Favorite Parts of Being a Director of Program Quality at Girls Incorporated Alameda County
Johanna, Director of Program Quality, Training and Assessment at Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, finds the most rewarding aspect of her role is "saving people the time" by sharing expertise and preventing the needless struggles inherent in navigating the unchanging landscape of public education. This commitment stems from a deep understanding of the critical role affordable afterschool programs play in supporting communities, ensuring children are in "a safe place...learning, having fun, [and] being fed," and preventing the detrimental effects of program closures.
Executive/Leadership, Problem-Solving, Overcoming Challenges, Community Impact, Project Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
johanna masis
Director of Program Quality, Training and Assessment
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County
U of A, Tucson and UC Santa Barbara
Holy Names University, MA ESL
Humanities
Education
Operations and Project Management
Immigrant, Transfer Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Helping others avoid unnecessary struggles by sharing her expertise and experience.
2. Preventing the closure of programs vital to community well-being, particularly those serving children and families.
3. Highlighting the challenges within the education system and advocating for positive change to improve the system for educators and students alike.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role?
Because I've been doing this work for so long, what I enjoy most is saving people the time and effort of figuring something out. Let me just tell you the answer because it's going to take you three months otherwise to figure it out.
Let me do you a service and tell you the answer now. I would say institutions don't change very much, and the institution of public education has not changed in over a hundred years.
So, this is what it is. I wish it was better; I wish the pandemic had helped educators, or this institution, be better. Educators don't do it for the money; they do it for the love of young people and providing education.
Saving people the time from having to suffer to figure something out is ultimately what makes me feel good at the end of the day. And with that, like, we're keeping the doors open. It's detrimental when programs embedded in communities have to close their doors for some legal reason.
Just think of the ripple effect that has. Childcare is extremely expensive in this country, and afterschool programs that are free are a saving grace for families. People can go to work and know their kids will be in a safe place, learning, having fun, and being fed. Those are things I would never want to take away from a community.