An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Consistency — My mother, who is an educator, preached the philosophy of continuous assessment and improvement. This is a common theme in academic settings, but I find it invaluable in all settings of life, work, and relationships.
In a world where diversity is often acknowledged but not always celebrated, we are taking a step forward to highlight the importance of inclusivity in building strong, vibrant communities. This series aims to explore the various facets of diversity — be it racial, cultural, gender-based, or within the differently abled community — and understand how embracing these differences strengthens our social fabric. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Josh Arce.
As a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Josh has more than 20 years of experience in education management, social work, and business development. Before becoming the CEO of PWNA, he served as Chief Information Officer of Haskell Indian Nations University and has an extensive background in Tribal law and governance. Always an advocate, he also serves on the Texas Native Health Board, the UTA Native American Advisory Committee, and the Lutheran Indian Ministries Board of Directors.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about celebrating diversity, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
It has been a long and winding road. I would say that my mother made me feel loved, had a connection with my culture, and was able to experience failure. I had everything that I needed, but not everything that I wanted.
Growing up, we had books by authors like Vine Deloria, Jr., M. Scott Momaday, and Leslie Marmon Silko on our shelves. I have always enjoyed working with people and was an advocate in an anti-violence group in high school. I continued to work with young people through my undergraduate work and I continued this passion through my professional career.
My experience at Haskell Indian Nations University as a student solidified my importance as an educated Native, where I created lifelong connections to Native communities around the country and built my passion for advocacy. As a professional there, I was able to continue working with young people to pursue their educational goals, develop their voices, and navigate the federal bureaucracy of operating a university in a governmental system.
For over 30 years, I have been advocating, educating, or working in the Native sector. Coming to PWNA and serving as the first Native American President/CEO was a natural fit for me. I know people in the communities we serve, I have been to the communities we serve, and I am passionate about improving the environments where we work.
Can you share an interesting or hopeful story where spending time with someone who did not look like you or who was different from you taught you something that has been useful to you?
I spent countless hours with a mentor, Dr. Dave, a retired radiologist who loved classical music and practiced Buddhism. He helped me overcome fears of the unknown and bring perspective to stressful and volatile situations. He framed it like this: “What is the worst that could happen, what is the best that could happen, and the outcome is usually somewhere in between.”
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Three character traits are the most instrumental in my success:
Work Ethic — Throughout my education and career, there has been a consistent message as a minority that you have to work 3 times as hard to be considered as an equal with your non-minority peers. Later in life, I have finally heard minorities say that our 100% is good enough. My work ethic is to perform at least at 110%. Overperforming, overworking, and burnout are the implications of working 3 times as hard as your peers.
Living in Faith — Native people are very spiritual. I may not have always been religious, but I certainly have always been a spiritual person and relied on prayer to get me through the most difficult times. On one occasion, some peers were attacking me professionally, and it became a very one-sided, public smear campaign. It was emotionally exhausting; I was losing sleep and began losing confidence in myself. But only through prayer was I able to survive the dark thoughts, sleep nightly, and endure the challenge. I had faith that my creator didn’t bring me that far to drop me on my face, but I had to endeavor to persevere.
Grit — Sometimes you have to do it anyway. On the morning that I was going to travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit campus for the Pre-Law Summer Institute, I checked the mail and received their rejection letter. I took the trip anyway, and upon my arrival, I addressed the concerns from the letter. I could have stayed home and pouted, but instead of sitting in that uncertainty, I made the commitment and kept it.
Another example of grit — After the PLSI program, I went home and started working day labor with my Navajo Dad as a welder. I had a few offers, but nothing that I was able to confirm. Basically, I got a phone call from the law school admissions office on a Friday, and they told me I could start law school on Monday. I started without financial aid, books, or a laptop, and didn’t have those needs met until six weeks into the semester. I spent a lot of time in the library and used the knowledge from my PLSI summer program to get me through that time.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal story that highlights the impact of diversity and inclusivity in your life or career?
When I was in high school, I lived with my father. He was a single dad, and we shared an apartment. I was going through a tumultuous period in my young life and wasn’t in a good place mentally or emotionally. Chris Henderson, a good friend of mine at that time, saw me struggling. He asked his parents if I could move in with them for part of our senior year in high school, and they welcomed me into their home for several months. They believed in me more than I believed in myself, and I learned a lot from Chris’s father, Larry Dean Henderson, and his mother, Cheryl Brown-Henderson. I didn’t know it at the time, but Cheryl Brown-Henderson is the daughter of Oliver Brown — as in the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, which overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine and ended segregation in schools. She was instrumental in showing me class, grace, and patience while also being funny, smart, and kind. It was like a superhero showing you that they are also normal human beings.
How do you approach and manage the challenges that arise when working towards creating more inclusive communities?
I believe it’s important to be transparent, honest, and listen to the stakeholders when trying to create more inclusive communities. Approaching the situation with empathy, a willingness to collaborate, and identification of barriers are crucial for developing the trust necessary to support the community. Being able to find common ground, be an effective storyteller, and connect with the participants is paramount to fostering an environment of awareness.
What innovative strategies or initiatives have you implemented or observed that effectively promote the importance of diversity and inclusivity?
The Three E’s — Educate, Encourage, and Elevate. A large part of the work we do is education. People don’t know what they don’t know — but once you know it, you can work toward resolutions. We encourage our allies to stand beside us and support the community. On the continuum, we see opportunities to elevate stories, turn up the volume, and participate in allyship.
In your opinion, what are the key elements that make a community truly inclusive, and how can these be fostered on a larger scale?
These elements are taken from an article written by Dr. Ezra Lockhart and are parallel to video gaming, casino addiction, and gang culture.
Achievement — Celebrating victories, cheering for your favorite sports team or completing a project means so much more when it is done together.
Immersion — This is a deep mental involvement in the community so that you are surrounded by that culture, ideology, and practices.
Social Interaction — This means creating an environment where the community can interface individually, collaboratively express themselves, and communicate more broadly. Humans are social beings, and having this open environment is part of the experience that makes the community inclusive.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways We Can Build Inclusive Communities”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
Commitment (Time and Money) — The most successful and inclusive communities have a hard, visible, and tangible commitment of time and money. If it is important, then make it important by investing time and money in the community. AT&T ICAE is an example of an organization creating an inclusive community and honoring that commitment by funding it financially and with human resources.
Transparent, honest people — “Uneducated people come in every color.” Mr. Henderson was wise beyond his years. The important point to the discussion is that we have to cultivate relationships with people to create an inclusive community, and this is often done through education. I have heard countless times, “Wow, I never learned that before,” which changes the relationship to being symbiotic and not siloed.
Consistency — My mother, who is an educator, preached the philosophy of continuous assessment and improvement. This is a common theme in academic settings, but I find it invaluable in all settings of life, work, and relationships.
Unity — This is one of the most difficult elements to maintain because people get comfortable, they have ‘mission drift,’ or they lack the discipline to stay the course. Communities that can navigate the blue sky/grey sky, the highs/lows, and the challenges that test principles, values, and ethics are the most stable, significant, and life changing. United we stand, and divided we fall has never been a truer statement. When I was a student at Haskell, I played intramural basketball, and one of the teams we played was the faculty/staff team. Later, when I was an employee, I was on the faculty/staff/alumni team. We would routinely beat the student teams. It wasn’t because we were more talented, quicker, or stronger, but because we had chemistry, discipline, and unity on/off the court.
Inspiration — The work we do is exhausting, and that is why it is important to continuously fill our cup with inspiration. We spend countless hours, considerable time, and unknown amounts of energy trying to foster connections to success, so we can find ourselves drained at the end of the day. We all need the inspiration to do the next right thing, complete one more task, or rest today to carry the torch tomorrow. Feeding your soul so that you stay inspired is an important element to breaking cycles of trauma, restoring hope, and surviving Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Each period of my life there was someone there who believed in me more than I believed in myself. It was Mama Carter, Stacy Leeds, and Dr. Dave, but so many more!
How do you measure the impact and success of diversity and inclusion efforts, and what changes have you seen as a result of these initiatives?
These efforts usually fall along a continuum or spectrum. I do not have anything empirical, only anecdotal. Being NativeAware® means having discussions with your family around the dinner table, educating others about issues faced by Native communities. It also means feeling free to ask about issues presented in news/film/media without fear AND listening to the answers. When a non-Native colleague says to me, “You know what we were talking about at my parent’s house this weekend,” that lets me know that the work we are doing to create allies on our behalf is working because the power comes from a collective voice, not just one.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would elevate the understanding of civics and American history. We have become an entertainment-based society and lack civility, thoughtfulness, and appreciation for our identity. We are historically a great nation, but that came through an abundance of success and mistakes. Talking about our past, reflecting on our mistakes, and understanding what made us successful is an action of continuous assessment and improvement — progress, not perfection.
How can our readers further follow you online?
Readers can find me on LinkedIn sharing the latest on PWNA at: www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-arce-3173894
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Celebrating Diversity: Josh Arce Of PWNA on How to Build Inclusive Communities was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.