Her Story
About Maricela
I've been working in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, starting in hotel operations before transitioning into human resources. Throughout my HR career, I faced significant challenges in recruitment, particularly for heart-of-house positions like housekeeping and stewarding - the jobs that people don't always want to do. I learned to connect with schools to bring in students who wanted to try out the field and worked with local communities to build our talent pipeline. I also witnessed a major culture shift in the industry, where the longevity we used to expect just isn't there anymore - people stay two or three years and move on, which brings fresh perspectives but challenges consistency. Eight months ago, I made a significant career change and became the Executive Director for San Bernard Housing Authority, a non-profit organization in my hometown. Now I oversee all housing platforms, from providing housing for low-income families to creating community programs that give back to our city of about 25,000 people. I work with individuals ranging across all age groups. What makes this especially meaningful is that I grew up in this community and my family was a product of housing ourselves - we achieved success through these programs, and now I get to be part of providing that same opportunity to others. All of my skills have been learned through hands-on experience with great mentors guiding me along the way. I'm trained in delivering DISC assessments and do training and onboarding myself, but my real education has come from doing the work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maricela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to hands-on experience and having great mentors throughout my career. I've learned all of my skills through actually doing the work, with mentors who helped me navigate human resources and develop my expertise. Rather than formal education, it's been the real-world experience and the guidance of people who invested in my growth that shaped my career and allowed me to progress from hotel operations to human resources and now to executive leadership in housing.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges I faced in human resources were in recruitment, especially for heart-of-house positions like housekeeping and stewarding - the work that people don't want to do. Not everybody wants to do those kinds of jobs, so I had to get creative by connecting with schools that could provide students who wanted to try out the field and working with local communities. There's also been a major culture shift in the industry. We don't have the longevity we used to expect in hospitality anymore - you see individuals staying in their positions two or three years and then moving on. It's good and bad because you always want a fresh set of eyes, but you also want consistency. You'll see consistency up in the C-suite level positions, but from director down, if there's a great opportunity to open a hotel or they know someone in the field, they move on.
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