Solitude is golden, It is an important practice and really nurtures creativity. Time by yourself when entering a new situation is vital because it allows you to close out extraneous noise and focus on what truly is.
As part of my series about “Individuals and Organizations Making an Important Social Impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dirk Butler, Chief Program Officer at NAF.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dirk has always been a passionate advocate for education and equity. For more than 25 years, Dirk has held numerous leadership positions in the public and private sectors, building successful and sustainable programs and policies for young people and communities and developing academic opportunities for students. He has been a program officer at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, worked in the Obama Administration, and The United Way, before joining NAF!
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a young person, through my mother’s ingenuity and determination, I was bused outside my neighborhood to a school with more affluence and resources. Therefore, I saw early in life the difference between communities and wanted to understand why these differences existed. I would later realize these “differences” were in fact disparities and inequality. I quickly realized that a child’s zip code often determined his/her future life chances. This inspired me down a path to addressing the issue of inequality and providing opportunities for children throughout my career. I never wanted a little boy or girl to have to leave their community to receive a quality education again. Consequently, I have dedicated my career to ensuring students and communities have what they need to actualize.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
It’s always wonderful when you enter a new position and realize it is even more amazing than you even expected. NAF has been an amazing experience so far. Working with the team has been refreshing. They are a team of passionate and innovative thinkers who wish to help students succeed. I started at NAF at a dynamic time so I got to see the team preparing for the quarterly board meeting, yearly Benefit gala, and the annual conference, called NAF Next. It was moving to witness the level of skill and dedication that was invested in these touch points. I was definitely reassured that I was joining a marvelous team with a meaningful mission.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s not so much a mistake as much as it’s part of the learning process when you start a new endeavor and don’t know what you don’t know. NAF is such a deep and robust organization that getting acclimated and asking the right questions is important to getting up to speed quickly and mistakes and missteps are just part of the process. I often say, it is like drinking from a fire hose when you start a new opportunity and there’s certain to be some spillage. The important part is to always pace yourself and lean on the great folks you work with and I have some of the greatest, so it’s been wonderful.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
Talent is universal, opportunity is not! NAF is such a unique organization in a very important space because NAF truly is working to provide students with not just a strong academic experience but also opportunities to connect with industry leaders so the students can actualize their full potential and be better prepared to enter college or the workspace. Preparing students to be Future Ready isn’t a tagline, it actually perfectly describes what NAF is doing and I’m proud to be a part of that process. Again, talent is universal, but opportunity is not. However, NAF is working to provide access to opportunity for all students.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
When I joined NAF, I did so at an exciting time. It was during the week of the NAF Benefit gala and I was very happy to see students heavily involved with the gala and interacting with professionals from various industries. Folks were asking the students about themselves, interests and future goals and to see how effortlessly, and eloquently the young people handled these conversations was inspirational. The confidence and expertise with which the students worked the room was eye-opening. It solidified for me that I made the best decision possible to join this organization.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
It has been my experience that social impact support can come in three powerful forms. First, helping with funding is a major one. Social justice and impact organizations function through the tireless efforts of talented and dedicated staff, and those actions require funding, especially unrestricted dollars that allow organizations to allocate to where the funds are needed and not be restricted in where they can deploy them. Next, Making policy decisions that foster opportunity is a major part of the solution to social problems. The courageous creation of well thought out policy that opens doors is vital to changing society for the better for all citizens. Finally, working to develop partnership opportunities with social impact organizations are paramount to social change. These can be corporate, university or community partnerships. If we as a society want the absolute best for all our children and students, it’s going to take our collective effort. Partnerships are a great way to implement collective work.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
John Maxwell said “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, but then shows the way.” Leaders should develop future leaders by helping them understand their skills and potential and then instructing them how to operationalize and use those skills to work in service to the community. Leadership should always make the community better in the present and future.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
The five things that come to mind are:
- Be curious. Curiosity is essential to being open and solving problems. Without curiosity, innovation doesn’t occur and society and social change remain stagnant.
- Be patient. When starting new projects or opportunities there is much to learn and get acclimated to, so being patient with yourself and realizing that understanding is on a continuum and that each day you comprehend things deeper. Learning takes time. Be patient, you’ll be better for it.
- Build your confidence, one sure fire way to build confidence is by keeping promises to yourself. If you continue to let yourself down then you feed internal instability. Confidence is about trusting your abilities, not keeping promises to yourself undermines that trust and thus your confidence.
- Have a sense of humor, The ability to find the light in a situation is a tremendous skill and a sign of wisdom and can assist you with achieving a deeper understanding of the nuances of certain situations and put you in touch with yours and other’s emotions thus facilitating a stronger connection and bond.
- Solitude is golden, It is an important practice and really nurtures creativity. Time by yourself when entering a new situation is vital because it allows you to close out extraneous noise and focus on what truly is.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
To be perfectly honest, I believe NAF is the epitome of a movement that can bring about the most good for the most people. The model just makes so much sense. Helping to provide strong academic and growth opportunities for students with the assistance of local educators and leaders while simultaneously connecting those students with business and professional internships and apprenticeship experiences can transform students’ lives. Preparing young people to be future ready is always a smart idea. It’s been my experience that anytime there has been major shifts or changes in our society for the better, young people have been a major catalyst. Therefore, investing in students’ futures and providing access to opportunity are always revolutionary acts that benefit us all.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life? “
“All beauty is in the creative purposes of our relationships,” — AYi Kwei Armah
This quote is from one of my favorite books called Two Thousand Seasons. It has always meant to me that we do the greatest good and accomplish the most amazing things when we are in communion and partnership with one another. I’ve always attempted to have my career philosophy embody this sentiment. Collaboration and collective impact can transform the worldfor the better!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
That’s a great question! For me now, it would be Quinta Brunson. I think she is a brilliant writer and creative and has inspired me to be more creative in my role here at NAF and in my career in general. Brunch with her would be an absolute blast!
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers are invited to visit our website, NAF.org, and follow us on social media @NAFCareerAcads. We can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Dirk can be found on Twitter @dirkabutler and on LinkedIn.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Thank you so much!