temporary. It was meant to just help people get out of the ruts or the situation that they are in. But we have learned how to capitalize on people's pain, hurt and poverty. So now the work that I'm doing now is how can we work together across sector, across fields, across organizations, across company, to solve the root causes affecting our communities? So when I think about the great resignation, the exciting part is that people are understanding where do I need to realign my work, my mission, my passions. But then the other part of it is there are some gaps with people that are transitioning out. There's a teacher shortage. You know, we have right now so it's not enough people out there educating our people. There is an airplane worker and pilot shortage. You know, we don't have enough people able to fly planes around the world. So there are some gaps in the space. But that also points out some barriers we've had as an organization, we think about aviation, for the longest it's been dominated by a majority white men. And not saying that's a wrong thing. But it hasn't done a lot of work around diversity to bring in diverse people in that space as well. We think about education has been predominantly women in that space and we have not done enough work to bringing men into the education space and also paying equitable wages for our people to work in those spaces. So it also pointed out, like, there are some issues in some of these careers where people are not properly being paid or being misused and overworked. So I think it definitely is hurting some spaces. But then you also have, you know, corporations and organizations that are paying $15 an hour, $18 an hour to flip burgers and fry fries. So that, you know, some people are going to do that work because it's less stressful, you know, working the stress job. So I think people are really weighing the opportunities of how they want to show up in these spaces, really navigate, which is exciting. But then also there are some careers that's really, you know, fumbling along the way. The tech industry and NFTs and everything with the metaverse is skyrocketing. That's the number one sector right now. You know, in terms of the new opportunities there, but they still lacks diversity in those spaces as well. Health care is on the rise. Unfortunately, people are getting sick and dying every day, so that is never going to go out the way. But how do we bring more diversity into health care, whether it's medical, or nurses or, you know, billing and coding and different things like that? So I think there's a lot of opportunity. But like I mentioned earlier, if you have not done the work to understand how you want to show up and where, you are going to make some mistakes or go down some paths and then pivot again and pivot again until you show up where you want to be.
Nicole Klemp [00:27:34] Yeah, absolutely. I think we're hearing the same thing from everyone. It's just it's kind of been an eye-opening time and it's laying bare some of the, like you said, the systemic problems in these institutions and... Teachers not being paid enough, pilots being overworked and then not having again, like you said, the diversity that we need in those industries.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:27:54] Yeah, I think you brought up a really great point about not having the diversity. You said, you know, not a lot of male teachers. I was a nonprofit fundraiser for 20 years, and it's usually white women that are fundraising. And we try so hard as a group--I was a part of the local association of AFP, which is Association of Fundraising Professionals, and it was like, how do we bring people into the industry? We want people that are diverse, but a lot of times people join either, you know, people that they see, they see themselves in other people, and so we talked about we've got to get even into the high schools to start planting that seed with people then, of this is a career path for you.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:28:32] Yeah. Exposure is key.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:28:34] Yeah. A huge challenge with not an easy fix by any means. And yeah, I think there's a lot of people that are just overworked and burnt out. And, you know, I think that's the blessing and the curse of virtual workspace. You don't have that commute, but most people end up working more hours because you don't have that commute. You get on the computer at 7 instead of, you know, 8:30. And... "Oh, it's seven o'clock. I guess I better go feed the dogs and the kids." So.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:29:00] Yeah, I agree with that.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:29:02] So I think it's time for our signature question here. So our signature question on the Business Edge podcast is tell us about a time your personal values have been challenged. What was the situation and how did you approach it?
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:29:15] Yeah, I sat with this question a lot when you all shared it with me and I'm like, "What can I? What can I share?" And so I thought about a situation in 2017. 2017 was truly a pivotal time of my career. I quit my job at that time and the reason I quit my job. I saw a gap in programing, and I am someone, I just can't work to do the work, but I'm making sure that we truly have a through line for success for young people and communities. And I saw a gap in programing and four months prior, maybe six months prior before me quitting, I brought my manager and program director into a room to say, "Hey, I have a pitch that I would love to give you about a hybrid position that's kind of meeting some of these gaps, you know, that I see in programing and here's the salary I would love to attain in having this position. Well four months after that, you know, pitch, they invited me back to a meeting and they made the position. But it wasn't at the salary that I wanted. And I respectfully declined the position and a few weeks later put up my two weeks notice. At that time, it wasn't a situation around the job. I was going through a lot of professional coaching around my worth. And you know, in how I'm showing up in the workplace and being valued, you know, in terms of what are you bringing to the table and understanding how to navigate the nonprofit sector to at least try to get the salary that you want to be able to live. And I was excited that the role was created and they found the opportunity to be able to fill those gaps. But what I learned is that sometimes when you advocate for certain things and you may get it, you may not be the one that's going to walk it all the way through the finish line. You may not be the one who's gonna lead it. So, me advocating for that position and it being created was awesome, 'cause those young people got what they wanted, but I wasn't the one that was meant to serve in that position. And I think sometimes we have to be humble enough to know like you may fight for one thing and it may come to be, and that's totally OK, but you may not be the one to walk it all the way through. Since then, they, you know, they started that position and it turned into an entire post-secondary department on something I advocated for about five years ago. And what I gained along the way, I launched a business along the way and I was able to pivot into an organization really able to afford me the salary that I want and the opportunities that I want. And so I think the biggest thing away is like, understanding your worth and your self-worth and understand that it's OK to pivot even if you do get part of it. But you may not be the one to take it all the way through the finish line.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:31:53] Oh, that's a really that's a really great lesson, because I feel like that happens all over in the workplace or in your volunteer work, and it goes back to your whole point about also thank the people that got you there. So I hope that they recognize that this was an idea birthed by you, even though you weren't the one to see it through. So, yeah, absolutely. Well, we have enjoyed our conversation with you. Thank you for doing the good work in this world. We really appreciate it and proud to have you as a part of our brotherhood.
Derrick Fleming, Jr. [00:32:23] Well, thank you so much for having me. This was truly a joy to give back to an organization that's given so much to me.
Chrissy Vasquez [00:32:29] Thank you.
Nicole Klemp [00:32:29] Awesome. Thank you. Derrick.
Finn Lambouris [00:32:33] Thanks for listening to Business Edge. If you have questions, comments or topics suggestions for us email businessedge@akpsi.org.