Dear Clients and Friends of T. H. Easter Consulting,
Today our country will honor the life of the 39th President of the United States and my first “big” boss – President Jimmy Carter. At 18, I had the great, dumb luck to get my first job on the Domestic Policy Staff in the Office of Telecommunications Policy in the White House. A nursing student at the time, I worked full-time first in the General Counsel’s Office, and then on the President’s Minority Telecommunications Development Program to increase minority ownership of broadcast and telecommunications businesses. It was an amazing opportunity, though at 18 I really could not appreciate the “headiness” of it all.
Working with the Federal Communications Commission, our program was successful in promulgating the regulation to allow for distressed broadcast license set-asides to afford opportunities for diverse entrepreneurs to own broadcast facilities. Cathy Hughes’s first station, WOL-AM, was purchased through this regulatory provision. Today, Cathy Hughes is the owner of Radio One and TV One, one of the most successful media conglomerates in the country. I am also reminded of Bob Johnson, who worked with those on our team focused on emerging communication technologies, such as the use of cable and satellites for broadcast transmission. He and his then wife, Sheila Johnson, would go on to become the successful owners of a cable business, Black Entertainment Television (BET), as well as other businesses. As the program liaison for women’s programs and as “master’ event planner, I am very proud that my hard work was a small part of these outcomes.
I had the chance to meet President Carter during a few of our White House briefings. I recall being nervous when he came to our seating area in the White House briefing room to greet and acknowledge members of the staff. I was among a few diverse people, and each time he greeted us he made direct contact with me. He was always sincere and kind in doing so and likely wanted me to feel that I was seen. Today, I recognize that this intentional act to acknowledge us was just one demonstration of the great leader he was.
Later in my tenure there, I was selected to be an Upward Mobility intern through another program he started. I was nominated for this opportunity after I volunteered for the project to implement the first enterprise-wide word processing system and train all of our team on its use. Typically, White House interns are selected through nominations from their state congressional representatives. At the time DC had no congressional representation, so as a DC native this kind of opportunity would not have been available to me but for his intentional action. This “upward mobility” opportunity included a grade promotion, reclassification to a professional series, and coverage of my college tuition. This opportunity was the foundation for my career success because of what I learned, the dynamic work environment, the people I worked with and met through White House social opportunities, and the financial support of my education.
I will always remember President Carter as a gentle man, one who appreciated and cared for people. He was approachable, and as young people say, he was “regular”. I am grateful to have had the special opportunity to be on his team. In closing, it is my wish that all of us, regardless of party, will be inspired by his dedication to serve and care for all people, his authentic dedication to the principles he believed in (namely diversity, equity and inclusion) and his consistent show of leadership. As we step into the new year, I hope we all will lean into our leadership opportunities with courage and commitment, especially dedicating ourselves to the principles of equity and inclusion for all people in President Carter’s honor.
Happy New Year,
