Community relations specialist shares story of service for Black History Month

I stumbled upon Sandia in December 2021 — just as I was trying to convince myself to leave public education for my third major career change.

My first career was as a staff accountant for Chevron Corp. I took accounting classes at college, but I learned the basics — journal entries, account reconciliations, medical billing — from my mother, who was a controller at a health clinic. As a child, I loved accompanying her to work.

While I was at Chevron, the company went through a major reorganization that offered early retirement packages. I wasn’t even 30 yet, but it seemed like a perfect opportunity to pursue my dream of being an educator.

I took the package and went back to school intending to become a fifth- or sixth-grade science teacher. But somewhere along the way, I discovered adult education.

After graduating from Holy Names University in Oakland, California, I worked primarily with immigrant populations and other adults who needed help obtaining skills to succeed in the American workplace.

I taught for a few years and then became the program manager for career and technical education at New Haven Adult School in Union City, California. I was responsible for engaging with the community, the city and local community colleges to ensure we were meeting the ever-changing needs of adult learners.

Much of the way I approach work and leadership today is due to the wonderful people I regularly collaborated with for the benefit of this population of learners whose academic skills weren’t yet suitable for community college.

Years later, I’m still connected through Facebook and Linkedin with some of the adults who were my students in the early 2000s. It is a joy to see them living full, self-sustaining lives with jobs and careers and to watch their children graduate as first-generation college students in the United States.

A new role at Sandia

In 2021, I decided it was time to move on from public education. As a new widow, I needed greater financial stability. While searching for roles and organizations that would allow me to continue working with the community or that involved marketing and outreach for the greater good, I came across Sandia.

I had planned to apply for three positions during winter break. However, I ended up submitting just one application — to be a community relations specialist at Sandia. For some reason, I felt sure that was the job meant for me.

When I started working for Sandia in April 2022, I was charged with rebuilding California’s community involvement program in our post-pandemic, permanently hybrid work environment. I worked hard to understand what had been done before, and more importantly, how it was done, what should we do now and what would be possible, given Sandia’s mission and priorities.

The cultural shift from public education to a public-facing role for a DOE national laboratory often felt like walking toward a cliff that might or might not have a tightrope or zipline to help me across. Thankfully, I found that most Sandians are willing to serve as a bridge, introducing me to the Labs’ culture and explaining our way of seeing and doing things.

Impacting the California site and local community

Without a doubt, the highlight of my almost two years at Sandia has been spearheading the 2023 relaunch of California’s Kids Day, an event last held at the Livermore site in 2011. As soon as my New Mexico community involvement partners told me how much the day means to our employees, I could not pass it up. I felt like I owed it to California workforce members to give them an opportunity to show their family and their children what they do at Sandia.

This massive project could not have happened without the help of Sandians who volunteered to serve on the planning team. On the day of the event, I saw several teary-eyed adults walking around the Livermore campus with pride and joy. I shed more than a few tears myself.

I want to do all I can to help Sandia’s workforce members and employee resource and networking groups serve the causes and communities important to them. As part of that effort, I have been diversifying the types of community service opportunities offered to Livermore staff. I have also expanded the Labs’ reach to include south San Joaquin County and east Contra Costa County.

A family dedicated to community service

African Americans tend to get involved in the community through their local church, sorority or fraternity and other organizations that aim to unify and uplift Black people.

I have two older brothers. The eldest is a Navy veteran. In the 1980s, he spent a few years in South Africa fighting against apartheid and for the freedom of Nelson Mandela. More recently, he represented the African Methodist Episcopal Church for eight years in Ghana on a social entrepreneurship venture, teaching locals about agribusiness and the circular economy.

My second brother is an airman and a leading voice in Las Vegas, Nevada’s 100 Black Men organization. He is a strong advocate for housing justice and the accurate teaching of Black history in schools, as well as from a religious perspective.

The three of us share a passion for encouraging the Black community to eat healthier and redefine our thoughts about comfort food. When we get together, we geek out on all the community work we’re engaged in.

Living to serve

I live to serve. This is why I am so passionate about the work I do for Sandia. It is in my DNA and part of my responsibility as a committed Christian — a responsibility that I take seriously.

I’ve been an active, ordained minister for nearly 15 years and have a lifelong history of serving in the church and the surrounding communities. I like to inspire people to find their “one thing” by asking, “What is the ‘one thing’ you can do to serve humanity that also fills your own (proverbial) cup?”

Helping people find their purpose and supporting them in doing it well — with no strings attached other than to help build healthy communities — bring me joy. This servant-leader concept is especially applicable to Sandia, where our overall mission is impactful while quietly providing security for people in ways they cannot even imagine.

And that’s something true service does. It serves in ways that are not boastful while still making an impact. I love seeing how service makes a difference in the lives of our workforce and our collective communities.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Community Relations Specialist Michelle Walker-Wade directs community involvement activities for Sandia’s Livermore site. Associate Labs Director Andy McIlroy, executive champion of Sandia California’s African American Outreach Committee, invited Michelle to share her story as part of the Labs’ celebration of Black History Month.