Career Aspirations

Hey guys!

So I chose to interview a women who is not only a good aunt but also holds the title of Chief Deputy Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. Her name is Fesia Davenport and I have always looked up to her career and role in public service. Though I am still trying to find where I fit within the public service, I hope to one day be as successful as she is. Here is the interview:

2. Please describe the steps you took to attain this position (Degree(s)/College experience)

• I have a B.A. in Liberal Studies English and a J.D. I started my career with the County of Los Angeles as a Deputy District Attorney in 1998- I handled child support cases.

•  I worked my up through the ranks very quickly. In 2012, I was appointed as the Chief Deputy Director, the number 2 position in that department reporting to the director. The Child Support Department had about 1,700 employees and about a $170M budget and was a good training ground for me as a chief deputy.  

• In 2014, I was appointed the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Children and Family Services where I remain today. I oversee a $2B budget and 7,500 employees. 

4. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on your career? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you?Why and how did this person impact your life?  

• Yes. Lisa Garrett.  Lisa Garret and I worked closely together in the Child Support Services Department before she left in 2010. She was a mentor to me for many years. Lisa impacted me personally and my professional career. If you didn't know her personally and only had a chance to observe her in a meeting, you might pick up on the fact that there is something special about her - she is kind, courteous, professional, well-dressed, honest, confident, avoids gossip, leads by example, encourages others, humble, takes the high road, funny, well spoken, and the list goes on.  I have observed Lisa in very difficult situations where her character, competency, and leadership has been questioned.  She always handles these difficult situations with humility, confidence and professionalism which is not always an easy thing to do.  She and her husband have two sons who are now in college. She often says that her work is only a part of what she does and what is equally important is what she does in her home. She believes whether she is a good person, whether she is helping to advance God's kingdom on earth, these are the things that will last. 

5. What are the most important decisions you make as a leader of your organization??

• I make decisions affecting employees, contractors, children and their families. These decisions govern whether an employee will be promoted or discharged; whether a service provider's multi-million dollar contract will be terminated or extended; whether a policy regarding child abuse investigations will be expanded or truncated. The decisions I make impact others in material ways and I don't make those decisions lightly.

6. What is most rewarding about working within the public sector?Least rewarding?

• The most rewarding aspect of working in the public sector is that you have the opportunity and ability to help children and families that really need help. Your are instrumental in helping to build stronger families, which in turn leads to strong communities - these are the essential building blocks of the great society.

• The least rewarding aspect of working in the public sector is that critics and the media fail to recognize the good work that a public agency does on a daily basis and instead tend to focus on your last mis-step. Certain public agencies operate in a fishbowl type of environment with critics and detractors ready to pounce as soon as something goes-awry.  Put another way, the public administrator can be publicly crucified for failing to cure intractable, wicked and long standing problems. 

8. What advice would you give to aspiring future leaders within the public sector? 

• Leadership means many things and what it means to any particular person depends on where they stand.  For me, I work in a high profile, politically charged arena.  From that viewpoint, leadership means being called to serve. Service may entail: being the object of constant criticism (i.e.  blows to your ego) in order to protect your staff or your organization; sacrifice, your idea may be the best way, but it may not be commonly accepted by the people who have to do the work; recognizing and accepting that a the person with the "authority" you have an obligation to act in the interest of others and not yourself; courage - meaning making very tough decisions (i.e. layoffs, reducing funding, terminating programs) in a fair and equitable manner even though you will face criticism and pushback from employees, constituents, stakeholders and the press. Leadership is not about high salaries, self, giving speeches, receiving a high salary. It is about making positive changes to society and those around you.