AMBER ELLIOTT - Improvement Advisor, Community Solutions, Inc.
Amber is the program manager and improvement advisor at Community Solutions, Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes self-reliance, responsibility, and accountability for at-risk and disadvantaged youth and adults. Always motivated by helping others, Amber initially pursued law but pivoted to the nonprofit world after realizing law didn’t fulfill her passion. Amber’s focus is on leading the Hartford Zero Inflow Project, which seeks to stop the inflow into homelessness and focuses on two critical zip codes in Hartford, MI. She displays resilience, grit and a whole lot of heart in her hustle—an invaluable trio in the nonprofit world and beyond.
The Basics:
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Current city: Redford, MI
Alma mater: Howard University; University of Michigan Law School
Degree: B.A., Political Science; Juris Doctor
Very first job: Sales Associate, Sears
Current jobs: Program Manager/Improvement Advisor, Community Solutions
The Interests:
Babe you admire and why?
Marian Wright Edelman. I still have thoughts of learning from her and working under her. She has been an activist for disadvantaged families for her entire professional life. She also went the route of attending an HBCU and then attending a PWI (Predominately White Institution) and taking her education to give back.
What’s your ideal weekend morning?
Sitting in the sunshine, reading a good book, drinking a cup of coffee.
What book(s) have you’ve gifted the most?
The Four Agreements, Evicted, and The Gifts of Imperfection. The Four Agreements and the Gifts of Imperfection have allowed me to grow personally and identify what my weaknesses and strengths are, and what I need to embrace of myself and understand. I give these out specifically to those who speak a lot about wanting to understand themselves and are having issues with close personal members of their circle. As for Evicted, I give that out so that people can understand the toll poverty has and its racial implications. I hope they take the information from that book and work towards identifying how they can be an accomplice and ally in making housing a priority for our legislators, whether local or national.
Dream concert to attend?
Jill Scott. I love her music and I’ve heard she puts on a great show.
What’s your best tip for leading a meeting?
It may seem counterintuitive to many, but just listen. Most of the time, leading is supporting the goal or team, and a leader needs to listen, digest and take those pieces to move forward.
Favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?
Thailand—because I love Thai food. I can eat it every day!
What’s a ritual you do to psych yourself up before a big event, pitch, meeting, etc.?
I listen to Wale. He always puts me in the right frame of mind to be present, listen and give my best self.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
As the Improvement Advisor at Community Solutions, I lead the Hartford Zero Inflow Project, which seeks to stop the inflow into homelessness from two zip codes in Hartford. MI. These zip codes represent high poverty and are racially diverse. I work to build strategic partnerships to move initiatives that will support the residents of the zip codes. My team uses data and user-centered design to identify the initiatives to pursue, using learnings to scale the projects to meet a wider audience or pivot if the goals are not achieved. My hustle requires me to identify partners and influencers both at the grassroots level and at the Governor’s level. My hustle leans on my ability to persuade and effectively communicate to move the initiatives forward to ensure that no resident enters into homelessness from these two zip codes. My hustle is now leading me to think more nationally about how other communities can use what we are learning in Hartford to combat inflow into homelessness.
What inspired you to pivot from law to the nonprofit world?
I went into law to help people, specifically my community, however, I had no clue what that meant. I also went into law to make money. God totally laughed at my plan. I graduated during the recession and no one was hiring, so I went solo for a while and then got into a small boutique firm. I learned during that time, and from my time in law school interning, that I wanted to impact my community on a grander scale, so I identified where I wanted to go. I ended up working for my local councilman writing policy and working on local legislation, which opened my eyes to see who was doing work and who was influencing the work. I ended my time with my councilman when I had the opportunity to be a part of a fellowship that matched mid-career professionals with community development nonprofits. I see community development as my calling and ministry because it fuels me and I am able to see change.
What challenges did you face in the transition? What advice do you have for someone looking to make a career change?
My trajectory was bumpy and had me questioning myself ALL the time. I didn’t understand how a person can go into debt for a law degree and come out making nothing—especially when my colleagues who had graduated with me were in law firms making money. I know that it requires perseverance, a belief in something beyond yourself, and patience. I was faced with financial challenges and familial challenges. I also became pregnant in my final year/semester of law school, so when I decided to change careers, it was a change for my daughter as well—but I knew I was making this change because I wanted to truly affect the world she would be living in. If anyone is looking to change careers, I would definitely tell them to talk to those in positions you’re interested in to truly see what their trajectory has been and what it takes. Then, take a mental inventory to see if you’re up to the challenge. I ultimately knew that law was not going to fulfill me, and that assisting one person at a time would not be enough for me. So I weighed my options and made the leap.
What programs and strategies do you implement to help combat homelessness? What do you believe needs to change on a larger scale for the U.S. to decrease our homeless population?
We use several methodologies to drive change and combat homelessness: data, user-centered design, facilitation and quality improvement in our approach. We want to understand the complex problem from all angles, and test change ideas in cycles to see if they work, and if so, can they be scaled. We also ensure that we’re listening to those impacted by homelessness—both those with lived experience and those on the frontline—to get a picture of what is needed to support. With all the resources we as a nation have, it’s ridiculous that people are homeless, and we need to address housing as a right. Homelessness is a public health crisis that affects all, however, it is not depicted as such. We need to put money toward real solutions and allow for flexibility. We need oversight that makes sense and that doesn’t perpetuate the issue.
How do you practice staying composed and balanced in what can become emotionally charged situations? Similarly, how do you keep your team and co-workers motivated through tough days?
I pray a lot. I ask for God to go before me in all meetings, so that He is present and there is less of me. I also count in my head before I speak. I aim to listen so that I do stay balanced, because most times it’s miscommunication or not being able to connect that causes an overreaction. I also write to balance myself, and listen to Wale and Lupe to ground me.
How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
At Howard, I learned that “no” is not the final say. This lesson fueled me in University of Michigan Law School where I kept pursuing my goal—although many times I fell flat. I was placed on the waitlist for University of Michigan, but my family and I did not take that as a final answer. My aunt took me to the Dean of Admissions office, where we waited to sit and talk with her to persuade her why I needed to attend. I left with no word, but arrived home to a call from the dean stating I was off the waitlist. I constantly use that lesson to propel me. That is how I was able to transition when others said it was ridiculous, or didn’t understand, or when I was leading a project in the community that no one saw as worthy.
What’s one of the most worthwhile investments you’ve made in your career? (This could be material, or an investment of time, money, energy, etc.)?
Getting myself a therapist. She assisted me in working through issues that were causing me to have blockages in my personal and professional life. She allowed me to see issues clearly, which allowed me to work on myself and gain the healing I needed to move to the next level.
How has being a woman—and specifically a WOC—impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Being a Black Woman is hard. I’ve had to constantly state my credentials to get any kind of traction in many things. I’ve pushed things forward with no acknowledgement, and then had non-Black colleagues do the same thing and get applauded for their work. Collectively, we need to listen to women—and we need to listen to our Black and Brown women especially. We are often overlooked and overqualified, and we have been balancing way too much to not get the recognition or support needed. We need to offer more opportunities for mentorship and sponsorship so those who are often marginalized not only due to their gender but due to their race have an opportunity to advance.
In the last year, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your career?
My habit of doing early preparation for my week, and identifying and pursuing professional development opportunities that may seem out of place has most improved my career. I’ve started to develop myself as a whole, and worked to develop a more robust Amber to bring to the table. I am saying “yes” to more items that may not yield results currently, but will in the future, such as taking Six Sigma Classes.
What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
I’m proud to say that I built a Community Land Trust—having no idea about the mechanics. I went to Hartford initially to build one—and I did. I researched and learned as much as I could to develop a tool/mechanism to ensure that safe affordable housing is consistent in a neighborhood riddled with negligent landlords and unsafe housing.
What is one of the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in your work? How’d you overcome it?
My own thinking. At one point in my life I thought I didn’t need mentorship, and I falsely believed I achieved everything by myself. I’m glad I had a boss who quickly shot that idea down and made me see the errors of my ways. From then on, my leaning on and learning from others has allowed me to overcome tangible barriers. I have been able to see how allyship, accomplices, and having sponsors assist in the movement of the greater goal can further one’s career.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
There are so many! I look to Karla Henderson, who has been guiding municipalities towards solving many complex problems. Also, Aeran Baskin was my Black Law Student Association buddy in law school, and quickly became a friend and mentor who has guided me through my transition. She went from law to education policy, which pushed me to continue to move toward working around community issues that I wanted to see impacted and changed. Another woman I admire is Katy Locker—formerly of John Knight Foundation—who also went from law to community development, and has been working on issues affecting Detroiters for years to ensure that there is equity and justice. Another one is Amanda Alexander of the Detroit Justice Center, who has built a dynamic public law firm doing work around housing and land justice. Her advocacy work and getting the community to be a part of the change is awe inspiring. Finally, my congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, who has pushed me to continue my path and demonstrates to me what it means to do the work to better your community.
Career and/or life advice for other babes?
Find yourself a mentor, accomplice, sponsor and a therapist. Do not be afraid to invest in yourself, because you deserve it. You cannot change the world without investing in yourself.
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