Where are you from and how does that influence the work you do?
I was born in Dallas, TX at Methodist Dallas Hospital. My parents (Jerry and Connie Marie, hence the name Jarie) moved here in the 70’s for more opportunity. My family hails from Franklin, Louisiana and so community and hospitality have always been important throughout my life. After my parents divorced when I was in elementary school, I lived with my mom and she was super intentional about making sure I had a village of support around me. Her work ethic and also her natural ability to be a good friend was something I always and still admire. Seeing her navigate work and life definitely inspired my curiosity and passion for people and the dignity of work. I grew up between Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove areas and so those parts of Dallas definitely instill pride and influence how and what I do as well.
When did you work at CitySquare, and what was your role?
When I started at Central Dallas Ministries in 2009, I was the HR Director. I was promoted to VP of HR in 2013 and subsequently served as Chief People Officer, leading both HR and community workforce programming (WorkPaths) from 2015 to 2020.
Why did you work at CitySquare?
In 2009, Rev. Gerald Britt was my young adult pastor and served as the Vice President of Public Policy and Community Programming for Central Dallas Ministries. He was hosting a community job fair at our church, and I attended, as I had been laid off from my HR training role in banking during the recession. He encouraged me to apply for an HR manager role at Central Dallas Ministries. I was reluctant, as I had a plan to work my way up the corporate ladder. God had other plans, as I had just turned down a corporate role as I felt like I was supposed to do something else (my family and friends were rightfully concerned). I applied for the CDM HR Manager role, and as I learned more about the organization, it aligned with the things I cared about- faith, community, service, and people. During the final interview with Larry and Keith Ackerman, who was the COO at the time, Larry began asking me about my family and my experiences attending DISD schools. It was a type of interview I’d never participated in as a job candidate or HR professional. I was hooked, and I felt called to do this work. As I was leaving the interview, they asked me to return to the conference room and offered me the position at a Director level on the spot. Larry says it’s still the only time he’s given someone a promotion during the interview. I stayed at CitySquare for more than 11 years because of the people (both internal and external) and the way we did our work – we valued everyone, no matter what their story was, we never backed down from a challenge, and we were allowed to be highly creative.
What made CitySquare special to you?
It was a rare place. The people were and still are some of the best anywhere. You could disagree with people and still be in community with them, and keep your job. There was a faith foundation that wasn’t preachy, but you could see it everywhere. I was given a lot of room to lead, grow, and make mistakes, which doesn’t happen enough for Black women. I am thankful for the space that Rev. Britt, Larry, John Siburt, and truly all of the staff provided me. CitySquare was where I learned that HR could be expansive and function for the greater good of society, not just internally within an organization.
What is the legacy of your contributions to CitySquare?
I think part of the legacy is showing a different perspective of HR, that it doesn’t have to be stuffy and punitive- it truly can be people first. Also, I loved being part of scaling our organization to reach its peak impact, curating a cool and supportive culture that people were proud of, expanding our workforce programming, expanding the HR capacity of other organizations, and addressing racial equity internally. When I started at Central Dallas Ministries, we had approximately 50 employees and minimal HR infrastructure. During my tenure, we grew to over 200 employees and more than 600 AmeriCorps members in the summer, expanding throughout the state of Texas and in Denver, CO. We were named a Dallas Morning News Top Workplace in 2019. It was exciting to lead our WorkPaths department in doubling its impact and reach, and to launch internal racial equity initiatives. I also provided HR support and services to other organizations that we incubated or advised, such as Mayor Rawling’s Neighbor Up/GrowSouth initiative, Forest Forward and For Oak Cliff, to name a few. I am really proud of the fact that no matter where I go, there is someone from CitySquare alumni that is still doing important work and they still contact me to share new achievements- whether it’s a new role or another year of sobriety, and that makes my heart happy.
What are you doing now
I am still doing HR consulting and executive coaching through my consultancy, Sound & Sable. I also write and continue to serve on the boards of orgs with missions I am passionate about like Young Leaders Strong City and InnerCity Community Development Corporation.
