[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Welcome to "Influential
Women of Washington State."
I'm KD Hall.
Today, Shuanta Hyde, managing
director of community relations
at Alaska Airlines explores
the organization's engagement
with the community
through nonprofits.
- Some of the programs
that I oversee in my role
is I have a manager
of sustainability.
So that's overseeing all of our
corporate social sustainability
initiatives, everything
from our people
and our engagement
programs to our environment
and tracking our offsets
on our airplanes.
And how we really try
to be a good airline
steward of resources
and the community
is the third aspect of
our corporate social
responsibility.
So it's engaging
with nonprofits,
giving back to nonprofits.
I also oversee our company gift
match program and our Dollars
for Doers, which is
our way of allowing
our employees to interact
and engage in the community.
We give our employees
up to $2,000
a year to donate
to any nonprofit.
And so one is through
our company gift match.
That's $1,000.
And then, our Dollars
for Doers program,
Kela, is where we pay
our employees $10 an hour
up to $1,000, so 100
hours of service.
And they can donate
that to any nonprofit.
- And so talk a little
bit more about that.
I know a lot of
nonprofits in the area.
What does that mean, Dollars
for Doers, like in particular?
What does that mean
for a nonprofit?
- Well, for us,
for our employees,
and for those nonprofits,
it allows our employees
to fuel their own passions.
So running our community
relations program,
we actually have
certain key focus areas.
And for some of our
employees, their passions
might be in a completely
different area.
And so what this
does is this allows
them to give to maybe
their PTA at their school
or it allows them
to give to maybe
there's an international
organization in Africa
that's helping young
girls in schools
that they might want to give to.
It allows them to be
able to use their time
and also their resources to
direct it in a way that's
meaningful for them.
- That was my question.
So you said, so
resources financially,
but time, what does
that look like?
- For our employees,
it's up to 100 hours.
A lot of them do
way more than that.
Our employees are so
active in the community.
We have pilots that are
running their own nonprofits
and working at the same time.
It's amazing.
I feel very, very blessed to
work and engage with a company
and with employees who are
really passionate about what
they do and really give
back a lot to the community.
So just a little fun fact,
in the state of Washington
last year, our employees
through this Dollars for Doers
program that I was
telling you about
and company gift match, they
gave up their own resources,
$350,000.
And we match that.
So that's $750,000 that went to
nonprofits in Washington State
on behalf of our Alaska
Airlines employees.
- I feel passion beaming out
of you when you say that.
- Well, I am nothing more than
a steward and kind of a vessel
opportunity for our
employees to engage
and for our company to
engage in the community.
- So your role is way more than
what people think it is, maybe
from the outside looking in.
It's not just about
giving out dollars.
It's also about
empowering your employees.
- That's correct.
You know, another program that a
lot of people don't know about,
but we're kind of
quiet, because really,
for us, it's just
about being of service,
is we have a disaster
response program.
So if you can imagine,
you think back to 2017,
between August '28th
and October 31st,
our country experienced 10
hurricanes, an earthquake
in Mexico, a shooting
in Las Vegas,
and three wildfires
in California.
And our employees stepped
up every single time,
through donations of money,
volunteering to help,
trying to figure out what
they could do to give back
to make those communities
that were severely impacted
to recover a little bit faster.
And what my organization
does, what my team does
is we partner with lots
of different nonprofits,
like Red Cross, Air Link
out of Washington DC,
to really use the
asset that we have,
which is an airplane,
to get people on board
as soon as possible.
Sometimes I might block out
seats, get like Team Rubicon
on and get them
deployed down to Texas
to respond to Hurricane Harvey
or get Red Cross workers down
to California to help support
wildfire recovery efforts.
We use the resources that we
have in a frugal, efficient way
to help support impact.
- Absolutely.
And you know, you lead
me to another question.
- Sure.
- Why is philanthropy
essential to economic growth
and development in communities?
- Yeah.
I think that when it comes
to balancing out communities,
governments can only do so much.
Social organizations,
nonprofits, they
can only do so much.
Businesses, I think were the
third leg of that stool, that
really creates community.
And we all have to do our part.
For Alaska, the
journey that we've
been on for more
than seven years now
is really looking at how can
we impact youth and education
and really focusing
on disadvantaged youth
and opportunity youth?
Because as you and I both know,
this region has grown a lot.
There's been a lot of
growth in King County.
In the state of
Washington, we've
had over 700,000
residents that have
come to our state in
the last six years.
And our city has
become more high tech.
There's a lot more
job opportunities.
And from Alaska's
perspective, we
want to make sure those
of us that grew up here
in this hometown,
we are thriving
because of the opportunities
that other people told us
about.
So what our employees
really care a lot about
is really educating
a lot of youth,
telling them about
opportunities in aviation.
They're well paid, high
wage, family paying jobs
that you can do right
here in our backyard
and be able to
have the same life
and live the same standards
that we're all living today.
So for us, we're really
passionate about that.
- You're right, hometown.
It's a hometown airlines.
Talk about that.
How does that feel to know
that you're the airlines that
runs this town?
- I don't know if I
say we run this town.
- But this is home.
- It is and we take
that responsibly.
We take it really seriously.
We're so proud that
we grew up here.
We're so proud to call
this our hometown.
And with us, that also comes an
extra sense of responsibility
to do the right thing and to
be a good community steward
and to be a good
community partner
and to take philanthropy
through, I would say,
many different channels.
So on our employee side, just
around youth and education,
we call it our Aviation Day.
And what we do is we clean out
our hangar and we open it up
and we bring in airplanes.
We bring in smaller airplanes.
We partner with the military.
We partner with the
port of Seattle.
We partner with multiple
community colleges
who are running
aviation-related programs and we
invite over 150 nonprofits
to bring in kids
to learn about aviation
careers, to see robotics,
to understand how STEM
is connected to aviation
and to start getting those
creative juices flowing
about remembering
that, you know what?
There's a lot going on here.
And I should really think
about whether or not
this is a career path
or a career track
that I want to go down.
- Speaking of, women pilots.
- That's right.
- Yeah.
Talk a little bit about
that with Alaska Airlines.
What is it like?
Alaska Airlines and,
just in general,
you, what your thoughts are
with women being pilots.
- We need more.
- We need more?
- Yeah.
We're in the market.
If there are women and
young girls out there
who are interested
in becoming pilots,
let us know,
because we want you.
The reality is is the airline
industry in North America
is changing.
So from an aviation standpoint,
there is a huge pilot shortage.
And so all the
airlines are going
to be needing to have pilots.
And to be bold and
just be really upfront,
those of us that
Alaska Airlines,
we want them to
come work for us.
And we want to be able
to allow our youth
to see the opportunity
that flight brings you.
It's a cool, cool business.
- And even with that
10 years of you're
doing an event, aviation event,
for nonprofits or schools.
You said schools are
involved in that as well.
- Yeah.
We invite school
districts to come.
And it's really funny.
I was just reviewing an email,
I think, three days ago.
And we're looking
back at the 10 years.
And we just actually found an
individual who's a pilot for us
and he was one of
our first student
10 years ago in the program.
- How does that make you feel?
- Well, for me,
it's just fantastic.
For our employees, I think
it's just the home run.
Because that's really
what they want.
They want to make
sure that they're not
leaving these opportunities
aside that everybody, doesn't
matter where you come from, what
your zip code is, you should
have access to all
the opportunities
that aviation or
flight can give you.
- Absolutely.
Absolutely.
When you speak, I hear
community, I hear give back,
and I hear people.
So tell us, Shaunta Hyde, what
does community mean to you?
- Community, to me, means
many different things.
But one, it's about connections.
It's about bringing
our employees,
bringing our customers together.
We do a lot of different
events during the year
where we think about what
is it that we can highlight
that we can partner with.
We have lots of
nonprofit customers
that come to us, where
we partner together.
But it's about connections.
It's about understanding
that we're all in this
together, that we all need
to solve this together,
that we all rise together, that
we can't leave anybody out.
It's about inclusion.
It's about ensuring that we
are laying the foundation
for future generations.
I feel so blessed
to be in this role.
But I'm just holding
this candle right now
for a certain amount of time.
And I'm going to help it to
burn as brightly as possible.
But we want to make sure
those future generations,
the philanthropy that
are coming behind us,
see that this is
really the weight
that they carry
as well, to think
about it from a
holistic perspective,
that it's not just one program,
that it's really about all
of us.
- You know, I have a thought
provoking question to ask you.
- Yeah.
- I'm working with
girls right now at Mt.
Rainier High School, 300
of them to be particular.
Yes.
And it's an exciting program
we're doing with them.
We're getting them
interested into STEM.
- OK.
- And the girls, when we met
with them a few weeks ago,
they said, Kela, that's great.
We love to hear
about all these women
you're bringing to us
and the great things
that they're doing.
They said, can you tell us a
little bit about some adversity
that some of these
women have overcome?
How did they make it to
where they are today?
- Right.
- I want to turn a
question on to you
and ask you that same question
on behalf of those 300 girls.
- What I would say, when I've
been asked that question is,
I think, for girls, I would say
for even women in the workplace
today, I think the
attitude and the philosophy
that you need to have is
that, when opportunities come
your way, you don't say no.
You might say not yet,
but you just don't say no.
Because it may not be
the right time today,
but it might be the
right time tomorrow.
And when it comes to adversity,
if somebody tells you no,
you keep going
until you get a yes.
In my career, I've been
told no plenty of times.
I don't make it mean anything.
I go and I find the right
person, til I get a yes.
If that's really what you're
passionate about, if that's
really the career
that you want to do,
I don't believe that there is
anything that anybody shouldn't
be able to do.
- What are some of your thoughts
on the importance of men
and women being able to
work collaboratively?
- Oh, I think it's critical.
You know, I tell my
boys, you, as a male,
will have access to
lots of opportunities.
And women, some of
those opportunities, we
may not have access.
Your job is to bring us
right along with you.
Your job is to make sure
that we're standing right
by you, because that's what
makes an inclusive society.
That's what makes an
inclusive culture.
And that's what, at
the end of the day,
is going to make us
a better society.
Period.
- How do they digest
that at 12 and 16?
- Well, you have to
put this in context.
I'm Shaunta Hyde.
So you know, I have lots
of different conversations
with my boys on lots
of different things.
And it's just, my older
one, if he sees this,
he's going to be like, mom, but
he's a little bit more quieter.
But he listens.
He's a very thoughtful,
wise, old soul.
And my younger one, he
is just smart as a whip,
but he's also a
lot more reactive.
My older one, his first
kind of consciousness
was him seeing
the Trayvon Martin
and wondering about himself
and where he fits in.
And that's really where
his strength comes
from in wanting to make sure
that society's inclusive
and that everybody has
a seat at the table
and that everybody is
looked at for the gifts
that they bring to the world.
I'm not sure if I'm
answering your question.
I feel I went on a
little bit of a tangent.
But I think as
women who have sons,
I think, for us, we
are the pathfinders.
We are the leaders that should
be paving the way for our men
to ensure that some of the
things that have happened
in the past are reset.
They're no longer part
of a conversation.
It should not be, if
we do our jobs well.
- And that's important,
because we all
have to work together
collaboratively.
- And I have friends
who have many sons.
And we talk in the same vein.
So hopefully, the
next generation
will be a lot more conscious,
a lot more cognizant
of women and women's
issues in the world.
- Next up as Suzanne
discussing the importance
of women in leadership roles.
- My basic thing in life is
I want to change the world.
I want to save lives.
I don't really care
what that means.
I just want to do that.
- Right.
- And if my style and the
way that I want to do that
don't quite match
with the organization
and there may be a leadership
change in an organization
where then I'm
especially shocking,
I have to decide
whether I want to change
or whether I'm going to
keep working in the way
that I want to work.
And if I do, there's
a risk in that.
And there is a risk
I could be fired,
because that style
and that approach
just doesn't mesh with
that particular group.
- Yeah.
And I think a lot
of millenniums.
Suffer with that.
Because the mindset
is just so much
more of risk-taking
with millenniums.
No matter how old or young they
are, it's sort of what it is.
It's like, yeah, I
enjoy making money.
But at the same time,
I enjoy being myself.
- That's right.
- And I think that
that's something where--
how do you see corporations
and organizations
being able to adapt?
Because at this
point, millenniums
are in those
positions and heading
into some of those
higher director level
positions, starting to
look at VP positions
in the next few years.
I mean, we're getting up there.
So what would you
say to organizations
on how to be flexible?
- Well, I think it's
a great question,
because there's a gentleman
from Canada who talks about--
he's a sort of super
conservative commentator.
But I think that his assessment
is really right about people
who are creatives don't tend
to actually get promoted,
because the more you go up
the chain in your career,
the more you're expected to
actually behave in a really
standard and specific way.
And so I think this idea
of millennials starting
to climb the
ladder, I can't wait
to see what that looks like.
Like are you going to give in?
Are you going to give in
to the man and be like,
oh, OK I have to behave?
Because the more you
climb the ladder,
the more pressure there is
to be able to be on a tighter
message, to be able to lead
in a very specific way.
And when you're in the
beginning of your career,
you actually almost
have more space.
It doesn't feel like it,
because there's usually
somebody like me who's
like, hey, get it together.
But you actually
have more space.
So I don't know what's
going to happen.
- Well, we're stepping
on it right now.
Like we're just like a year
or two out from that really.
- Exactly.
- Just think about it.
Like some of the
older millenniums
were born in like 1981, 82.
So they're heading
into their 40s.
- Yeah.
I can't wait.
- Yeah.
- I really can't.
Because I think, I understand,
and it's one of the things
I had to learn over
time, is that I actually
do understand why things
can become less almost
open and less sort of creative
in the truly disruptive sense
of it as you go up the
chain, because as a leader
you're actually responsible
for all these other people.
It's hard to be able to
say, let me set a standard,
let me set a vision, and
then change my vision
and change my standard
every five seconds.
It's very difficult to be
like, I want to follow you.
Oh, wait.
Where did you go.
So sometimes, my team,
many days, their job
is reining me in.
Because I'm like,
whoo, look at my ideas.
And they're like, OK,
we like that idea.
But rein it in.
- Yeah.
- Because it's really
difficult. If you
want to do work on a
path towards something
bigger and better,
you actually have
to march in the same direction.
- Absolutely.
- So how do you find a way
to do that in a way that's
still creative and energizing?
I can't wait.
- I want to know what are
your thoughts about women
having a seat at the table or
women creating their own table?
- Well, can I
create my own table
and then bring it
to the other table?
- You can do whatever you want.
I mean, come on.
We're talking about you here.
- I was like, I'm not choosing.
And I don't really want
a seat at the table.
I think I'm more
likely to want to sit
like on the table
with my other table.
So what's so crazy is, because
when you're old, you're like,
oh, I remember when.
So just getting
invited to the table,
it's just not enough,
because so what?
You're at the table.
But people may just ignore you.
But they're going
to check the box
and say, oh, but we invited you.
You were in that photo op.
But you didn't listen to me.
You weren't interested
in what I had to say.
And so a seat at the
table is not sufficient
and creating your own
table, making your own table
from scratch has a
lot of positives,
but you get left out of
those boardroom conversations
and you get left behind.
And I think the thing for me
that's really representative
of this is also we work with
historically black colleges
and universities
across the country.
And what's been really
interesting about that work
is that there are a lot
of national conversations
that they don't get invited to.
And so when you look
and you say, well,
why hasn't it traveled to
this group of institutions?
Well, they weren't even
on the newsletter feed.
Or they weren't
even invited into
those national discussions.
And so we have these
fantastic institutions
that are doing amazing things,
things for African-Americans
in this country, but we're
not always at the table.
And the presidents and those
institutions who do the best
are the ones who said,
we've created our own tables
and we are going to teach
you how to be at that table.
And that young woman Danielle
that I mentioned earlier
from Miami Dade, she figured
out how to get to the table
and then created her own thing.
And so she kind of knows
how to go back and forth.
Because you have to know
how to speak both languages.
There's a lot of code switch
and that has to happen.
If you can't code switch, you're
not going to be successful.
I would love to say something
different, but I think that--
I think it's just true.
Talk to us a little
bit about what
you do as a deputy director
of postsecondary education.
- Yes.
So postsecondary is
one of those terms
that if you're not in
the education business,
you think what does that mean?
And so postsecondary
is really all
about what do you do on
an educational journey
after you graduate
from high school?
Secondary, high
school, postsecondary,
after high school.
- Right.
- And so we're really
focused on helping
more low income, first
generation students
and students of color
to be successful,
because, nationally, our
college system was not
set up for those folks.
It was set for a
group of people who
knew they were going
to college, who
had all the right opportunities,
had all the money they needed.
And now, all of a sudden,
increasingly, that population
is changing.
And so our focus is on
working with institutions
who seem to be much better
than their peers at doing that.
- Very nice.
And so would you mind talking
to us a little bit more
about what excites you about
the work that you're doing?
- I mean, the opportunity
to change people's lives,
you can't beat that.
And it really sort
of doesn't matter
which program you're in at
the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
We really all
fundamentally believe
that all lives have equal
value and that everybody
deserves to lead a healthy
and productive life.
Education is
absolutely that path.
A very long time
ago, Melinda Gates
once said that the pathway
to the middle class
runs directly through
the community college.
I know, right?
OK.
Don't mess with her.
And it's such a great way
to think about this work,
because that was
where we started.
We started investing,
originally,
in community colleges.
And it really was because we
saw that social mobility was
possible.
A new director came along about
five years into our program.
And he said, yeah,
this really matters.
Social mobility matters.
And it matters in not just
the community college space,
but in the four-year space.
So we are absolutely focused
on trying to help more students
to be successful and then
have that opportunity to lead
a healthy and productive life.
- So what does
your team look like
and where does your team sit?
- Our team, well, we
sit here in Seattle.
So happy to be in the home
state of the foundation.
And we are right across
from the Space Needle.
My team is made up of
people from all over the US.
And we live here
and we sit here.
But on my team, I have people
who are first generation
college students themselves.
I have people who represent
all different sort of aspects
of their educational journey.
So I have a PhD
and I have people
who have a bachelor's degree.
And I have people
with master's and sort
of everything in between.
I think a lot of
times, people think
to work at the Gates Foundation,
oh, I have to have a PhD
and I had to go to all of
the Ivy League schools.
And that's not who makes up--
- Oh, nice.
- Yeah.
So it's really exciting.
And I think that's
why we're inspired
by students when we meet
them, because sometimes we
can see ourselves.
- Absolutely.
And it's kind of
nice too, cause when
you diversify the workforce, you
diversify the thought process
too.
- That's right.
That's right.
That makes it a
challenge though.
When you're the
leader and you say,
oh, I love people
who are not like me.
You have to make
a commitment then.
And you have to be
able to say, and I
know what to do
with all of you who
have really
different approaches,
really different mindsets,
different from mine
and different from each other.
And so as a leader,
you've got to figure out
how do I make sure that we
all are in this work together?
And underneath it all, we
all have the same core values
and we all care about
the same things.
One of the students that
we once met and I think
was really inspiring to
me and continues to be,
I've followed her now
for about eight years--
- Almost the whole
time you've been there.
- The whole time
I've been there.
She was at a college
in Miami actually,
at a community college.
And she didn't find
out that she was
undocumented until she went to
get a driver's license at age
16.
And she's from one
of the islands.
So A, we weren't talking
about undocumented students
really, eight years ago.
And then, really unusual to talk
about an undocumented student
from one of the
Caribbean islands.
But she is somebody
who the college just
wrapped all of their
services around her
to make sure that she had
all the support she needed,
made sure that there
was funding available,
when there really wasn't
at that time, made sure
that she had all of the
services to be successful.
But she wouldn't
have gone to college
had she not been watching TV.
And so she graduated from
high school and never thought,
college isn't for me.
College is for somebody else.
And she was watching TV.
And she said, and I thought
when the commercial came on,
they were talking right
to me, because they said,
are you at home
lying on your couch?
Yes, I am.
Are you wearing your pajamas?
Like yes.
Do you know what you want to do?
No.
You should come here.
Come to Miami Dade college.
And she responded to that--
That's a good PR ad.
- That is good.
Just anybody else who needs
an ad, think about it.
And so she responded to that.
- I'll have to use that one.
- We actually just heard this
from another student recently.
Same story.
And the second student we heard
this from didn't have a GED.
And the commercial was like,
I think it was something like,
if you don't have your
high school diploma--
oh, me.
I don't-- but want
to go to college--
OK.
So anyway, this
student ended up being
just an incredible
success story,
because she had all
of these services
that they wrapped around her.
And those services, in
terms of great advising,
in terms of financial
services, she
needed help I think with math,
because a majority of people
show up not ready for
college level math.
- Oh, yeah.
- They provided all
of those supports.
She then transferred to
Spelman and then got a job
working for a Congresswoman.
I mean she has really had
this incredible journey.
So here was somebody
who was sitting
on her couch in her pajamas
with no intention of ever going
to college goes to community
college, goes to Spelman,
ends up working for
a Congress person
and now has her own business.
- That is awesome.
That's a great success story.
Thank you for joining us in
our exploration of community
service.
We hope you're
encouraged and inspired
by Shaunta Hyde and
women just like her
leading a corporate
positions across the nation.
Join us for future episodes
of "Influential Women
of Washington State" to
hear more discussions
from extraordinary women.
Until next time, I'm KD Hall.
