Candace Villanueva Greer

Some of the best career advice I've received is having a willingness to get outside of your comfort zone and ask for feedback, because I do believe that helps you to become a better leader. I also believe in being a person who has integrity, really maintaining that kind of reputation where people know you are someone of integrity and reliable and trustworthy, because that's really what builds trust in the community.

I think for women, especially because I'm also a mom of two toddlers and one on the way, it's to be okay with giving yourself grace. I know for myself, I definitely fall into being a perfectionist, like many women do, but when you're trying to balance being a perfect mom and being a perfect working mom, that's not easy. So definitely give yourself grace and give others grace, because yes, life is hard and it is short, but really always try to assume that your team and the people around you are really trying to do the best that they possibly can.

In the education space, there's always a lot to be done, and there's a lot with kind of limited resources to be able to do those things. A challenge has been that as an organization that works with school districts and supports them and wants to help them grow their work so that more students can have more opportunities, there are definitely external factors that are out of our control that affect what our schools can do, especially when it comes to budget cuts and different state decisions and federally made decisions that can definitely impede some of the progress that we've made or hope to grow. But being a small team, we are able to think creatively and nimbly to think outside of the box about how we can still move this forward despite the obstacles that are placed in front of us.

In terms of work, teamwork is a big value of mine because we could not affect change not working as a team. I strongly believe in teamwork and the best work is done when people can work together. Being able to have difficult conversations, crucial conversations, especially when people have a difference of opinions, is really important to me, and being inclusive is really important. Personally, my mom passed away from lung cancer around 6 years ago, and it just changes your perspective on life when you lose a parent. I value really valuing each day and being in the present and truly doing what you love, because life really is short. My mom did live a career that she loved - she loved helping people in healthcare. I feel like I've been blessed with doing a career that I feel very passionately about that gives me personal fulfillment, so definitely doing something that isn't just about a salary or some of these other perks, but something that really feels near and dear to your heart.