Interview w/ Cheryl Richards, Director of Corporate Culture and Workforce Inclusion

Name: Cheryl Richards
Position: Director of Corporate Culture and Workforce Inclusion
Years in Current Position: 1
Previous Positions: Workforce Learning Manager, Workforce Learning Coordinator, Program Manager, Supervisor, Assistant Supervisor, Childcare Worker (Youth Development Professional)
Years with Hillcrest: 27

How did you get started with Hillcrest?
Oh my god, how did I get started with Hillcrest? I had already been working in the field at another human service organization at the time. I heard a lot about Hillcrest and I thought, “Oh, I really want to get into Hillcrest.” So I applied. I wanted some exposure to working with kids because I wanted to be a clinician. 

So you did have a background related to Hillcrest? 
Yes, I did. I had been working at Valley Head for about two and a half years, which was an all-girls program in Lenox and then I was also working for BCArc at the time as an Assistant Program Director. 

What position did you come into here? 
I came in as a Childcare Worker, today the title is Youth Develop Professionals. Originally, I applied to work at the Hillcrest Center, however, I was informed by the hiring manager that they were currently hiring for the girls’ program in Pittsfield.

Can you share a little bit about your journey from your starting position to Director of Corporate Culture & Workforce Inclusion? 
I started as a Childcare Worker working with the girls at Springside Manor. I wasn’t at Springside long before the Hillcrest Center program and Springside merged into one program in Lenox. About two years working at the Center campus when I became an assistant supervisor. I was in the assistant supervisor role for 10 months. I became a shift supervisor running the Sunday to Wednesday shift, [which I ran for 9 years.]. Throughout that time, we had a variety of different student populations. I spent the bulk of my career at Hillcrest Center.

I was the academic supervisor at Hillcrest Academy for about a year.  [That’s when] a position opened up in the administrative office in the training department, now the workforce learning department. I started as a workforce learning coordinator. I was primarily responsible for the training at the campuses, making sure the campuses were in compliance with their training and oversight of the learning management system. I was in that position for three and a half years.

I then became the Program Manager at Hillcrest Center for the adolescent girls’ program. I was in that position for about four years. When I became the workforce learning manager, I oversaw training from 2015 until this job was created in 2022. 

Last year, Hillcrest created the Director of Corporate Culture and Workforce Inclusion position to focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What year did you start?
June 5, 1996 

Do you know how many people are still here who’ve been here longer than you? 
There are a lot of people that have been working for HEC longer than me. 

As an organization, we honored our veteran staff this past October, the staff that have been employed with HEC for 10+ years. We have 112 staff with 10+ years of service working at Hillcrest.  We had a nice reception for them at the Country Club of Pittsfield. 

What are the happiest moments for you as a senior manager? 
As a senior manager, I think the happiest moments for me…the students. I don’t work directly with the students anymore, but that’s the reason why I came to work for Hillcrest. I wanted to have experience working with kids. I tell this to new staff when I speak to them, that you have to be in it for the right reasons (the kids). This can be a challenging job, but it’s very rewarding. At the end of the day, we get into it because we want to make a difference in the lives of students.

What are the hardest parts of your job as a senior manager? 
So my job is fairly new. I’m just finding my way in my new job and hoping that I’m making the right decisions, with the guidance of the executive team, for the organization regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. I’m not the expert, but my goal is to continue to educate myself so that I can become the expert. 

What surprised you most about Hillcrest? 
I wanted to only be here two years. So I think I was surprised by the organization itself and what they do to help or promote the advancement of staff. The time they take to invest in people for their professional development. I just haven’t seen the level of support that you get here elsewhere. I wouldn’t have gone back to school to obtain my bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees if it wasn’t for the support and encouragement from Hillcrest. I didn’t see it in myself, but they saw it and [said] this is what you should do because you’d be great at it. If it wasn’t for Hillcrest, I wouldn’t have gone back to school.

So who’s the most influential person in your work life right now? 
I’ve had a lot of people that have influenced me starting when I was a direct care worker and Shaun Cusson (President and CEO) was the Program Director at the Center. He would talk about me going back to school, he would say, “Go back to school and get your degree because you’ll be running a program one day.” And I felt like, “Yeeeah, I’m not even worried about that right now.” So in hindsight, I think, “Wow, he was right.” At the time I wasn’t even thinking about my future, I was just thinking about getting through the here and now. When I started working for Michele Mornin (VP of HR & Workforce Learning) during my interview with her she said that it was a requirement that I would have enroll into a college program. I enrolled into a bachelor’s program at MCLA.

I remember prior to completing my bachelor’s degree , I met with Jerry Burke (former President and CEO). He asked me what my plans were after I graduated with my bachelor’s. He said, “You’re running a program now, so maybe you should think about getting your master’s.”  I thought, “I’m done. This was hard enough.” At that time I had no desire to continue with another degree. But after I graduated I thought if I’m going to get my master’s I should do it now.

And Michele Morin has always been supportive, from the moment I started working under her in 2008. When I first became a workforce learning coordinator, she was the first one who said, “You’re working in my department. You have to go back to school and get a degree. I’ll give you a year, research, figure out what it is you want to do, but you have to go back to school.” 

From that time on, she has always been a really good support person for me, both personally and professionally. She has encouraged me to do things that I didn’t think I could do. She’s encouraged me to step outside of my box. And she’s always been that person I can bounce things off of. She supervised me from 2008 right up until just recently when I became the  Director of Corporate Culture and Workforce Inclusion. But I’ll still go to her and say what do you think of this or that. She’s probably been the one who’s been the most influential and has been a really good mentor for me. She’s the person I strive to be one day.

What degrees did you get? 
I have a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in business administration, both of which I received from MCLA. And I have a master’s in human resource management from Southern New Hampshire University I’ve  completed  a certificate program in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through Cornell University  [I’ve continued taking] classes around diversity, equity, and inclusion, just to bring myself up to speed and [further my knowledge base.]

Do you have any advice for new employees?
As a new person working at Hillcrest, it can be overwhelming at times. But there are a lot of resources in place for you. So take advantage of every opportunity, utilize your supervisor, and utilize your coworkers. Utilize the resources that are in place to help you be successful in your job. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

What kind of person do you think succeeds in leadership at Hillcrest? 
I think people who are successful in leadership roles here are people who step outside of their box and go above and beyond. People who continuously want to learn and grow. People who realize what they want as far as their professional development goes. There’s a lot of opportunity here. I’ve seen it. I’ve been witness to it. I’ve had it happen to me. I think if people want to advance and move forward and be in leadership roles, make it known and put themselves out there. [Do things] that are going to open the eyes of people to say, “Okay, this person wants to be in a leadership position.”

Do you have any favorite stories about the kids? 
I have a lot of favorite stories, too many to just pick one. When I worked with the students I always enjoyed doing activities with the students. Engagement with the students is a big part of working with the kids.  

Anything else you’d like to add?
Hillcrest is a great organization to work for, I’ve learned a lot and I continue to learn and grow.    

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We’re looking for dynamic, compassionate people to join our team! Check out our career openings. We’re waiting to hear from you. 

Don’t forget to read Celebrating our Longterm Team Members at our Veteran Staff Dinner – 2023.