Interview of Mattie Parker, November 13, 2020

Mattie Parker, transcript, November 13, 2020

Parker: To get started with the interview, if you could just introduce yourself, and I know you have recently become the CEO of the Texas to cradle, cradle to career, organization, organization so if you could just explain that position a little bit, that kind of thing. Okay, be happy to. So, I'm Maddie Parker, and I am the CEO of Fort Worth cradle to career and Tarrant To and Through Partnership, which is a new nonprofit organization, we founded beginning of 2020. With the purpose of creating a true education, cradle to career, collective impact organization, to try to explain that the Tarrant To and Through partnership is a new initiative that was founded alongside at the same time, and it's focused on post-secondary readiness for our lother organizations in Tarrant County that have been in existence for quite some time, in early education, focus on third grade literacy, and then a holistic family approach to how early childhood education all the way up to workforce really impacts families positively. And so I've been tasked to put all those things together. Previously, I was the Chief of Staff for Mayor price and city council. And that's why we're about to get to meet you, of course, in in class. That's a position I had, for about six years, my career's really been in state, local and national politics. And I also went to law school and practice law briefly. And so, this is a new venture for me. And I decided it was important work and something that I could try to put my talents to help spearhead the right change we need in Tarrant County.

Cook: Okay, so what part of your background do you think has led you to this new position?

Parker: Good question. I think it's building like community capacity, identifying problems be really solutions oriented. And then of course, leveraging the private sector and public sector together, which is always necessary, especially when you're solving problems. But with interest in education that really hasn't been a focus up to now, in my opinion, a lot of times, its business, private sector, families complaining about education, but not knowing how or be willing to do anything to change things. And so, when I've seen in any sort of social issue in our communities, we are better served when people work together, and focus on how to partner. And I think this collective impact organization has a real potential to create that cross sector collaboration in a way that really makes change. So, what does that look like? First, it's telling the story, right? What is happening in public education in Tarrant County. And for us, it's not about high school graduation, it's not about going to college. It is what is career success for students. That's our NorthStar goal. We think all students should have the ability to make a living wage have a high, high wage career that allows them to take care of their families. But up to now our opinion is education system hasn't been really serving that purpose. And the result is only about 23% of the eighth graders in Tarrant County make it to a two year or four-year credential. And then along with that, when you when you compare that to the job demand, about 70% of the jobs in North Texas right now require some type of credential. Therefore, you're knocking all those students out of potential to really have a higher wage living wage job, which is really critically important. So, it's not just about hey, you need a degree more than that. It's like that degree really needs to work credential, two-year, four-year, associate's, whatever it may be, to a real career path. And then those results are actually worse for kids that grew up in an economically disadvantaged household.

Cook: So, it's all about like building a better foundation for the future.

Parker: Yeah, I think so.

Cook: Okay. So, what does leadership mean to you? And how do you feel that your leadership style has advanced you in your position?

Parker: So, for me, I've had the pleasure to work for and be around a lot of different types of people with very different leadership styles. And I think, in my 20s, especially, and maybe early 30s, I was able to sit back and watch, learn, take notes, see what was effective, what wasn't, work alongside them. I probably was fortunate that at a really early age, and in my career, just based on the field I was in, I was empowered to be a leader, I was empowered to make important decisions because things move quickly in political offices. And you have to have the people I work for at least, staff didn't work for them for long if they weren't efficient and good at their jobs and high caliber. So, if you weren't one of those people, you kind of had to be in the inner circle of trust free quickly and then you are empowered to make really just decisions on behalf of whoever's name was on the door. But everybody does things differently. I think my style has evolved now that I'm in a place where I am leading other people and the buck stops with me so to speak, of what it looks like for people to feel empowered and excited to get up every day and go to work, and importantly, feel like they have autonomy to make decisions that are not micromanaged.

Cook: Okay.

Parker: So, all those things, we need to believe that the strongest leaders listen more than they speak. They are inspirational, they support they lift up other people in their in their organization, regardless of what their position is like, what do they want to be doing next, never hold anybody back. And just try to be facilitate, in some ways, like a mentor would, what do you want to accomplish in life? And in any long term, short term goals, whatever those may be? And how does this current position serve that purpose? And always looking for upward mobility for individuals. In addition to that, in their in, I feel like I'm now attached to the responsibility I was in the mayor's office as well, what does it look like to lead in the community outside of your organization. And that does take a lot of inspiration. You want to you want people to follow you or listen to what you're saying, because they're excited when you stand up to speak, or when you're when you're calling on them to take action, that you have a lot of hope and aspiration for our community. And if otherwise, if I was Debbie Downer, no one's gonna want to listen to me, right? Like, we have a lot of problems, we have solutions to go along with those.

Cook: Okay, next question. How do you measure success? And how did you learn from your failures?

Parker: Oh, good questions. So, learning from failures. I'll take that one first. You know, it's cliché, it already says like, failure makes you stronger, like, all those things, which is very true. But how you handle times of difficulty or crisis or failure. Do you take the time to reflect on those failures or wish you had done things differently? And I can think of a few examples when I was in the mayor's office. And I wouldn't say these were just my failures, they may have been city failures or things, we took action on because things are quick. And in retrospect, I step back now. And I think, Man, I wish I I wish I had been able to handle that differently. I wish our team had I wish leaders had, and that doesn't do you any good if you don't really take the time to think about what you would have done differently. But it's also important not to dwell, because if you do that, then you really get stuck. Longer term. What was the other part of your question Cameron?

Cook: Um, how do you measure success?

Parker: Does it feel right? Right is one thing, which is anecdotal, like argue? Do you find people are enjoying working for you? Do you feel like people are inspired? Do you think that you're making momentum movement in the community? But then it's also, we do have to focus on data and outcomes, especially this new work I'm doing in education. So, we will measure success by how students are performing. And we always say, since we've started a year ago, we will not be here, years from now, if what we're doing isn't working. But we're not going to be just a nonprofit looking for money and just feeling really good about every day. No, it's more than that. It's how are we actually serving the community. And the same could be true in other positions, where I attempted to do this in certain settings, depending on the circumstances. But you know, we were going to go out with an initiative in the mayor's office, and we were going to hold a forum or we were going to have a really tough vote at City Hall, whatever the issue may be, like, what are we going to what does success look like to us in those situations and talking about that, before you go into the, to look for the end result? That makes sense?

Cook: And that kind of leads into another question I had, could you like, specifically give like two to three examples of how essentials that you feel are important to empower others. So, whether that's building education in the community, or that kind of thing.

Parker: So, to empower others. Honestly, I really, really believe at the end of the day, you can't empower or mobilize or get anything done if you're not a kind of person. People don't want to be around you if are not warm. And people appreciate you're that real with them, your candor, all those things. But I also think you need to be motivational. I think people need leaders more than ever right now. People are starving for someone to take a stand, say what they're going to do and then actually do what they said. So, I'm reminded about that often, I need to be careful with my words. If I say I'm going to do something, people are going to rely on me and look to us for for solution and for example, so you can't disappoint in that way. And then empowering people that aren't always at the table. And there's a lot of conversation about racial equity and what equity looks like and who's missing. That is true Cameron. It is always, to me a better result when you have multiple different perspectives sitting around the table. And and it doesn't mean you have to listen to all of them or do with those people say you can incorporate their perspective into a final decision, especially when you're in any kind of public service type role. And I still consider this to be a public service technical.

Cook: Okay, great answer. Um, what experiences have shaped you as a leader? I know you've gone from this City of Fort Worth to this new project. Do you feel like you've taken anything from the City of Fort Worth, from the mayor's office, to this new position that has helped you?

Parker: Oh, 100%? Absolutely. Um, I think, well, first of all, I wouldn't be in this position having not had the previous position. Right. So that's just a lesson in. And I haven't interviewed for a job Cameron in since I was probably 21. And I don't say that to brag, I just say that, like when you work hard. And you show up, and people watch you work, things good things can happen. The next thing leads to the next thing that makes sense. I, so a few good examples is in the mayor's office, things move really quickly. They are an inch deep and a mile wide you have a lot of different things on your plate. So, what I learned about that experience is there is extreme value and be able to pivot and handle a crisis. But man is it beautiful to be able to pause and take time to really work on solutions. So sometimes based on personality of leaders, in my job in the mayor's office was hard because I really represented both the council and the mayor. So, they didn't always get along, or always have the same solution in mind or the vote in mind. So, I was always like, I was scattered, like to fix it, fix everybody, everybody needs to agree, that's just not going to happen. So, trying to learn to take a little more time and being thoughtful at the end of the day, letting the decision that I make be well thought out. And I think it's also important for for me in particular, and there's definitely an impact. I grew up in a really small town on a ranch, you know, grew up in my graduating class was 42 kids. And I was always a leader in my class and always seemed all the sports and did all the things and was an athlete and, and, you know, really serious about academics. And I got to go to UT as a freshman. But growing up in a small town, and, and arguably growing up in a bubble, right outside of the way other kids have grown up, has served me really well. And because I had to, I had to figure out early on if I wanted a different life, even though I had college educated parents, I didn't want to be in Hico for instance, if I wanted to go see something different and grow. That was on me to make it happen. And I think that's really impacted me as well. And the other thing that I always try to talk to young people about as you can't be a victim, you cannot worry about what happened to you, or what's not fair, or this professor did this to me or this boss is really a jerk. It's your life. So, what do you want to do to empower yourself? You cannot dwell and be a victim and have that mentality because it will only hold you back?

Cook: Um, do you feel like anyone has really like been a major influence in your life to set you up for these ideas and that kind of thing?

Parker: Um, do you feel like anyone has really like been a major influence in your life to set you up for these ideas and that kind of thing? Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think everybody I've worked with are for. And when I was young and working in this speaker, Tom Craddick's office, he was that Texas House Speaker when I was I guess I took that job when I first worked for him when I was in college, a junior in college. So, I was 20. And he had a chief of staff named Nancy Fisher. Nancy had been a staffer, a lobbyist in Austin for a long time. And she went in house to be the chief of staff. I, I and I still write her letters every other year. So just to check in. The way she led people was phenomenal. Because not only was she a woman in a man's world, but she did it with grace and like no chip on her shoulder. She was really funny. You knew she meant business, you weren't going to step on her at all. She even gave fashion advice Cameron in a way that wasn't to those of the younger like don't wear that dress because look what people say like, and just and that sounds so silly, but it was so impactful to me. Otherwise she wasn't intimidating. I could have been really intimidated by her. And then I would have never wanted to bring things to her that was concerned about and she and I got close because I really was eyes and ears for the family on the other end of the hallway and I was his executive assistant. I saw all the things that happen. I was a gatekeeper. So, she really relied on me to bring things to her that were going to impact office and brought me in a circle. And I had a really close friend who was my boss at one point when I was an intern in her office and how she treated me and empowered me was really important. And then even really tough bosses. So, I worked for congressman Kay Granger and I worked for her for a long time. And I guess it was six and a half years, which is in her role is a very long time. She's a keep people long. And I don't say that to be a critic, you know. Kay, I wouldn't want to go back and work for her. However, I really have a tremendous respect for the way she conducts business and the way she ran for office at the time. It made me better to be, I mean she takes no little fault, like there is no room for error. And, and that can be stressful. And I wouldn't say it was healthy at times, but at the same time now. I mean, I'm, I'm better for it. Absolutely. And there's certain things about her leadership style that always appreciate. One good example is she she had an open-door policy. She met with you to see her. And she didn't talk a lot during those meetings. And that wasn't because he wasn't paying attention. It was they were there to talk and tell them their story. Rather than her yapping on about how great she was, which I always appreciated. You know, and then, you know, when I compare her to some other folks I've worked with in recent years one, of course is be Betsy, she's this gregarious fun, I wanna know what your grandkids names are, I'm larger than life, everyone wants to be around me. And it's that charisma is addictive. It's so fun to be around. Right? And and because of that charisma and her heart, people want to follow and and do better, be better do what she's saying, those things. So, but I'm kind of now that I really think about it's a great question to reflect on. I'm like, combination of those things. Right? Okay. I'm probably a little more serious. And sometimes Betsy is but at the same time, I don't want to be overboard. I will I say I don't want my staff to fear me, which I think Kay instilled fear a lot of times.

Cook: Um, do you feel like you have any weaknesses, like professionally, weaknesses or professional strengths that have really helped you?

Parker: Yeah, good. Okay. So, weaknesses would be, despite the fact that I'm a female, I'm sometimes not very emotional, and or, like sensitive. So, I mean, I've had staff members currently, and before we're like, just really needed to talk it out. Like you're really sad about something. I'm just like, oh. So that's a fault, I need to be more patient about that. And I am definitely more like, high level vision, then really in the details, and we need to be really detailed oriented, always have been. And law school was good for me. And practicing law was really good for me, because it forced me to be detail oriented. I know I can do it. I just don't enjoy it. Right, quite frankly. And, and that's okay. Because this is something I've acknowledged over time.

Cook: That's interesting because I feel like in your line of work, you have to be very detail oriented. But I guess I mean, think about it, you're just trying to get to the future so.

Parker: Yeah, that's a good point. It's, it's several things. And so, a great example would be in my day to day, I don't feel like I'm detail oriented, but man do I notice the details in that matter. Like, if a staffer brings a speech to me, I think of I can notice is so much faster than most people in my staff, just because I know what problems can arise. Or and I also, because I think of myself more as a visionary if this even if the words are pretty and it's organized well. If we're not making the vision happen, if we're not, if we're not furthering that larger goal, then that gets scrapped. If that makes sense. And part of it, maybe I'm just about place in wife personally, where I've got three kids, and I'm busy, and I'm running a household and I'm running a job. So, you know, maybe someday I'll be less scattered maybe in a year my inbox won't have 2000 emails in it, maybe I'll be better at deleting them. I don't know.

Cook: Okay, and finally what do you want your legacy to be?

Parker: I want to leave this place better than I found it. So, what does that mean? It means a variety of things. First of all, your family is most important. Like, what kind of children that you raise and put into the world is really important. And something that David and I talk about a lot when it comes to work, and I want to do transformative things, right? People always like to ask me lately, I feel like this question come up a lot, like when are you gonna run for office? What are you gonna do this? And I'm like I don't know, right now, I feel like my purpose for transformation, change that is positive, is right here. So, when it stops feeling like it's transformative, or it's run its course, then I'll think about the next step. I did the same thing in the mayor's office. I loved my job. It was awesome. I was on autopilot. I could handle all the things even if it was a police officer shooting, but I felt like I really making change and I really, you know, going to be transformative so and it's funny Cameron I've had interns that are your age or a little bit older, when I meet them, like, they're I'm gonna run for office one day, I'm going to do this like, I'm like that's awesome. But, man, it's it's almost like why John McCain was so popular and was served for so long. He didn't plan that. Right? He didn't plan to be a POW. He didn't plan any of the thing. But all those things made him a better leader. And I think that if people really think about that sometimes you don't have to have your name on the door yet. You don't have to be a CEO to be a leader.

Cook: Well that was a great interview. Thank you so much. I loved all your insight and everything.

Parker: Of course.

Cook: That's all that I have for today.