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YW Boston recently caught up with Darian Gambrell, Executive Director at Deaf Inc, and LeadBoston Class of 2024 alum, to discuss her current role and LeadBoston experience.

Can you tell us about your experience in the program and how it has impacted your career path?

LeadBoston has been an amazing experience. It was such a honor to be part of [this] program as a new person working in Massachusetts. I learned so much from my cohort and more importantly, about the different impacts our community is faced with when it comes to healthcare, education, disability, housing and so much more.

What have you been up to since completing the program?

Since completing the program. I have shared with my staff what I have learned. They have done their own version of training. Our staff currently goes into the neighborhoods to learn what the community experiences daily. I also have worked on my leadership commitment to make sure we recruit and retain diverse employees at our agency.

Have you continued to work in the same field you were in at the time of participating in and completing the program?

Yes, I am now into my 4th year at DEAF, Inc. and truly love being part of this agency. Everything we stand for is what I support and believe in.

Have you had any notable professional accomplishments since completing the program?

I continue to seek funding for our agency and a big one we are working on is a caregiver program for our deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, and late deafened community. We have received funding to begin this work, and to me, that is an accomplishment.

How have you continued to learn and grow professionally since completing the program?

I am always learning and growing. I commit myself to attend workshops and training that is outside of my norm to constantly feed new information to my brain.

Have you had any challenges or obstacles in your professional journey since completing the program, and how did you overcome them?

Navigating my way with social justice work requires a lot of thought, planning and care when approaching staff. I am constantly learning how to best provide this space for our agency, and we are committed to trying.

How have you stayed connected with others from the program or the organization that hosted it?

[I have stated connected through] Linkedin and email. The power of staying connected in different ways has been helpful.

Have you collaborated with any other program alums or colleagues since completing the program?

When [our agency] visited the jail system, we contacted [a fellow LeadBoston alum]. She helped make that visit possible.

How have you applied the skills and knowledge you gained from the program in your current work?

I have learned so much from [LeadBoston’s] activities and have shared and used it with our staff.

What advice do you have for current or prospective participants in the program?

This is a one-of-a-kind experience. If you are new to the Boston area, this is a perfect way of getting immersed tolearn more about Boston. Once a month is all they asked of us and that was beneficial!

What are your future goals and how do you plan to achieve them?

My future goal is to continue to expand DEAF, Inc. with services that are needed in the area for our community. I plan to continue to network, provide capacity building, and stay connected with my colleagues.