NGC Experience: Pashara Black

Pashara Black

Like many young professionals, Pashara Black was pleased to have a good job. But she realized she was ready to have a career.

“I was at a point where I liked the work that I was doing, but it was a mixed bag. I was doing billing, administrative tasks, event planning, and community relations. I was covering the gamut... and I was looking for direction in my career.”

Black had been with the Durham Chamber of Commerce for over a year and shown true ambition. She eagerly took on more responsibility than the role for which she was originally hired. “Chambers are nonprofits,” she explained. “Everyone does a little bit of everything.”

It was through her role at the Chamber that Black met Brian Alvo, Founder of NextGen Center. Community outreach and engagement is a central tenet of NextGen Center, and Alvo was asked to present during a mentoring event for young professionals. That’s when she learned about the Foundation for Effective Leadership program.

A leadership program wasn’t on Black’s radar, so she and Alvo met over coffee to discuss in more detail. Alvo had recently started an initiative called the Community Seat, a scholarship for the Foundation program that would be dedicated to an individual from the community who was uniquely positioned to be an advocate for the experience.

Black considered the opportunity carefully. “I reviewed the NextGen website and talked with Brian. I'm big on relationships and I just got a good feeling about Brian and the way he operated his business.” 

From the first day, Black knew she’d made the right choice. The program was well run, the cohort included a variety of professionals, and the material was nothing short of transformative. In fact, the program helped Black find the clarity she needed to move to her next phase.

“I discovered that I wanted to leave my job,” she shared. “It wasn't because I disliked my job, but after completing assessments like the Strengthsfinder and zeroing in on what my personal values are, and then taking a closer look at what the organization's values were, I realized they didn't align. The program really helped me understand that that's not a bad thing — that's actually a good thing. That’s in my best interest as well as the best interest of the organization.”

Today, that same awareness helps Black frame how she approaches companies. “I'm an event planner by trade, so when I'm recruiting vendors, whether it's caterers or AV or whatever it may be, I'm looking at it with a lens of alignment.”

This new role also came about from Black’s participation in the Foundation program.

“I was recruited to my new role by someone that was in my cohort. In the program, we speak very candidly about what we do and what we like about the work we’re doing. We talked about our aspirations and what we’re hoping to do next in our careers. One member of my cohort heard all of these things from me and heard what I was passionate about and what I was hoping to do. She told me she had this role coming available and I would be a great fit for it.”

For Black, and for many of the program’s participants over the years, the takeaways are both very personal and universal.

“The program helps you take a closer look at understanding what your strengths are,  understanding what your values are, and how to critically listen — a skill that I think is really undervalued,” she said.

Black continued, “Brian teaches and demonstrates this listening skill himself. He leaves a lot of space for others to speak and think. He was able to draw information out of me and help me sort through my thoughts. That has immediately changed the way that I listen to others.

I feel like you come out of the program with more clarity on what you want for the next step in your career or your company. You learn real tools that you can use to govern yourself to make sure that you're staying on track with what you're trying to accomplish.”

Now that she’s on a more focused career-track that aligns with her personal values and goals, Black can see how other young professionals can benefit from the Foundation for Effective Leadership program.

“When you first get out of college or directly enter the workforce, you just want a job so you don't have to move back home. Then you want a job that you like. And then it kind of morphs into wanting a job that provides growth. You want to keep evolving to get to a place in your career where you have options. That’s where I am now.

The program really exceeded my expectations as far as how much it would be beneficial to me. I think Brian has hit the nail on the head as far as tailoring the program to such a pivotal point in the careers of young people.”