This is the second interview in this month’s series celebrating the leadership of Hispanics in the nonprofit sector. I’m profiling several nonprofit leaders I admire for the impact they make on their communities every day.
Some people you just connect with instantly, whether it be online or in person. That was the case when I initially emailed Irma Rodriguez, Executive Director of Queens Community House in New York. Her informal warmth and willingness to share her knowledge with the next generation was evident in the exchanges I had with her. I honestly had no idea who Irma Rodriguez was until Ian Bautista at UNCA told me about her. Yet as I began to research Irma’s work, I became more and more inspired.
Since 1975, Queens Community House (originally named Forest Hills Community House) has been committed to the personal growth of the diverse people it serves and to the creation of self-reliant, open, responsible communities. Established in the settlement house tradition, it provides an array of programs and services for youth, families and older adults. Today, Queens Community House has over 400 full and part-time staff, offering youth, community and senior programs in 20 sites, and serves over 20,000 people a year. As recently profiled in a Building Movement Project case study, Queens Community House made a commitment ten years ago to return to its activist roots. The organization is dedicated to integrating constituent voices into its work despite the size and scope of its service delivery programs and the diversity of the people they serve.
A community organizer at heart, Irma’s career spans decades of nonprofit work involving civil rights and communities of color. I appreciate her taking the time to share her insight with all you dear readers in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Read my full interview with Irma after the jump…
How did you make your way into the nonprofit sector?
Frankly I am a child of the Sixties – a boomer. I was in high school and college during those very interesting late sixties-early seventies that formed a lot of my generation of nonprofit leaders. While I protested the Viet Nam War I worked more intently on civil rights and the Poor Peoples Campaign through activities at my church – Riverside Church here in NYC. I was very affected by this work as a young person and even though I was a fine arts major undergrad I found myself drawn to community organizing and then social work.
My first job out of college was with a settlement house in East Harlem and I loved the history and way in which settlement houses approached community. I was struck that it wasn’t a problem centered model but one that recognized the very real assets one might find in even the poorest communities. Anyway I started there and then worked for a number of different nonprofits both community based and policy oriented and even did a 6 year stint with government – tenant and community organizing for NYC – and found my self here at Queens Community House (then Forest Hills Community House) about 24 years ago as it’s Associate Director. I am now the Executive Director – I still think of myself as an organizer and find that the day to day work of raising money and relating to elected officials and community leaders is very much aided by my organizing background.
What is your educational background and area of expertise?
My academic background and undergraduate degree is in the fine arts. I went to the High School of Music and Art and then majored in metal design at the City College of the City University of New York. My work in community led me to get a social work degree from the Hunter Graduate School of Social Work (also CUNY) where my “method” was Community Organization. Hunter is one of a few schools of social work to maintain a focus on community organization.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does that mean for Latino leaders and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?
So what do I think about 82% of nonprofit CEOS being white? I think it is changing slowly and that it is also a matter of size. Smaller more community based nonprofits probably have a higher percentage of leadership of color – larger organizations, certainly hospitals, colleges and cultural organizations have a lower percentage of leadership of color. The nonprofit sector is certainly ahead of the private/corporate sector but it will change as the country’s demographics change. Nonprofit boards of directors really have to consciously reach out and get talented people of color into their organizations at all levels. In my family my generation was the first to attend college. I am the only one doing nonprofit work – some are teachers – the rest are in the for-profit world – making money and still doing good things for the community in their own way.
What advice would you give to young people who want to change the world?
My advice for young people who want to make a difference (changing the world is a tall order) is simple – do what you do well, love what you do (don’t just work for money – that’s advice from my father but I’ll pass it along) and most importantly focus on the little changes – the big ones are made up of that. Too many want to change the world in one great effort and find themselves burning out and being ineffective to boot.
