Priscilla Hafford
Priscilla Green Hafford is a seasoned administrative and office support professional with over 30 to 40 years of experience delivering exceptional service in public, healthcare, and nonprofit environments. She began her career at age 16 as a Summer Youth Employee with the Mayor Marion Barry Project in Washington, D.C., through the Summer Youth Employment Program, where she received early professional training through Goodwill Industries. Her first job was at DC General Hospital, where she gained foundational experience in patient services and administrative operations while earning approximately $3.80 per hour. Over the years, Priscilla built a strong career supporting numerous nonprofit agencies throughout Washington, D.C., consistently serving in front desk and client-facing roles where her professionalism, compassion, and customer service skills became her signature strengths.
For the past 11 years, since 2015, Priscilla has served as an Administrative Aide III with the Prince George’s County Department of Housing, where she plays a critical role in grant and contract administration. She is responsible for ensuring that grant contracts are properly prepared, distributed, and supported throughout the contract lifecycle, working closely with portfolio managers and partner agencies to ensure compliance and operational success. In addition, she serves as the first point of contact for visitors and community members, ensuring that individuals receive accurate information or are directed to the appropriate department or resource. Known for her welcoming presence, professionalism, and empathy, Priscilla has built a reputation as someone people feel comfortable approaching when seeking assistance.
As she approaches retirement with 57 days remaining before concluding her full-time career at the end of April, Priscilla is planning her next chapter by relocating to Georgia, where she hopes to continue working part-time in administrative or office support roles. She remains passionate about helping others and hopes to return to foster parenting, an experience she found deeply rewarding and meaningful. Throughout her career, Priscilla has remained committed to service, community support, and creating positive experiences for those she interacts with, reflecting her lifelong dedication to helping others succeed while continuing her own journey of personal and professional growth.
• Clerical Certificate, Clerk Typist
• Get in Tune: Foster Interpersonal Communication and Connection at Work
• Feeding the hungry through church
• Mentoring young women in recovery
• Witnessing to people on the streets about recovery
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to just not wanting to fail, not wanting to be a failure. It's my faith that I can do, that I'm not a failure, that I'm not trash to be discarded, and I'm a person, and I'm a smart, intelligent person. If nobody else believes in me that I could do it, I believe in me. And that's more weight than anything, because how can you do anything if you don't believe in yourself? I can listen to 100 people give 100 of those testimonies, but if I don't believe in myself, then none of those testimonies, or none of those words of wisdom will mean nothing to me. Nothing. And I wanted to believe that I could do it. And I've done it. I'm 61, I'll be 62 in April, and I've done it. And I'm grateful. Because I didn't get here by myself, it was people like you who have said little things to me, just a tidbit of something I could take away from this conversation, that you said that I was something because of my steadfastness to push through my situation and fight beyond that.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Priscilla believes the best advice she has received is to never stop believing in yourself, even when circumstances seem difficult. She credits her ability to overcome obstacles and remain focused on her goals to maintaining faith in her abilities and staying committed to personal growth.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
What I would tell them is just don't ever give up. Don't, don't ever, never, ever give up. And if you believe, if you have just an ounce of faith and encouragement for yourself, you can do anything, because just like they say, they say that stuff they say in them books, some of that is really true. All it takes is one step. And if you don't think about that one step, before you know it, it's clock-out time to go home, and you navigated through 8 hours of whatever. You have to be a people person. You can't get into being an office representative, a person who represents your office as being the first face that people walk in. You're the first face that they see. If you're not a people person, or you're not into wanting to help people, or give to them what you have expectations for yourself when you go into a business, then don't do it. Because that's not the field for you. It takes a lot of self-sacrifice and wanting to just be that person that someone can say, thank you for caring enough to want to help me, because everywhere I've gone, I got this, this, or that, and it didn't help me, but you helped me. Thank you.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One ongoing challenge in public service administration is navigating changing housing needs and assisting communities facing financial hardship. At the same time, Priscilla believes there is a significant opportunity to make meaningful impacts by helping individuals access critical housing resources and support services.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency. Honesty. Faithfulness. Being committed to the process. If you say you're gonna do something, do it. You don't have to coat me with sugar and butter and cream and all of those sweet things. Just be transparent. I could take it, I might be hurtful a little bit, because that's the human part of me, but give me the opportunity to say, I can do it, or I did it. Those things are important to me, because if I don't get that from you, then I can't put you in my circle, no part of my circle, if I find you're not transparent, you're not honest, you're not, like, always committed to doing, or being, or just being better. Not being better than the next person, but just being better than yourself, better than I was yesterday or the day before. I'm better. Every day that I get up and wash my behind and put on some clothes and comb my hair and brush my teeth and walk out my door, I'm better than I was the day before.