Damon Jiggetts was recently named as ACESS College Foundation’s President and CEO after the retirement of longtime leader Bonnie Sutton. ACCESS, based in Norfolk, VA, was established in 1988, was one of the National College Attainment Network’s (NCAN) founding organizations, and remains a member to this day. I recently sat down with him to discuss
his leadership experiences and vision for the organization.
Q: What does your new role, as President and CEO, mean to you personally? A: This role serves as a purpose fulfillment journey for me. My entire career has been in service to youth, particularly youth who look like me, and this position allows me to bring forth naturally inclined attributes such as supporting staff, coaching, and building the capacity of our team. My purpose is to build people and programs that serve God's children, and as a builder, I look forward to helping this growing organization continue to thrive.
Q: As ACCESS College Foundation's first CEO of color, how do you view your leadership shaping the organization moving forward? A: I’m unapologetically a Black man, and I unapologetically advocate for the well-being of all youth. I wear a certain weight on my shoulders as an African American leader because we aren’t often afforded opportunities to lead thriving organizations. That weight is not negative. It’s motivation to show myself, other aspiring leaders, and our students that we are deserving of good opportunities and fully equipped to lead effectively. I want to be an example of what Black leadership looks like. I pride myself in being able to speak truth to power with love, and when I advocate for our students, our organization, and our community, I do not shrink in doing so. It’s important to me that I represent the potential and the capacity of our people. My hope and vision for this organization under my leadership, is to ensure that that the students and families we serve see ACCESS as a pivotal partner in the trajectory of their lives and that ACCESS is viewed by the community as an integral partner in retaining the regions talent.
Q: How do your past experiences in nonprofit leadership shape the way you approach your work? A: I try to learn through experiences, good or bad. My missteps have informed me as much as my successes. Everyone has worth and value, and my success as a leader comes from bringing out the best in the people under my care. In my first 90 days, I focused on assessing the organization. We have so many passionate and competent team members, I typically show up in more of a coaching style, putting people in situations where they can succeed and build on their strengths. Celebrating successes shows that I value their contributions, builds credibility among the team, and supports a culture of quality. My measure of success is the success of those around me. When our people are healthy and happy, our programs and students benefit.
Q: Reflecting on ACCESS College Foundation's 35th anniversary, how do you envision the organization evolving under your new leadership? A: We just returned from New Orleans, and I learned how much of a best practice ACCESS College Foundation is within the NCAN network, particularly the role of our advisors. I look forward to fully documenting our program model so that we are prepared for future opportunities to expand our footprint. I also look forward to exploring ways in which we might share our model with the network. If ACCESS has what we believe to be a “best practice,” I’d love to figure out how to offer our model to more school districts or comparable organizations. This coming year, we will begin exploring an array of opportunities and consider where to go next geographically. We are also the feasibility of incorporating supports for career and technical education certificate attainment alongside degree attainment. Lastly, I look forward to launching a PR campaign to make more people aware of ACCESS, including alumni, our business community, and program partners. This is Hampton Roads’ own and want the community to celebrate its success as such.
Q: Your organization was a founding member of NCAN 30 years ago. What has that partnership meant for ACCESS College Foundation, and how do you see it evolving, if at all, over the next 30 years? A: The connection to NCAN has kept us abreast of state and federal developments in post-secondary education and legislation. It connects us to larger scale initiatives where we can offer our voice collectively, especially around advocacy for students. I look forward to contributing to that effort. Being new to Hampton Roads and ACCESS, I want to immerse myself in NCAN and offer my skills, passion, and purpose to the collective effort. I do see our work evolving over the next 30 years. I believe we’ll need to fully embrace an expanded definition of post-secondary education, inclusive of varying paths to degree/certificate attainment, enhanced corporate partnerships, and greater legislative work to retool public education as a whole. NCAN is ideally situated to lead in this space, and we should not shrink in this imperative.
NCAN thanks Jiggetts and the staff at ACCESS College Foundation for their commitment to NCAN’s mission and vision.
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