Today we’d like to introduce you to Felecia Maxfield-Barrett.
Hi Felecia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was a first-generation college student. I went to college two days before the semester started, sought out an advisor, and said, “Ok, I’m here. Now, what do I do?” Growing up, people told me I had to go to college, which is precisely what I did. A friend told me I had to apply to colleges, and luckily, one college accepted me; however, no one told me how to “go to” college.
The advisor sat with me the rest of the day and helped me register for classes, find an apartment, and apply for jobs. Of course, because it was the start of the semester, most classes were full, so I was enrolled in courses like the History of 15th Century Chinese, Drama 101, and Advanced Poetry Writing, which I blindly thought would be easy because when I was in high school, a magazine published one of my poems. I went from a straight-A student to failing my first semester, with a professor telling me I was way over my head.
The next eight years consisted of me slowly going to school part-time, working full-time, and learning to be an adult.
Then, I landed my first professional job with the Department of Workforce Services processing unemployment claims.
At that time, the State of Utah offered tuition reimbursement, and I took full advantage of it. Now was the time that I could work without worrying about how I would pay for school. I researched the most straightforward degrees to obtain, and that is how I became an anthropologist at the University of Utah.
Here is the funny thing, though. I just got married, and my husband was less than keen on moving to another country to study indigenous symbolism. I researched how I could use my degree here in Utah and found that Utah had a significant refugee population. I knew right then I wanted to work with refugees.
As a side note – I have always felt this strong pull to fairness, and my eyes and ears were open enough to know that some people have while many people have not at no fault of their own, and the determining factor was where you were born in the world. In my mind, that was not fair. Refugees were not dealt a fair hand. Even after arriving in the United States, these individuals walk off the plane already in debt – they must pay back the cost of their airplane ticket.
The Department of Workforce Services created some specialized teams focused on refugee resettlement. I transferred to the team that worked with refugees on applying for food, financial, and medical assistance. I then moved to the Refugee Services Office, which oversaw the government contracts to nonprofits, schools, and other businesses to assist with refugee resettlement. I oversaw the employment programs and contracts. I was incredibly proud of this work because it sought to create comprehensive opportunities for refugees of all abilities.
For example, I managed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints English and Employment Program that hired 100 refugees who attended half days of intensive English classes and a half day of work training. At the end of their twelve-month training program, we found them appropriate employment. On the other end of the spectrum, I managed a program called the New American Academic Network, a partnership with the University of Utah, where together we identify refugees who were highly skilled in their country – doctors, lawyers, engineers, and even classically trained artists – and establish career paths that would return them to those professional jobs as quickly and efficiently as possible.
While with the Refugee Services Office, I returned to the University of Utah to complete my Master of Public Administration degree. At first, I wanted to focus on the government sector, especially on public policy; however, after taking a few nonprofit classes, I knew this was where I was meant to be. Nonprofits appeared to be the solution to subtle but radical change for good in the world. Therefore, I focused my courses on nonprofit management with an emphasis on leadership.
After completing this degree, I jumped headfirst into leadership by accepting a position as Executive Director of the Utah Refugee Coalition, now called the Utah Refugee Connection, which I led for three years. However, I was a new mom, and I just couldn’t work 50-60 hours a week any longer. I was literally sick and tired all the time, so after learning some of the most challenging life lessons as a new mom and new executive director, I resigned. My years working with the refugee community were some of the most rewarding years of my life. I grew so many dear friendships and learned many lessons, including empathy, compassion, and the power of forgiveness.
But that wasn’t the end of my story. In full transparency, I knew returning to work would be incredibly difficult if I stopped working and had a gap in my resume. So I looked for new opportunities, and that is when I found out that Wasatch Community Gardens was turning 25 years old and wanted an intern to document their incredible history. (Truly, it is such a fascinating part of Utah’s history – search Wasatch Fish & Gardens and read all about it.) I knew that sometimes you must take a step back to move forward, and I recognize that I was privileged enough to take this unpaid internship to do so. I conducted research and interviews on their history. Through my research, I found a nonprofit deeply embedded in our community’s well-being but also ethical and transparent. It was a mission that I could get behind. I decided to hang out in their office doing miscellaneous tasks until they hired me as their Volunteer & Events Coordinator. I loved this experience – they allowed me to do meaningful work and be a mom. This organization taught me about community, respect, and resiliency.
After four years, a close colleague I had met while working in refugee resettlement approached me and said her nonprofit, Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, was hiring an events manager and asked if I would consider this position. She promised that working for this nonprofit would offer experiences unlike no other. The timing was right, and I accepted this new challenge. Then about six months after I began working for them, my colleague, now boss, told me that she was resigning to move to Germany with her husband, and I should consider being the new executive director.
In not-so-many-nice words, I said no, because being an executive director was the most challenging job I had ever done. But on the final day of the recruitment, I turned in my resume and cover letter. I went through the interview process, and the Board of Directors offered me the job. I have been the Executive Director for five years and have never looked back. It was the best decision I ever made in my professional career. This job has taught me the world is small, but people have the power to change the world for the better by just talking to one another and sharing ideas.
I believe the most extraordinary aspect of my professional career is that, as an individual who has lived in Utah my entire life, I have had one of the most international jobs in our state. I have met and worked with people from more than 150 countries. I have learned from their stories and experiences, and today, I feel incredibly rich because of all the people I have met along the way.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, my previous comments highlighted some of my struggles; however, in addition to being a first-generation college student and a working new mom, one thing my story didn’t highlight is I used to be incredibly arrogant. While this played in my favor, like becoming an executive director immediately after earning my master’s degree, it prevented me from listening to others, accepting that I didn’t know everything, and finding the humility to learn diverse viewpoints. It prevented me from being a leader.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My colleague who recruited me to work for Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy told me it was an organization unlike any other, and she was telling the truth. Never have I seen an organization have such a profound impact by simply connecting people to share ideas that it changes the world. Our mission is to promote respect and understanding between the people of Utah and other nations, using the guiding principle of citizen diplomacy. This is the concept that we all have the right, even responsibility, to shape foreign relations, and we do it one handshake at a time.
Our organization is 55 years old and focuses on three pillars of work. Our flagship program is our International Exchange Program. We contract with the U.S. Department of State to bring business owners, nonprofit leaders, government officials, interfaith leaders, entrepreneurs, and change agents from around the world to meet with people in Utah doing similar work. Together, they exchange ideas, share resources, explore best practices, and foster an international network while experiencing why Utah is a great place to work, live, and play.
Our World Affairs Symposium Series carefully crafts four quarterly educational events that invite leading global voices – authors, academics, change agents, artists, policymakers, scientists, journalists, and innovators – to provide insight on critical current issues and explore ideas that shape the future and transform how people engage the world. We believe that education on current events should be accessible to all, so these events are free and open to the public.
The target audience for these symposia includes service providers, policymakers, students, and the broader community. The two goals of this program include providing the tools, resources, best practices, and networks for those working on the symposia topics; and second, increase the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of Utah Diplomacy’s program by introducing our organization to new community members, volunteers, and donors. The four symposia topics in 2023 include the future of refugee resettlement, riding the interfaith divide, the collective impact of climate action, and cybersecurity around the world.
Finally, our Young Diplomats of Utah program engages youth and young adults ages 14-32 to develop advanced leadership skills, learn about world affairs, grow their civic engagement, and become part of the global community so that they are prepared to become global leaders. Key components of this program include our high school Young Diplomats Leadership Certification, the Global Leaders Scholarship Fund, International Career Development, our Citizen Diplomacy Certification, and the International Youth Summit.
But there are two elements to the work we do that make us truly extraordinary. First, while so many great nonprofits are working on the frontline to solve some of Utah’s and the world’s most pressing issues, Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy is working to alleviate and prevent these social issues that other nonprofits directly address. We also focus on building the capacity of the businesses, governments, nonprofits, and faith leaders who solve these social issues.
And we have extraordinary stories to demonstrate our work, such as Omar, a nonprofit executive from Mexico, who visited Utah through our exchange programs to examine Utah’s at-risk youth program. He toured the Volunteers of America Youth Homeless Shelter and was so inspired by what he saw that he opened a youth homeless shelter in his community. Or Rewati from Nepal, who advanced philanthropic and volunteer initiatives to assist NGOs in his country, including the Red Cross. Or the Imam from Afghanistan who stopped a riot in his village after a Florida pastor burned the Quran because he knew how true Americans value the freedom of religion after visiting Utah on an interfaith program. Or Winston, who started a nationwide permaculture and recycling program to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste on his island of Antigua and Barbuda. The stories go on and on and on, and that is only our exchange programs.
We have endless stories of how our discussion on world affairs has inspired people to move from learning about a topic to creating action around that topic or how our youth programs have created opportunities for young people to work towards international career opportunities.
The difficulty with this kind of work is that these are seeds we plant today and then watch grow over time, so it’s challenging to show the immediate return on investment with our programs and efforts. Since 2016, we have moved our programs towards data-driven evidence that solidifies our program impact and demonstrates the long game we are creating.
In terms of being proud of our brand, our icon of the two people shaking hands on a bridge sums it up. We build international bridges through the simple act of connecting people to share ideas, and together, we change the world for the better.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
This is a great question! I think through my entire journey, I have learned that everyone has a story to tell, and these stories are full of successes and struggles, moments of pride and humility and that we have more in common with each other than what makes us different. If everyone just took a minute to listen and learn from each other, the world would be more peaceful and prosperous.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://utahdiplomacy.org
- Instagram: @UtahDiplomacy
- Facebook: Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
- Twitter: Utah Diplomacy
- Youtube: Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
Image Credits
Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
