Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Hiring for Good Podcast, presented by Acumen Executive Search.
Our guest today is Marcella Vail, Chief Operating Officer at ALSO (Advocates For Life Skills And Opportunities). About ALSO (Advocates For Life Skills And Opportunities).
ALSO supports people experiencing disabilities through inclusion that continues to build strong communities across Oregon. Their network of services, volunteer engagement and career opportunities delivers unprecedented impact that is making a difference everyday for those they serve.
Tanis Morris: Director of Business Development at Acumen Executive Search Email: tanis@acumenexecutivesearch.com
Suzanne Hanifin: President at Acumen Executive Search Email: suzanne@acumenexecutivesearch.com
Marcella Vail Linkedin: / marcellavail
ALSO Website: https://alsoweb.org/
Acumen Executive Search Website: https://www.acumenexecutivesearch.com/
Acumen Executive Search, Portland, Oregon, is proud to present the Hiring For Good Podcast. We have always been informed and inspired by the leaders, recruiting clients, and executive placement candidates we have the honor of working with…. and now we get a chance to share this wisdom. Follow Acumen Executive Search to be notified of new episodes.
Hiring for Good Podcast Transcript
0:00 well hi there Marcella Vail we are so happy to have you here with us today and
0:06 so I’m just gonna kind of give a little highlight of your background because I think it’s really interesting and I’m so
0:13 excited to get to know you better but Marcella is an executive leader and a
0:18 cultural strategist and I think she truly embodies what we are hoping to get
0:24 out of Hiring for Good by bringing in the business and the operations being
0:30 very forward with people heart-centered mission and vision so Marcella do you want
0:36 to just kind of walk us through your background and the journey of where you
0:41 came from to where you are today well I appreciate that introduction and I just got goosebump because if somebody were
0:46 to say like what is your purpose uh maybe in life but certainly what I do in my
0:52 career really is bringing those two things together because I really believe that is what helps um our organizations
0:58 thrive and when our organizations thrive our communities thrive and so I I really
1:03 appreciate um you highlighting those those couple of things I have to really start it it when you answer this
1:10 question about like what’s your background where do you come from it’s like where do you even start with that right and as I was reflecting on gosh I
1:19 I really do have to go back to my roots um being from Oregon I am a fifth
1:26 generation um come from a family five generations of entrepreneurs and
1:32 my grandmother used to say that she was the boss’s granddaughter the boss’s
1:37 daughter the boss’s wife the boss’s mom now the boss’s granddaughter or
1:42 grandmother and she was the boss herself and um through that I I just learned
1:49 this just sense of commitment and grit and building something to last and
1:55 something for good and I really have just taken you know that example I’ve got a a very different direction than
2:01 most in my family most in my family are still working today for the family business and I was the first to go off
2:08 to college and and and follow that route but that just um rooted in that family
2:15 business and what it meant to hold other people’s livelihoods in your hands really meant something to me and um we
2:22 were all a part of that and that is really stuck with me um and I just think
2:27 it has given me a different connection to what it means to have a purpose in an
2:32 organization and particularly a business so that’s kind of where it started for me um I originally you know what am I
2:42 going to do when I grow up especially being the first one to go to college I thought broadcast journalism I was going
2:47 to go be a TV anchor and that just seemed like such a fun glamorous
2:53 important role and I had a internship uh my senior year of college
2:59 and quickly learned that absolutely not that was not the role for me at all after you spent yeah luckily this was
3:06 sort of the other like okay I really hadn’t thought that strategy out very well um I was a Comms major so I I had a
3:13 lot of breath to be able to fall back on um but I do think that having that
3:20 communication background as well has served me so very well um and we were
3:26 pushed to write and think and write pages and even math class and so that
3:31 communication piece is another element that especially from an operational
3:37 perspective um and how I see it play out in my new role it’s often the thing that
3:42 is often just overlooked and so um that that has that has served me well um but
3:48 that is where I ended up and yeah so career-wise um I was sort of thinking
3:54 through this I’ve ended up in eight different Industries um over my career
3:59 and in several different roles starting in sales and marketing and doing a bit of
4:04 operations business consultancy which I learned that was not the right thing for me I want to be in the bu..business
4:10 building the business uh went to then um
4:15 uh plan the people operations space which I can talk a little bit more about that and um this new journey into also
4:23 advocates for life skills and opportunity it’s a statewide nonprofit supporting folks with intellectual and
4:29 development disabilities um really have choice in life um really is a culmination of all of those things so um
4:37 just I guess a little bit of speed view there no that was fascinating in eight
4:42 different Industries and to go through them there I’m sure there’s a lot of similarities and then there’s a lot of
4:49 differences yeah what what did you find um the the commonality of the different
4:57 industries ah the I think um for me um in all of those
5:05 roles starting um on the sales and marketing side and then going into brand
5:11 specifically and from there each one of my roles really had an internal focus
5:17 and at Washington Mutual actually I was there for about eight years we started the first ever Employee Engagement team
5:24 for the retail bank and at that time WAMU was known for its quirky friendly welcoming brand and where anyone can go
5:31 in a bank and get a warm friendly experience no matter how many dollar signs were in their bank account and
5:38 that was really operationalized in how we um gave customer service and talked
5:44 about it internally and my role was really to bring our brand to life internally and that through line has
5:50 really been um something that I’ve carried carried throughout it’s really
5:56 how to build your brand um through your your team members and the way you do
6:02 that is having a really clear purpose um that that if you think of the vision as
6:08 the why why you do what you do the greater change you’re TR really trying
6:13 to create in the world and the mission is the what how do you execute on that every day and then your values are the
6:20 how like that’s your road map to really operationalize your brand internally and build culture and then what your
6:27 customers experience it’s just so visceral in what you’re creating within your
6:33 organization um so that was really the through line and um I think it played
6:38 out at no no better than at when I was at Ruby um I was uh hired by the founder
6:46 and CEO Jill Nelson and uh she had this idea of you
6:52 know building something that could help small businesses through warm friendly
6:57 human connections and the way we did that was really to focus on building
7:03 culture uh and um you know this is at a time where you know that was sort of starting to be a thing but it was still
7:09 novel and we were able to prove it out that we could invest in our culture and
7:15 we could realize it in our business results and so she brought me on to as we were scaling we had just gone through
7:22 um the first uh private equity um transaction and we were ready to grow
7:28 and the biggest thing with was how do we keep this warm quirky friendly culture
7:33 as we grow and um so I I came in to get to be a part of that and the leadership
7:40 team that we built um all had that unification around it is about people
7:46 powered people first and focus on our small businesses and that purpose was
7:52 just so driven I I I used to kind of say like yes we are a very um
7:57 successful uh business we have just an amazing growth strategy and um we almost function like
8:04 a nonprofit and how we think about our purpose and I think more um of the
8:10 for-profit world can certainly learn uh and lean into that um and of course we
8:15 have lots to learn from each other on both sides so wow it sounds like such a formative experience on multiple levels
8:22 but you were leading that initiative you know what what are some of the other
8:28 most powerful leadership experiences that you’ve had um that have really
8:34 shaped you as a person and and what were those Lessons Learned yeah I think for
8:39 me um it is really uh being so very attune
8:46 to your blind spots and really um
8:51 dropping your ego at the door um having really really having that ego
8:58 check in everything that you do and that sense of curiosity and for me I’m both high
9:05 energy and passionate and I have a lot of ideas so sometimes those things really
9:11 get in the way of that humility and that curiosity and so it’s really like
9:17 understanding um you know h…how your defaults can get in the way of your
9:22 desires of how you want to show up and be I think the other thing is really
9:30 watching the energy that you create in a room we have so much power with our energy and if we’re not modeling the
9:36 dynamics that we want others to create in that space like we’re going to create
9:42 something we don’t even know that we are and so that constant just awareness of
9:48 the energy that I am bringing um and um you know that should
9:53 that will sort of create that sense of of trust and connection and fear back
10:00 that really helps teams build and thrive um so those are some of the things that
10:06 I just hold true to you know really reflect on every day and it is a daily
10:11 practice I I sort of had this like end of the day like not that work ever truly
10:17 stops we all know that you know it is a work life integration and I’ve embraced that fully especially being a mom of of
10:25 two kids and life fits in and work fits in and and you make it all happen happen
10:30 but I have this sort of like seal the day practice and it’s really looking at
10:35 those qualities of how did I show up in in in that way today um what what what should I have
10:41 done differently in this and having that that self-reflection I think the other thing
10:47 for me is to match your calendar to the goals that you’re trying to strive for so I’m a
10:55 fanatical like planner calendar of this like monthly weekly practice but it’s so
11:00 true especially being in a nonprofit where we are people that support people we have people’s lives that we help them
11:08 thrive take support them and crisis can come up and that can easily sort of
11:14 sweep away um the day and what you know you’re trying to move forward as an
11:19 organization um and so being oh so planful of how you um you know if you’ve
11:26 needed to shift things around is that constant calendar Tetris to make sure that you’re still achieving your goals
11:33 and showing up in the way that you want to show up and then a part of that um is
11:39 I I have this desire and goal that I’m working towards as well to meet every
11:44 all 350 people in our organization and to meet with all of our management team so um you know I guess
11:53 two levels uh below me and really build those relationships across the organization and be available and have
12:01 that sense of familiarity is so important that is what knocks out that
12:07 hierarchical you know BS that just doesn’t serve us and so those are some
12:13 of the things that I just think about on a daily basis um I mean also was doing
12:18 great when I came in there are some amazing operational leaders there that have dedicated their lives to IDD
12:24 Services they did not me need me to come in and you know be an operational
12:29 superstar what they needed is to help us take what we do so well and scale it and
12:35 do it as one also it’s one of our our goals right now hashtag one also um so
12:42 you know that’s where um you know I see my role coming in to support this team
12:48 um and you know how I’m going to do that is by really creating that sense of community and familiarity so that it
12:55 feels like one team and um you know not a space of of of hierarchy which can
13:02 easily formulate and hold us back absolutely and and we’ll jump kind of a
13:07 little bit further into the scale but before we do I wrote down five words as
13:13 you were going through it of of values that you operationalize every day you
13:19 said commitment grit purpose humility and I
13:25 added humility you were anti-ego but curiosity so those are big powerful words of
13:33 values that you are bringing to the table so how are you able to
13:38 operationalize that to scale I think it’s I mean you’re you’re
13:47 taking those elements and you’re building it in to even how you go about
13:53 uh something as um I guess foundational is like strategic planning um how
13:59 um how are we looking at what is going to move this organization forward how are we getting a curious about what’s
14:06 not working so I’m a big fan of taking time on the upfront to make sure that
14:13 we’re developing the right strategy to solve the right problem we don’t know we
14:18 can’t fix what we don’t understand and we’ve got to get all the voices to the table especially in an environment where
14:26 uh we have people who have been supporting folks with IDD for a really long time who have so much to
14:31 share um by no means am I uh an expert in our field yet um and and shouldn’t be
14:40 yet speaking on behalf of our field so it’s really important that I am creating
14:45 spaces for that feedback and that curiosity to help us really you know
14:51 develop the the the right way to move us forward and so it’s and then it’s really thinking about
14:58 um uh you know that uh h..how do we support
15:04 people at the center of change I think is another place that we can easily like just push accidentally push the fast
15:10 forward button and um some people are we we know this like we’ve all been through the change management um you know
15:18 different philosophies and methodologies but it really is slowing down and understanding with with your with your
15:25 group um how to um really think about where people are in this change and
15:30 support people you know along that that path I think the other thing with
15:35 connection and commitment um the way we approach supporting people with
15:41 intellectual and developmental disabilities is is self-driven and and person centered and that’s a phrase
15:48 you’ll hear a lot out there and we really try to operationalize that in the sense that is self-directed it’s by that
15:55 person’s choice um we’re taking their lead and that’s really almost opened me up I
16:02 think I was doing this intuitively anyway but how I lead the team how I lead each person like how do I coach
16:09 that person in a person-centered self-directed way um so um those are
16:16 some of the ways that I think about operationalizing those values and how I lead both from you know the larger
16:23 strategic initiatives down to you know how we are helping the individual
16:29 um grow and and hit their next set of goals wow that’s just there’s so much
16:35 there that’s really um a beautiful way that your own behavior is being um
16:42 dictated somewhat or formed by by the work you’re doing from a from a you know mission mission driven perspective it’s
16:49 really beautiful um you mentioned how how you’re supporting your people what
16:56 qualities do you look for when you’re building teams yeah well I definitely think that sense
17:02 of not take ourselves too seriously and that ego piece is a big one for me uh um
17:09 that we are team-centric um folks that collaborate are willing to collaborate
17:15 and um I I I’m one of those people who can easily kind of jump back and forth
17:21 from big strategy do how do we get done and um understanding some people
17:28 are really defaulted on either side what I really look for though is that appreciation and awareness of of that
17:35 other skill set so that we do have that that that balance in that and can both
17:40 like have you know those idea generations that are so exciting um that
17:45 you know help paint the future of the world we want to live in and those people who are like all right let’s get
17:52 it done and I I love that energy I love um I love that beat of when you have
17:57 those minds those those minds come together and I think um teams that are really clear on their purpose and and
18:05 why they are there and um you know are also proactive in building connections
18:10 themselves it’s something I’m trying to I mean that’s what breaks down silos is having those standing one-on-ones with people you don’t work with every day
18:17 like that is how we start to really integrate you know our values and um where we’re going as an organization is
18:24 when those relationships are are built and you have an understanding um across team lines and we all get so busy those
18:31 things can um really fall by the wayside easily absolutely and so you’re you’re
18:37 fairly new also eight nine months in and
18:43 if there is something that you wish you would have known coming in what what would it
18:51 be oh because again this is a new industry it
18:56 is very different mission values yeah and your first foray into
19:03 nonprofit first non first foray into um
19:08 the COO space both nonprofit and that role was not on my radar eight months
19:14 ago and I really thought after eight years of um leading people in culture at
19:21 Ruby that that would you know be my path I was getting my SHRM SCP which was the hardest test I’ve ever taken in my life
19:28 um um and you know was um in the running for some other opportunities along those
19:34 lines and then I I met my now boss um Brett Turner who’s our CEO who’s um been
19:40 also now for 20 leading also for 20 years dedicated his life to folks with IDD and there was just something about
19:48 like this organization and the desire to grow and that desire to really look internally and do that hard work um and
19:57 uh this just you know it it like fed all of my like the beat of the business and
20:04 the work um something I didn’t share uh in sort of my intro that certainly
20:11 impacted um my life and and perspective and um you know connects me more deeply
20:17 to this work is my sister is deaf and legally blind um she’s five years
20:22 younger uh but uh we were really close and I was often her interpreter at
20:28 family gatherings or out and about and and also you know grew up surrounded by
20:35 folks with very diverse disabilities and that um you know just looking at life
20:42 through her lens um was another thing that just like ah I just I had to follow this path um and I guess the thing I
20:51 wish I would have known um is
20:59 uh it again like an organization it’s complex we have five different service
21:05 lines we’re in nine different counties uh it it it almost um it really
21:12 kind of grew a third overnight by um bringing on a whole area of Kalamath Falls
21:18 um for an organization that was winding down there and we got the opportunity to
21:23 welcome their operations and their people into also and so you know going
21:28 about how how also was and then suddenly you’ve like jumped in size
21:35 considerably and um through that I think that there there was more competition across lines than I expected and you
21:42 know even in a nonprofit people want you know their areas to shine and their teams to shine and um and maybe even
21:51 sometimes more so there because you are you know um you know there’s limited resources so maybe that’s one thing is
22:00 uh all right there’s there’s some some of that and then breaking down the silos across teams is um something that I’m
22:07 like yep we got to work on that a little bit well any merger acquisition anytime when you’re adding or even divesting
22:15 it’s it’s such a challenge operationally it’s such a challenge culturally to to
22:21 integrate and um give us some learnings on this process because a third
22:27 overnight yeah yes uh I think it really goes back to
22:32 putting in the time and the grit and the hard work to really meet every every
22:38 person if you can and really have that one-on-one time with every level of
22:44 leadership and build those relationships and the familiarity and listen to the
22:49 pain points we cannot I’ve said this so many times I feel like since I’ve been at also like I can’t wave this magic
22:57 wand and solve that issue today but I am hearing it I’m here’s how it fits into
23:02 the bigger road map of what we’re trying to you know work on here’s where I got to prioritize it I’m coming to it it
23:10 just might be number three or four down the line but I’m I got it I got it um
23:15 and circling back with people and then that constant communication um coming from that Comms background that’s
23:22 always the first thing on my mind is have we have we met everyone along this
23:28 path and so uh you know really building up that internal Comms function of what is our
23:36 who needs to know and who needs to know what and and you know how we we don’t
23:42 have leaders that have the tools to even cascade information and if people don’t know it we know they make it up um and
23:48 and it’s often not the narrative that um is uh is always aligned with um actually
23:55 what’s happening and so being very methodical and intentional about the communication
24:01 piece um is is really really critical and I think another thing that is often overlooked um and it it’s not a step-by-step
24:09 or um uh you know focused on what each kind of back to that person centered
24:15 what each group really needs to be successful in that um yeah and uh um I think
24:23 storytelling is another thing that really does connect people back together like what are we doing at that end of
24:28 the day um and sharing those stories across the organization um you know to
24:34 connect people to the to the people in other counties where we’re serving um just a few things I think that’s
24:42 beautiful I I do and again I love when you said if somebody doesn’t know
24:48 they’ll make it up I I think that really is true and so again to have that
24:54 strategy of here’s what you need to know here’s how we’d like to communicate it I
25:00 think that’s really important and people forget that and um and forget it
25:06 especially when you have people out in the community because as a leader you know yeah oh I knew that what do you
25:14 mean you don’t know that yeah because you haven’t communicated it it’s really true and I’ve been in conversations
25:19 where we’re building comm’s plans um and it’s like well do we need to tell them all the detail and I guess I am always
25:27 pushing for give them as much as you possibly give can give them more and make sure every
25:35 leader in the organization even to the frontline you know managers can speak to the why because the last thing that you
25:42 want someone the last situation you want is why are they making this change and the manager’s like I I don’t know like
25:49 it it’s up there I don’t know and so that uh really preparing all of your
25:55 leaders to understand and and and people might not always align and agree and you can have those conversations as well and
26:02 prepare them for those conversations um but really making sure um that you give as much information and
26:10 and a clear um why behind whatever it is and then also looking at sort of that
26:17 change burden and this is sort of another thing of breaking down silos and you know wrapping our arms around
26:23 communication organization you know the more change you stack on it could be tiny little
26:30 changes or big changes but it still creates this burden even for good change and so really sort of monitoring that
26:37 you know that that sort of change wave for your audiences and making sure that
26:42 you’re strategic even about that so good changes even if you have you know many
26:48 are are not going to feel good to folks um and we already know um you know mental health um is is real within our
26:55 our teams our communities and and particularly in a space like like ours where the the work is um it is heart
27:02 work and it hits your heart um and it it it can um you know uh impact um folks’s
27:11 own mental health oh absolutely yeah wow I mean there’s so there’s so many
27:17 wonderful learnings here um if you could go back in time and just give advice to
27:23 your young self as you were you know just starting your career and you know
27:28 maybe maybe you were still planning on broadcast journalism maybe not you know but but what would you what
27:35 would you tell that young person yeah yeah oh my gosh one probably to have a little more fun um I I tend to be maybe
27:43 it’s back to that you know that farmer grit um I um you know and uh my my work
27:51 is my passion is my hobby and I think at times you get too serious and you forget
27:56 to sort of like find the fun in it all um which is something you know back to
28:02 sort of managing your energy like how does the team so you have that buoyancy like that just like yeah it’s hard work
28:09 and we’re working hard but there’s a lot of joy in it as well and um to not worry so much like
28:16 you know what it’s it’s all going to be okay that next opportunity um will will come and and find its way and um one
28:24 will lead to the next uh I guess are sort of sort of two two things that I
28:30 would I would look back on and say to myself just chill yeah good advice yes
28:37 I’m like wow I need I need to learn that one there’s nothing that’s going to
28:42 happen we’ve all been through Covid we’ve all gotten workplace at home there’s nothing that can come that we cannot
28:48 handle a..absolutely absolutely and so here we are talking about leadership
28:54 lead leadership learnings and and things and so this podcast being hiring for
28:59 good what does that mean to you yeah this uh this question is one I’ve been
29:05 excited to answer and I I hope I can articulate it in the way that I want so for
29:10 me it goes back to if we’re building amazing strong organizations our
29:16 communities are going to thrive and there is going to be more opportunity for all and that also comes with people
29:23 growing in their own careers and goals and so when I think about hiring for good
29:28 I’m sort of hiring folks in my you know network community for life even if they
29:34 leave so destigmatized leaving like that can be a really good thing and this
29:39 person is sort of taking all that they learned from the team they were on and taking it to another amazing
29:45 organization um and helping that next organization so for me it really is this like rising tide as we build great teams
29:54 and and bring people on like I expect you to go get that next amazing role um
30:00 and and you know find your next um big challenge and you know bring all that
30:05 you learn to that new team so for me I I really think about it like that of like
30:11 all right this is a moment in time we’re going to do some awesome amazing work here um and you know maybe we’ll see
30:19 each other in another in another space some time but I love that you know I’ve
30:24 never really thought about it because maybe I’m a little old school and I think of measuring success with
30:31 retention and longevity sure but that could be generational too because I look
30:37 at my oldest son who two three
30:43 years and and moves on and and so that’s a fantastic perspective for for me to
30:52 remember that that it’s okay when people leave it’s sort of that optimal retention like yeah when somebody gets
30:58 itchy I started to get like okay you know in my last couple of years at Ruby I think I’m ready I’m think I’m ready
31:04 like let’s go do this and I totally celebrate that so it’s a beautiful um
31:10 ethos honestly to to bring to the the new paradig of how people are working people aren’t staying in the same
31:16 organization for their whole life anymore but like what a beautiful web they create huh it’s really it’s that’s
31:23 a that’s a new one honestly and um and it’s it’s beautiful thank you yeah and
31:28 and I think what’s so interesting is exactly like you said we live in a very provincial small town environment where
31:35 we know a lot of the same people so whether it’s today or 10 years from now
31:41 you’ll cross paths again and to celebrate the person’s success what a
31:48 beautiful thing wow Marcella I I’ve I’ve learned learned a lot thank
31:54 you wow well what a pleasure thank you very much for engaging in the conversation with us it was such a such
32:00 a privilege thank you for having me yeah and and just before we go I would love
32:05 to kind of circle back on that scalability so here’s also you’ve you’ve
32:11 grown what are what’s your Five-Year Plan yeah I have my we have we have our list let’s
32:17 say um we just went through a strategic planning exercise and um uh you know
32:24 really kind of went back to first educating what is a three- to five-year plan I think
32:29 a lot of folks are confused what is the purpose of that and then how does it fit within your vision your mission and your
32:35 values right so that three to five strategic plan should be you know those
32:41 bigger initiatives you’re moving you’re doing to really move that vision
32:46 forward for us we want to be able to grow and scale and right now we’re operating in more silos both across our
32:53 five service lines and then also our counties so it’s really bringing
32:58 together um how we all of our policies and procedures so we’re doing this exercise where we’re um you know
33:06 bringing those teams together who are siloed today what are you doing what are you
33:12 doing okay let’s bring the best together and then let’s get those things into a space that are accessible and um and
33:21 consistent across the organization so kind of back to the communication and accessibility piece too I mean we have
33:26 folks that work with our residential homes but we also have job coaches that are working from you know job to job and
33:33 then folks going into other folks’ homes that aren’t sitting at a laptop or a computer so how do you create that
33:38 access to information and communication you know when folks are working um you know off their mobile
33:45 devices um so really thinking about um all of our um you know standard
33:51 operating procedures through a really user friendly accessible way so bringing all of that
33:57 together our number one uh company initiative right now is communication
34:03 actually um because that if we can if we can get that right it paves the way for
34:09 so much more um and then really focusing on our big opportunities employment um
34:16 is a huge opportunity for folks uh with IDD and how especially with opening our
34:22 workplaces up and thinking about how to support the whole person and getting creative about
34:28 accommodations and the way we approach employment employment is very much by the goals and desires of the the people
34:36 um so that is just a huge opportunity for our Oregon businesses um that if
34:41 anybody wants to talk about you know how to support someone with IDD you know in their
34:47 workplace we’ve got all kinds of amazing strategies to help make that awesome for
34:53 all um and then also our other really um
34:58 exciting growth opportunity is to to partner with affordable housing um to
35:04 create more housing for folks with IDD so that we can do what’s called supported living where we can be the support for
35:12 people in their own homes versus having people live in more of a group home environment which goes back to that
35:18 independence and that choice and that self-directed um life people deserve to
35:24 live um so those are some of the things I have I have a big long list um but Marcella but I’ll stop there no I I
35:31 just had to say you made the right choice coming here eight months ago because you lit up and you can see that
35:39 passion within you and so definitely the right choice appreciate that I don’t
35:45 think I understood how how how deep um it went until um I really started um to
35:51 connect with the people that we support and particularly being here in Oregon and and Fairview Hospital only closing
35:59 down um in the early 2000s uh where folks with IDD were tucked
36:06 hidden away or forced to leave their families uh there is just something um
36:13 really deep there for me and uh and for the when we talk about how we support
36:18 people with IDD and again I am learning the space uh learning the language um uh
36:25 so I I I I speak carefully here but for me um choice it’s choice we all deserve
36:32 choice we all deserve to live the life that you know feels good for us that’s
36:37 our best life and um I get really excited about how we do that in that
36:42 very person-centered way across a team of people that have dedicated their lives to this field and to the people we
36:49 support um it was definitely a great choice and it it it fills my soul every
36:55 day well that what more can you ask for yeah absolutely well I think we have hit
37:01 our time I just wanted to say thank you so much and and I will do that shout out
37:07 Oregonians if you are looking for opportunities to employ creatively reach
37:14 out to Marcella thank you so very much this was wonderful having me thank you thanks for joining us today at
37:21 Hiring for Good if you were inspired by our conversation don’t forget to like follow and subscribe wherever you get your
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37:39 thanks so much and don’t forget to join us next time for another in-depth conversation about transformational leadership until then have fun