Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: For me, at 15 years old, she represented everything that I wanted to be. And she was a partner at a law firm. And I saw her at an event and she came into the room and you know how people have, like, an energy about them. She walked in like there were whispers behind her. And what I said in myself was, I don't know who that woman is, but I want her to be a part of my life. Fifteen years old, I went up to her and was like, can I have your business card and take you to lunch? And.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Welcome to a talk for the superstars tonight.
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Tonight.
Hi, I'm Britt Arnold, president of Taylor Construction and Supply.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: And I'm Mick Arnold, president of Arnold Packaging and Arnold Automation. And we are in for another great treat as we continue on with our guests and bringing a lot of special people that we've grown up with in and around Baltimore. And today is no exception. So today we have Alicia Wilson, who is joining us. And we're so happy that you took time out of your busy schedule to spend it with us and share with our audience your amazing history and track record and accomplishments. And we're going to ask you a bunch of questions and tease out all the cool edges and run down a bunch of paths together. So we're excited to hear.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: To do that, I do want to preface and say, just from looking through your background, I think anybody who started listening to this, listen the whole way through because you've overcome so much. I think your story is one of real triumph that will motivate and inspire a lot of people. So if you're listening, this is one you want to listen to the whole thing through. That's why I have to say, and.
[00:01:40] Speaker B: We start off with biographies. Right. So we'd love for you to tell our listeners in your own words where you started and where you're ultimately headed. And we'll build out on this together and we'll turn it over to you to tell us what we need to know.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you both for this opportunity. I really, really appreciate it.
My story is I was born and bred Baltimore, grew up in East Baltimore, thankfully, to two parents who worked really hard and wanted their children to have every opportunity that they maybe didn't even have.
Went to Merville for high school and chose that intentionally, in part because I knew that if I couldn't go to college, couldn't afford to go to college, that I'd have a trade where I could go out into the workplace and earn money for myself. And thankfully, thanks to an amazing Organization College Bound foundation, which I now get to serve as board chair of.
I got a fee waiver in the ninth grade, took the SAT and the rest is quite hysterical and a blessing.
Went to UMBC on a full scholarship, Maryland Law on a full scholarship, and then ultimately clerked on the circuit court for Baltimore City and the Juvenile Division and then was able to go to the law firm Gordon Feinblatt, become a partner and about seven years and then worked there for almost a decade and then was privileged to bring into the law firm a client, Kevin Plank.
[00:03:17] Speaker C: Who's that guy?
[00:03:17] Speaker A: I know, I know that guy.
Great guy, Great guy who trusted me and put a lot of faith in me and allowed for me to negotiate the tax increment financing for the Port Covington, which is now the Baltimore Peninsula Project, and also do the community benefits which afforded me the opportunity to in many ways do well and do good in service to Baltimore, which then led me to I was on the board of Johns Hopkins, was recruited from the board into the organization to lead economic development, which is blend of real estate, economic inclusion, procurement, all those things.
And then got recruited out of Johns Hopkins into JP Morgan, where I got to lead philanthropy for North America and then got recruited off of the board of Johns Hopkins again back into the organization to now lead civic engagement and opportunity, which again allows me to focus on Baltimore and maximizing the opportunities for Baltimore residents, this community, this region, using Johns Hopkins and all of the great things that that institution has to offer to better this community. So really feel privileged to have that trajectory. There's a lot in there.
[00:04:41] Speaker B: I can't write it fast enough over here.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: I'm like, oh my gosh, I know, but that's sort of my story. And I would say what's the ribbon that goes throughout my story? Yes, I'm a lawyer. Last second you real estate development. Yes, I understand how to do public private partnerships, tax financing, all those things. But the ribbon is really like my love for this community and weaving, doing well and doing good, which I think are not not at odds actually are a part of like weaving and being harmonious and just being a good person and being giving letting your gifts really bear out in the community.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: We are bringing some very engaging and interesting guests onto our podcast. So please, if you're interested, don't forget to subscribe so when every episode comes out you're notified and you can join in on the conversation. So that that's an amazing just journey from where you started to where you are now. And I would contribute a lot of that to hard work. You're doing well in both service and the. The crafts that you were practicing at the time. And I have to also imagine, I'm assuming that there were some really good people that were mentored and believed in you because of the things you were doing. Because in all, you know, you would skip over, and then I found myself on the board. Well, that doesn't just happen.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: I mean, that.
[00:06:08] Speaker C: That's a testimonial to, like you. And I would imagine also people that believed in you.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: So.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: So can you speak to some of those people throughout your journey that helped you along the way?
[00:06:19] Speaker A: Sure, absolutely. And I would just, like, say it's like a real statement, like an overarching thing, like, God is so good. He has been good to me throughout my life, and he has, I think, ordered my steps in so many ways and led me to people, places, and things that I think have been transformational.
As of when I was 15 years old at Merbo, I got the opportunity to participate in this program called Law Links, which links Baltimore City public school students with law firms for the summer, which is like, if you think about it, like, it's 15 year old, like, that's a chance of a lifetime. And in that program, I got to see, like, the power of mentorship.
And I got to recognize that wherever life was going to take me, I wasn't going to get there on my own. Right. I was going to need people who believed in me at times when I didn't believe in myself, people who helped to usher me in, people that opened doors that sometimes closed doors that helped me to navigate. And so When I was 15, I met a woman named Ava Lies Booker, who is phenomenal, who you should have on this podcast, because she is. She is legendary. And she was a partner at a law firm. And I was 15 years old, and I saw her at an event. And for me, at 15 years old, she represented everything that I wanted to be. She came into the room and you know how people have, like, an energy about them.
She walked in, like there were whispers behind her, you know, people just, like, so proud of who she was and of the contribution she gave to the legal profession and to some community. And what I said in myself was, I don't know who that woman is, but I want her to be a part of my life. I want someone like that, like, helping me to figure out, like, my path, my journey.
And 15 years old, I went up to her and was like, can I have your business card and take you to lunch? And I had no Money. So I had negative money. It's 15 years old. And she looked at me and she's like, if you are persistent, you call me. I. I will be a part of your life. And I just talked to her two days ago. She is like every decision I've made. And she also taught me, like, to create this board, to create this community, like to create sort of in many ways the world you want to live in by identifying those people that have the qualities, that have the character, that have the same principles and are down the road, like on the journey, who you can draw upon. And thankfully, even though she was extremely busy, now looking back on it, like 15 years old, do you have time for a 15 year old? But she gave it. And so it helped to me, instilling me the need to do that even when I'm busy, even when I feel like I have negative time or I could be doing something that could profit me more. It's really, really important to do that. And I have so many others, like stories like that of people who are just pillars of our community that at that really critical moment when I couldn't do anything for them gave to me and so really just inspired me and motivated me to try to do the same.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: I do have a question too. So you mentioned, I thought, interesting that your parents wanted you to have a trait. So give us, tell us a little bit about your parents and what do you think had them talking about trades or, you know, as an adult or too. Right, interesting. And that you would think trades would be things like plumbing and electrical and certainly in that time. Because I think, you know, you and I were the same age about the same time.
That's an interesting comment for a female at that point in time. Right. Trades plumbing and electrical and carpentry.
Tell us about your parents and what that conversation sounded like for Alicia Wheeler. Once you consider a trade, just in case the path goes this way, not that way, you might want to be that electrician that you always thought about. Right. So how did that sound? And tell us about your parents.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Yeah, my dad was most of his life as a salesman. He sold everything from World Book encyclopedias to Mary Kay cosmetics to televisions and Sears.
My mom worked for the city. And so in their mind, what they believed was that there was honor in all work.
You know, sometimes we like, say, like, oh, this profession is more valuable or more positioned differently than another. Right.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: Based on color.
[00:10:54] Speaker A: Color, like color, color.
Right. Like, let your pipes go out. Plumber is real important.
And a whole lot of other stuff that we Put on a scale as being of higher use or higher utility falls away.
And what they instilled in me, one, value and honor in all work.
Two, the goal is to be able to contribute to society and contribute to yourselves. And so, and thinking about, like, maybe college is for you.
And this wasn't in like a intellect or anything, like, you need to have the ability to make the most choices, right. Because the world will try to box you in. Right. Box you into one thing. And so for me, they were just like, I think liberal thinkers.
You can be whatever you want, but not if you don't fortify yourself with all of the opportunities and the exposure so you can make those decisions. And so I always tell young people, like, if college is for you, I love that for you because it was for me. But if it wasn't for me, I could have gone another way and still been Alicia Wilson. So, you know, I think my parents thankfully instilled in me not to have, like to judge people based on the color they wear. But you can do whatever you want and you should have that opportunity. And a trade is a really, really valuable, important part of our society.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I think especially then, you know, evolutionary, even revolutionary, because certainly at that time it was college, college, college, college, right. It was, it was almost.
And at that point too, any number of people could be the first person in their family to go to college. Right. Which could have a pressure around it or there could be even extra pressure applied and that would actually start to box you in.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Right.
[00:12:46] Speaker B: Because I don't know a ton of colleges that have great construction and electrical programs. Right. So that would have you absolutely going away from that and into something else. So I think that's even revolutionary by standards. And it's just now coming back the idea that you wouldn't load yourself up with a bunch of debt to come out with a degree that may not serve you and being able to do well and good. Right. Because you may not have the financial piece or you may not have the skills. So I think that's revolutionary by that day standards.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I think so too. And I think the, the, I think really thinking about, like, education is a tool.
And if you think of it as a tool, tool, it's only a tool if you can use it for whatever the outcome is. Right. So if the education doesn't lead to an outcome, it's not a powerful tool.
And so just positioning like, we don't have time for you to waste on an education that isn't going to lead to an outcome of you being able to take care of yourself and being able to contribute to the community and also do things that you love.
And so I feel very, very, very grateful that I was born to Thomas Wilson and Josephine Wilson, because otherwise I would have been boxed in and not also in my advice. Give, be able to be, you know, give advice to young people that allows for them, I think, to realize their dreams and also their gifts.
[00:14:14] Speaker C: When you got. Do you mind me, you have another question along those lines? Lines?
[00:14:18] Speaker B: No, it's all. It's. It's off enough that I can definitely keep.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: Well, I was going to move into the law side of things.
[00:14:25] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:25] Speaker B: You don't mind. So I have one more question. So you obviously had great parents that you were super close to and gave you great counsel.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: Yes. How.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Where did you learn the skill or understand that you needed to? Because we, we shot a podcast on mentorship, and both of us admittedly said that we've done a terrible job along the way in seeking out mentors.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: How did you learn that skill at 15 where you had great parents to fall back on? You would think, well, well, I've got everything I need. My parents are great and they're obviously, we're great thinkers. Where did you learn the skill to go approach somebody and recognize that you needed a mentor?
[00:14:54] Speaker A: Yeah. So this is, this is a good story. This is actually a funny one.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: We love stories.
[00:14:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:14:59] Speaker A: So When I was 8 years old, my mom sat me down and she said, I've taken you for as far as I can take you.
Like, if you want to go to a different level, you're going to have to get other people to help you.
Now, I internalized that to believe she was talking about life, she was talking about math. She couldn't do. She couldn't do math beyond my third grade math. And so was like, if you want somebody to help you beyond this third grade math, you're going to have to figure out how to build around yourself.
People who are going to pour into you and help guide you along that way.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: And so wait, she forgot to say the word math.
[00:15:48] Speaker A: Yeah, like my. Turned out. But.
But I think that my, like being humble and realizing that you don't know and that's fine, but you're going to have to add on people to get you on that journey. Like, they instilled that in me. Like, they weren't as my parents, they weren't the end all be all of like my learning and my journey and people who could counsel me and give me advice and should be pouring into me and that I would need to seek that out if I wanted to build that as a part of my journey. And so I do think that my parents were understood the village was going to give birth to the child and in their also belief. And I know my mom and dad said this, they were just vessels and like stewards. You know, God gave them me to do as a gift. And so it wasn't just for them, it was for the world. And they just got to be the people that I came through.
But there were going to be other people who were going to need to be a part of that. And so I think that's just a power, powerful, important lesson I learned really young. And so I collect mentors. I like identify people. Like, I observe people, I watch them, I see how they interact, their principles, their values. And then I just like, I grab like, I don't actually the business card, but I seek them out really, and are very bullish about like making sure I get the relationship, get their counsel so that they can walk along with me on my journey.
[00:17:26] Speaker C: So an add on. That's a great question as an add on and answer to that. One of the things we were talking about is it's so normal for us to reach out to business mentors. But as a new mom, like, I've asked myself, well, why haven't I reached out to somebody that I really admire, that's a mom, like to learn how to. I want to be the best parent to moxie, like, why am I not seeking a great mother as a mentor?
And my question to you is, have you reached out to mentors in all aspects of your life, not just business? Because I think that's special and not something we necessarily think about a lot.
[00:18:02] Speaker A: Oh, I have mentors.
I mean, I would say a third of my mentors are lawyers. Right.
I would say a third of them are not.
[00:18:14] Speaker C: Well, that's why you've done what you've done.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And then a third of them are like in extreme, extremely. They are so different from me. Right. They are men, white men, Asian men. I mean, like, they are so different and they bring such a different perspective on the same issue that if I like only ask a person that is the same as me, like, I'm going to get a very different perspective on it. And I do want to understand what someone that comes from a very different world, how they view the same set of facts and why. And I'm curious about that and not in a way of like, oh, there's a right and A wrong many times. There's a lot of gray in between those. But like, how did you. How are you seeing that same thing differently? And so I do seek out in every aspect of my life, from clothing to.
To being a woman to being a leader in the community.
And I also, which is interesting, I think people will find quite interesting. I am not enamored by titles.
So some of my mentors have no titles.
They are just good people in this world, like salt of the earth.
And that, I think, in so many ways keeps me grounded and keeps me hungry.
It keeps me, just like, I think, in love with a community that can give birth to CEOs and can give birth to women and men who every day go to work every day take care of their families and come back to the neighborhood. And that's a success as well.
[00:20:01] Speaker C: Yeah, I love that. I didn't plan on. I didn't intend on asking five more questions about this, but it's, it's really insightful and I think other people will find it as such, so. Oh, yeah. So we call this our war room. Like we build out our war room. And you seem to have a built out your war room. I would love to know stadium.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:24] Speaker B: That's between stadium and rock banter.
[00:20:27] Speaker C: And how do you nurture those relationships? When you're talking about mentors, do you typically talk to them weekly or is it like, I might see one monthly and yearly? Like, do you have.
How do you continue to pour energy into those relationships?
[00:20:41] Speaker A: So a couple of things.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: Can you touch on both sides too? Because you're, you're asking for it, right? You're. You're mentors and your mentees. Right. And you're in the middle of that. So how do you do both?
[00:20:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: And do you connect them too?
[00:20:53] Speaker A: I do, yes. Yeah. Yeah. So the, A couple of things, like the keeping in touch is.
I think there's a, there's an arc to it. Right.
I think I look at long arcs. I don't look at short, like transactions. So I'm not a transactional person. So I'm thinking at long arcs. And if you think about long arcs of relationships, they go deep. Right. So for me, in mentoring relationships, I go very deep quickly. Right. So I get to see if it's a match because it may not be a match. Right.
We may not jive.
And then the second is like, I thoughtfully think about that as a relationship that I invest in over the long arc.
So making sure they're good and making sure I'm good, which many times People think of the mentor mentee as a one directional.
And I early on learned that the mentees also need some support and they need somebody to check in on them. And texting and email, like, make it so much easier than when I first started out.
The same with my mentees. I am very intentional and I try and I pray about this a lot to also have people put on my heart that I should be reaching out to every day. And I do make it a goal every day to reach out to like seven people.
Like, whether it be like you were on my heart today, like something made you come on my mind, like, everything good, like anything I can help you with anything. Like, let me bring you up to speed. And I just like do that very thoughtfully every single day. So I make it a habit. And that allows for me to build a relationship well in advance of me ever needing anything. It also helps them to understand so that when they give me advice, it's very tailored. It's not like, you know, I'm not buying off the shelf. I'm buying custom. Right? Right. I want custom advice. And that's the same for my mentees.
That allows me, like, that, like, curiosity and like fostering my first love, like my first love of people helps me to. When I listen to someone talk, I could tell them immediately five people that they should be talking to.
Like, I can tell you, you tell me a little bit about your story. I can tell you three people off the top of my head that you need to know. And it's because I know those three people's stories. I know what they are interested in, I know what they're dealing with. And I can make those connections. The best connections I make, I think, are between people who would never collide. Right? People who are living in my mind, parallel lives trying to figure this all out and never collide and never come together. And that's like, when I get joy about it, I'll tell you a story. One story of like, I love connecting kids too. Like kids to other kids that are, like, trying on the same path. My, a friend had adopted her niece when her brother died.
And so she writes on LinkedIn.
My niece, this is a friend that lives way, way across the country. I would consider her a mentor as well. And she's telling me, this girl's going to Cornell in veterinary science.
So the assistant to one of my other mentors, her secretary tells me her daughter's going to Cornell in veterinary science same year.
So I'm like, oh, these kids have to meet each other.
They Connected.
Have been roommates. They graduate next month from veterinary school at Cornell. But they never would have met.
They both are basically a single family. I mean, it's really just, like, beautiful of being able to put people together, and they can be a source of encouragement to one another. They can connect with one another. And I do that for people in business. I have a mentee who.
He grew up. I mean, he has just an amazing story. Wanted to go into finance. He now I connected him with another friend who's in finance now. His summer internship is at the company. It's like, just like, these, like, these two people need to be together, and they need to somehow collide on this journey of life. And, like, maybe I'm an instrument to, like, put those two together and match them up. And they then get to, like, go off into the sunset, and something amazing happens because of it. So I am always thinking of, like, how can I make sure people who should be colliding, connecting are meeting one another?
[00:25:40] Speaker B: So I have 10,000 more questions, but I'm gonna stay here.
So I think, you know, you didn't say this exact word, but there's an intentionality around this that you're hyper involved in. How do you. Because I. I'm over here going. I think my thought is, God, I'm a terrible person. I need to.
[00:25:55] Speaker A: No, you're not.
[00:25:57] Speaker C: I think, well, this is just a comment in between your thought process. I think a common thread or something that you say a lot is being a vehicle or a vessel or you're just. And I think that seems to me how you approach the world as this threat of servitude, and I'm just the vessel. That's what I am. And that's. That is a very refreshing way of thinking and a very. It's hard to think that way and to be so selfless. But I. I think that that just in this small amount of time we spent together makes you special, that way of thinking. Because everything you've said, that's all. It all comes back to always, that train of thought.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: And I'm gonna ask you a pretty hardcore tactical question, right? Cause we have business. How do you. How do you stay that intentional? Seven contacts a day. How do you stay that intentional amidst all of the other things that you have to do? Is it. Is it priority? Do you just work harder than us? Are you more. I know.
[00:26:58] Speaker A: Are you.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: Are you just more productive than us tactically?
How do you get all of that done? Considering you have a very significant and important and demanding job? How do you get all of it done tactically, I mean, nuts and bolts. I have a list.
It's written on my arm. You just can't see it. Like, tactically, how do you get all that done?
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:27:17] Speaker B: With that level of intentionality.
[00:27:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. So couple of things. One, I do have. I have a photograph of memory. So I do keep list in my head. I do write them out down as well, but I do keep them in my head.
I use every minute of every day.
I like, really use every minute of every day. So, like, every.
Every moment.
[00:27:39] Speaker C: What time do you wake up?
[00:27:41] Speaker A: I may go to seven. I'm late. Okay. Okay. But I go to sleep. Okay.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Yeah. So it's a range.
[00:27:45] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:46] Speaker B: Arrangement.
[00:27:47] Speaker C: I'm always just curious.
[00:27:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Productivity, input and output. Right. You want to know the productivity portion?
[00:27:54] Speaker A: I text.
There is no car ride where I'm not talking.
There's not.
I like engaging with people. So, like, I'm still up at 11, so. So there are people who are in the Midwest or on the west coast that then that's when they are like prime time, you know, and I'm doing. I'm talking to them. But in the morning when I wake up, I'm. I'm on the phone or I'm texting or I'm talking to someone.
And some of them are longer than others.
And really, I'm telling you the prayer of people putting proto on my heart. There are people who I'll reach out to and they'll say, I have no. God must have sent you to me, like, because I needed, like, somebody to just speak life over me in this moment. Or like, how could you have known I was going through that? Or like some, you know, it just is. It just happens that way.
And even kids, like, you'd be surprised how it also is reciprocal. Like, I have a mentee. I started mentoring her when she was 7.
Like, she will. She's now 14, and she'll be like, Ms. Alicia, you are on my heart. I think she's heard me say it.
But, like, now she's starting to emulate or, you know, follow the example of, like, you know, part of like living a life is to, like, be interested in others, to care about others, to reach out to others, and to do that with, like, no agenda other than, like, it's important to care for one another. And I think that's really important in every time, in every phase of life. And I think all of us have sometimes gotten a call from someone that made our day better, or someone sent us a note and it boosted us up. So I think it's really just really important for.
It's a part of being a good human to do that.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: I have a question. You mentioned that along the way you clerked for the Juvenile court.
What were your takeaways there? And how would you suggest some of that shaped you?
[00:29:59] Speaker A: Yeah. So into today, too.
[00:30:01] Speaker B: Right. Because I love where we are at this point in time in your career. So I don't want to go too far back, but just so you can just catch that part of the.
[00:30:07] Speaker A: Oh, no, no.
[00:30:08] Speaker B: What influence that had in opening your eyes, especially in Baltimore City.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Transformational.
I used.
I clerked on that court, and you're only supposed to usually clerk in a docket for six months and then you switch to another docket. But my judge, Judge Young, was in the docket for entire year. He loved young people like you could just. It just oozed off of him. That was his. That's his gift to the world.
And in those cases, I would, like, go deep. And what I started to realize, in many of the cases that we saw, there are two sides to a case in juvenile. One side is where you might put all of the cases where there's delinquency for this person, being a minor, they would be charged as a crime.
And then on the other side is where you might put every incident that would be characterized as abuse.
And when this side of the folder was thick, it always had a companion other side, which taught me is that we failed that challenge because the delinquency was also a byproduct of some adult who had no business abusing like a gift that was brought into this world, who should have had every opportunity to fulfill their greatest potential.
And what I also realized, being in juvenile and having a judge like Judge Young is that that isn't the full story.
Right. And even when there was a thick right side and left side, that there were still stories of children who were resilient and could come out of that, and who you now you probably interact with, and you would never know that that was a part of their story.
And so for me, it's one. I love young people. I care deeply about them. I care deeply about them on both sides. My greatest joy is that a child never has to come through the walls of that center. They should never have to.
But if they do, we really have to be conscious that they are children and treat them as such and get them through that journey so that they can contribute to this community. That's why I mentor. That's why I give advice. That's why I try to do as much as my community.
Because it's not a given that you have Nelisha Wilson, that's a vice president at Johns Hopkins, Not a given.
Could have gone a very different way, but for a lot of people, that poured into me. And so that's the same for every young person. No parent births a baby and says, you know what? I really want this child to fail.
That's just not. That's not what's happening in the. In the birthing rooms at any of these hospitals. And it just put on me, like, a responsibility to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure that baby that's born today has the opportunities that they should have to realize a bright future.
[00:33:18] Speaker C: Has there been a particular.
[00:33:20] Speaker A: Sure, there's been many.
[00:33:21] Speaker C: But a particular story or person you can speak to, who you met that may have been in that system or going down the wrong trajectory, that you have been a part of their life and seen a complete turnaround. Oh, I'm sure.
I would love to hear just one.
[00:33:39] Speaker A: I have really powerful stories. I remember a young person that try to think of, which one am I going to tell you?
I. I find myself now mentoring more boys than girls.
Is there a reason for that, or. I think that we need it desperately. I know, I know. I feel like. It's just like. I feel like I'm a place of rest and a place of rest and also a motivator. And so I think there's something about it right now. This is just like the season of boys.
And I had a young man who I started mentoring when he was in ninth grade.
I went to Law Links. I speak to them every year.
[00:34:27] Speaker B: And Law Links is still in motion.
[00:34:29] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:34:30] Speaker B: I'm glad to hear that.
[00:34:31] Speaker A: And they find you.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: Typically, these mentees reach out to you.
[00:34:34] Speaker A: They find me. Okay. Like I speak or something. Got it. And I remember one day I met him, got his card, started contacting me, and one day I saw him in bank of America. I'm just, like, at work. And I said, what's happening here? He said, they can't cash my check. And I said, okay, we can figure out how to cash your check. And then he said, can you drop me off after I cash my check? I said, sure.
And I realized I was dropping him off and at the DSS office because he was homeless and he wasn't going to have anywhere to stay that night.
So I was like, I'm not dropping a kid off and not staying with them. Like, he's a kid and stayed with him, got him into placement and just kept with him on his trajectory. And now he works in the city of Baltimore.
But that could have gone a very different way. And we don't think of, like, mother, not in his life, father, not in his life.
Good kid and deserves, like, some adult that, like, is going to say, like, not on my watch are you going to be alone doing things that most adults can't navigate.
And so that's. He's like a. He has a shining star story of mine of just, like, the importance of, like, realizing their kids and we need to help them navigate and make sure they're not alone when they're making these really big decisions or we'll lose them. Yeah.
[00:36:11] Speaker B: And could have. Could have lost him that day. Right?
[00:36:13] Speaker A: Could have lost him that day. You never. He had no money. They.
His name was one name and they put the nickname right, so like a James.
And we're all around calling him Jimmy. And we put Jimmy on the paycheck.
[00:36:30] Speaker B: Right.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: He's not cashing that at the bank. Right.
But now it's too late, you know, so it's just like the little things that for most of us wouldn't be a big deal, but are a big deal for many of those young people. Yeah.
[00:36:42] Speaker B: No question.
[00:36:42] Speaker A: Wow.
So you.
[00:36:46] Speaker C: I can tell that you get so much. I mean, if not more out of your service to these young folks or whoever, the lives you touch.
You give so much, but I can tell how much you get back.
But you're, you know, you're. You seem like you're just always, always giving. What are those things that you do for yourself outside of that? Because you're. You're just giving so much to yourself all the time.
[00:37:12] Speaker A: How do you.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: You. How do you preserve your own energy? And to be able to give back?
[00:37:19] Speaker B: Even. Even an ATM machine needs deposits, right? Yeah. But. Yeah, exclusively withdrawal. So what's the. What's the deposit?
[00:37:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:26] Speaker B: Where's the fuel come from?
[00:37:27] Speaker A: Yeah, the fuel comes from. I mean, a couple places I do. Like, I am a woman of faith, so that fuels me so much also. Fish. I.
[00:37:38] Speaker B: Yes, Fishing. Good answer. You can't be like, I get so much from giving to others.
[00:37:42] Speaker A: No, no, no, no, no. I fish.
I am.
I'm a consummate game player. Like, I'm a UNO champion. So I feel like a lot of. And people bring me energy, and I know some people are like, oh, I get drained by people. And like, if you told me, like, we get to go to this party or we get to go get to this gathering. Like, I'm on. I'm like. I get more and more energized by it. So.
[00:38:08] Speaker B: So talk about how. So you're a champion UNO player. Talk about how competitive you are. Are you competitive?
[00:38:14] Speaker A: Oh, you have no idea. So that.
[00:38:16] Speaker B: So that's on a whole different level. So that's great, because you can be a thoughtful, high EQ giving person and still want to gut somebody on the UNO table.
[00:38:24] Speaker A: Right. I have no. I mean from. From.
[00:38:26] Speaker B: They don't have to be Richard.
[00:38:27] Speaker A: From 6 to 600. I'm taking everybody out. There's no.
I have no sympathy for any kid in playing Uno. Any games. I take no mercy on any of them. They will all learn the lesson. Yes.
[00:38:41] Speaker B: I'm not dropping you off at tss, but understand, you get whoop the noodles.
[00:38:45] Speaker A: You'Re gonna be able to not sit down for a while. You're gonna stand. You're gonna stand at attention. Yeah. You're not.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:38:53] Speaker C: And then that you brought up unapologetic.
[00:38:55] Speaker A: You are. Yes.
[00:38:56] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:38:57] Speaker C: Yeah. And you brought that up in the beginning, saying, doing.
[00:39:00] Speaker A: How did you put it?
[00:39:01] Speaker C: Doing good and doing well. Well are. Are not mutually exclusive. And I think. I know in business, you know, it's like, oh, the. You're the evil business person when that's not true. I think there's so many really kind, thoughtful business people that want and do do good, and they're very successful in business, too. Can you talk about how that mentality has only helped you in business?
[00:39:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I think that this, like, villain business owner is just a myth.
I get to meet people who are just at the infancy of starting businesses and people who are 30 years in, and I can tell you founders. Now, I can't talk about people who are not founders, but I'll tell you about founders.
They are a special group of people. They are, like, beautiful contributors to this country and to this world.
They have a drive and a vision that is so rooted in community, so rooted in employing people, so rooted in making this community better, that you can't. You can't really fathom it. And I've been blessed to get to spend a lot of time with business owners, advise business owners as a lawyer, and then work inside of businesses. And they give so, so, so much to our community. And some of them because of just how, like, having an employee is a really, really big deal.
It's a big, like, contributing such a big deal. And Mick knows this. Like, when we were doing port Covington like not many people will know this. Like I would call on Mick for things that were not even his business.
They were things that employed young men from our community.
And he always answered my calls, Always.
And so if you only want to talk about the profits, we can only talk about the profits. But we need to talk about the purpose and we need to talk about the contributions that our businesses contribute to our community in ways that people never get publicized. Mick never asked to be on the front page of a paper. He never asked for accolades. He just was doing good work.
And I think that's.
There's so many business. I could tell you stories of business owners in this community that would blow your mind.
People who others maybe try to villainize, try to sort of reduce them to one statement, one one way of thinking about them that are complex and givers.
And I think it's important to say how much it contributes to our society to employ people to continue to make revenue, to make a lot of revenue. I want you to be wildly successful. I want you to make a whole lot of money. Because the more money you make, the more jobs in this community. When you headquartered in our community, I'm proud of you. Like I want to make it easy for you to do business here and to keep growing. So I think I know many people don't have that same mindset. I know the value of business and the value of the people behind the businesses and how much that contributes to a vibrant community.
[00:42:24] Speaker B: I think yeah, that's a great point. And I think what can happen is if when you're building companies of scale that size, you clearly have to attract. Attract a lot of people that want to take that mission, they want to take that journey with you. So the idea that you would be a terrible person is really hard to get your break because you could not attract enough people to go on that journey with you. And, and I. And certainly. And I think in fairness there are people that do get theirs and then come back on the backside, right? They do well and then do good. So that so guilty is charging spots. But that is a very, very small minority because it's hard to attract that many people that want to take that journey with you. If you're a jackass, right. Or self serving or you know, you're not giving back in some way. It's almost impossible to. You can't get there on your own. So that's something to be really clear about for people. It's not this retrospective thing like you're doing it all along. And I Think in today's world of social media, where everybody gets a microphone to blast whatever they want to blast, then you can come back and you can make it look like. Like they only showed up to do good after they'd crushed everybody or stepped on people in the process of doing well, and it's simply not true.
[00:43:32] Speaker A: Yeah, no, absolutely.
I think, like, in the world of, like, sound bites, where you want to reduce people to, like, this one archetype, I think is really, really dangerous. Right.
Just like I said, the child that has two sides to the folder, that's not the whole story.
[00:43:53] Speaker B: Right. There's always a third side. Right.
[00:43:54] Speaker A: There's a third side.
[00:43:55] Speaker B: Usually it's the truth.
[00:43:56] Speaker A: And that's not the. That's not. That's not their complete story. And the same with the business. You know, none of us are our best or our worst day.
And there's so much you do in the shadows that doesn't get counted but really is important to our society. So I want to learn something. Sure.
[00:44:17] Speaker B: Johns Hopkins University to J.P. morgan.
[00:44:20] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:44:20] Speaker B: So, and you. And I got disconnected. I actually. I was thinking about you. I'm like, I wonder where Alicia. So, of course, I jumped on in my favorite tool, LinkedIn. There she is. And I'm not gonna lie, I was a little surprised to see JP Morgan. Not for any. Any reason. I just did not see that.
[00:44:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:44:33] Speaker B: You're generally very local and very community here. Baltimore community.
What did that role like, or what was the attraction that got you to leave Hopkins?
[00:44:42] Speaker A: And.
[00:44:42] Speaker B: And I don't know if you. You know, if you physically left the area or what that role looked like, but what did it look like there was something to do with philanthropy? Right.
And I imagine you. You had the role of directing some philanthropy. Right. And pointing where the money was going. Pretty good weapon in JP Morgan from a philanthropy.
Tell us about that role and. And what. What that looked like.
[00:45:03] Speaker A: So, like, I, you know, I think about my journey in my life of, like, there's some times when there, like, these chances of a lifetime and, like, you can take them or not.
I can tell you, you probably regret not taking some of those chances of a lifetime. And when I was recruited to JP Morgan to lead philanthropy for the United States and Canada, it was like a chance of a lifetime to think about the entire country in doing good and driving philanthropy with a corporation, which I had never done at that scale. Like, it was a. It was just an opportunity to lead at scale and do good at scale.
My heart never left Baltimore. I did leave Baltimore. Did you move to New York. No. D.C. okay, got it.
But was all.
But, no, no, no. Many people lead it from New York, so that's not. And so I was all over the country leading philanthropy, and what I always knew, my heart was always in Baltimore. But if I hadn't taken the opportunity. And let me say this, the people I work with at JP Morgan, my team that was across the country, are some of the most innovative, selfless, hardworking human beings I've ever had to put pleasure of working with.
And getting to see what it is like to do philanthropy in rural Alabama and in Columbus, Ohio, and in San Francisco.
Like, just opening my eyes to, like, the diversity of this country and what it means to serve in Arizona versus Baltimore.
Like, when I had my Dorothy moment, which is what I call my Dorothy moment, like, there's no place like home. You always get that moment. To come back to Hopkins, a place I love, an institution I love dearly, being able to bring all of that back to this city is like a treasure. And so grateful for that part of the journey, grateful for that opportunity to understand it in a finance world was a treasure. And then they get to come back to Hopkins and put it all back together. It's like a blessing.
[00:47:25] Speaker B: So at that level, in a company like jp did you have access to Jamie Dimon?
[00:47:29] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:47:29] Speaker B: Really?
[00:47:30] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I was like, I'm Was three levels below.
[00:47:33] Speaker B: Jamie understood that. But I imagine knowing. Knowing what I know, and I see a lot of. Obviously does a lot of interviews and see, I imagine the philanthropic got a boy side of that. Very important to him, Right?
[00:47:44] Speaker A: Extremely important.
[00:47:45] Speaker B: Yeah. And that philanthropy piece has to have, you know, a. It has to have golden support. Right.
[00:47:51] Speaker A: To.
[00:47:51] Speaker B: To get it there.
[00:47:52] Speaker A: Right.
[00:47:52] Speaker B: And you had it.
[00:47:53] Speaker A: Yeah. No, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, JP Morgan is committed to the community, and. And, you know, getting to see how you do that at, like, massive scale. Massive scale. Yeah.
[00:48:04] Speaker B: To really, really good.
[00:48:06] Speaker A: A lot of levers. A lot of levers. A lot of. And. And also a stockholder. Right. You have a shareholder, which is very different than in a nonprofit like Johns Hopkins, A big nonprofit, but a nonprofit nonetheless. And so getting to see just the complexity. Like, I view my career as, like, a journey, and, like, I'm all in for all the rides and, like, love the twists and turns and love the opportunities, but, like, that was a chance of a lifetime. Like, when does that come around again?
Yeah.
[00:48:37] Speaker B: What. What do you want to say?
[00:48:40] Speaker C: Well, I know you have a meeting, so.
[00:48:42] Speaker B: Yeah. So we're going to run a little short. We're Definitely. So don't worry. We're coming back. Like, Felicia will be back sooner than later.
We have much to wrap on. No, no, we're good. Yeah.
[00:48:50] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:48:50] Speaker B: But this would have been a two hour deal.
[00:48:55] Speaker C: No, I know. I could just ask a million questions, but I. I want to know what's. What's current and next for you, like, what's. You've been saying. What's on my, you know, your heart or you've been on my heart. What's on your heart right now.
[00:49:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:49:07] Speaker C: And your immediate future.
[00:49:10] Speaker A: Yeah. I feel like I came back to Hopkins at a very interesting time, and so I say interesting where an institution that is so incredibly important to the world is challenged. Yeah, it is really challenging.
[00:49:31] Speaker B: And you walked right into a topic that I really wanted to build out on. And we're going to run out of time, but we have to come back.
[00:49:36] Speaker A: No, no, no.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: With what's going on. With funding.
[00:49:37] Speaker A: Yeah, it's funding. It's just, you know, you're seeing the.
[00:49:39] Speaker B: Federal government in this moment.
[00:49:40] Speaker A: You're seeing cancer trials.
[00:49:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:44] Speaker A: Impacted.
Like, you're seeing, like, real care.
Am I talking, like, theoretical?
[00:49:50] Speaker B: I'm talking, like the next breakthrough thing on the precipice. Right.
[00:49:56] Speaker A: Even just like your standard care.
[00:49:58] Speaker B: Right.
[00:49:59] Speaker A: Like you needing to go to the hospital and get a treatment. It's like, under attack. And so I feel very blessed to be at the institution and, like, helping to work it through that. But it's real. I mean, it is real. And that has a ripple effect on so many other things. But I think that, you know, I came during. I came during COVID before. COVID at Hopkins before. So somebody today said, you just have perfect time.
I wish you could come when, like, it's just like sunshine to blue skies. But no, I feel like I have the perfect timing for some fire warriors.
[00:50:38] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:50:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Yes. Wars. Yes. And so. But feel very blessed to be under the leadership of Braun Daniels, the president. And leadership matters.
It really, really, really matters.
Yeah.
[00:50:51] Speaker B: Look down the street. I know your leadership matters because leadership matters.
[00:50:54] Speaker A: Yeah, leadership matters. It matters. And so for small businesses, it matters. For everybody, it matters. For the woman on the block, it matters. And so I feel blessed to be at Hopkins, but this is a. It's a challenging time. Yeah.
[00:51:08] Speaker B: Well, glad you're there.
[00:51:09] Speaker A: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
[00:51:12] Speaker B: Look, I think we're at a great point.
[00:51:14] Speaker C: Any lasting work, we always.
[00:51:16] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely.
[00:51:17] Speaker C: Like, if you. If there's anything you can leave. I think our audience already got so much from this. I did.
But is there anything you can leave off with that to make people think about or anything that's on your mind?
[00:51:31] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, I think one thing I would say one. First of all, thank you both for what you're doing in this podcast. It's really important to put the microphone, give some people the microphone that can impart some wisdom. What I would say at this point, because I've encountered a lot of people who feel very down right, feel very powerless, like, what can I do during this time?
It is in this moment that you have to, I think, lean into the power of the one and the one act the one call the one action, the thing that you can do which is within your power.
And during a time when you may say, what can I do? What can I contribute? I see things happening that make me upset, like making sure that you are contributing to your local school community, making sure that you are checking on your neighbors, making sure that you are checking on the elders, making sure that if somebody's can't pay for their prescription because that's blown up or kidneys are like making sure that you do one.
And that's really important and valuable. So don't feel powerless, don't feel disempowered, like you have the power to do good for one or for many. And both of those matter. So that's sort of what I would just like be encouraged, be be uplifted, move with positivity and hope. It is what we have, it's what we hold on to. It's what's going to carry us through.
[00:53:15] Speaker B: Welcome to HROM Talks for the Children Stars tonight.
[00:53:19] Speaker C: Tonight.
