i have always loved trying to understand systems, and the systems that built those systems. i spend a lot of time thinking about how to get there from here. I own/consult at futureemergent.com.
personal
I started my career in public health. In school I wanted to be a doctor, but I hated memorization and preferred working to studying. My first public health job was in disease intervention. I spent my days tracking down people exposed to HIV and syphilis. At the health department, I
![a graphic of a matrix titled "Just use [blank] straws!" with a list of alternatives to single-use plastic straws. Each altern](/content/images/size/w600/wordpress/2020/08/straws.jpg)
essay
ableism is invisible if you are not disabled transphobia is invisible if you are not transgender homophobia is invisible if you are not homosexual white supremacy is invisible if you are white oppression is invisible if you are the oppressor I used to think it was okay to ban straws
walkthroughs
This series documents my experimentation with the use of Targeted Universalism (TU). I used the Othering and Belonging Institute‘s primer on the subject. There are five steps: * Exploring TU * Step 1: set a universal goal * Step 2: assess general performance * Step 3: identify groups * Step 4: understand the structures
working
I was recently interviewed by a student taking a class on effective management. Here’s a reprint of our interview. Please describe a typical day at work. What do you do all day? I’m in a lot of meetings! I am one of three directors in my department, and
walkthroughs
I first learned about the advice process less than a year ago. I like the advice process for many reasons. The biggest is that it pushes back on the dominant-culture notion that there’s only one solution to a given problem. In truth, there can be many solutions to a
working
I have a stable job that pays me well. I live in a nice apartment with my husband. We can afford to buy the things we need. My job pays me to provide social services to others, but it’s not likely that I will ever need those services myself.
working
I’ve filled out a lot of questionnaires in my life. The question I hate the most is the one asking me my race or ethnicity. Nobody standardizes these questions. Sometimes I have to choose one; sometimes I can “check all that apply.” Sometimes questions about race and ethnicity combine
working
Two to three years is the ideal amount of time for working in the same job. This is mostly true, for most industries. Some exceptions for if you’re in an executive level position or work at an extremely small company. It’s rare nowadays for someone to work at
working
Besides climate change, racism is the single-biggest threat to humanity that we face. People use many methods in the work to end racism. This is one of them. why do we caucus? “The work we do is hard, but we do it anyway.” Race-based caucusing is sometimes known as affinity
walkthroughs
People in organizations make decisions all the time. This is sometimes a time-consuming or unsatisfying experience. We want to empower employees to make better decisions faster. Some organizations use a technique called the Advice Process. Here’s a summary of how it works. when you identify a problem When you
personal
“Everyone thinks they live in a boom time,” I turned the words over and over in my mind like I was polishing them for something. I was looking for hope within them and kept finding none, but I couldn’t stop. I’m standing in one of the three different
personal
radical innovations is a place where i can envision and refine new ways for people to work in systems together. devil’s advocacy is not welcome here. we must work together to take radical approaches out of theory and into practice. we want to do more than envision a new
