Randi Metcalf
Vice President of Development & Incoming Chief Operations Officer
Hometown: North Little Rock, AR. NLR is certainly not where I was born or spent my childhood years or even where I graduated high school but after moving to Park Hill in 2011, North Little Rock has been the city in which I’ve lived the longest and rooted myself the deepest. I’ve been fortunate to reside in multiple communities across Arkansas and each represents a portion of my life that is precious to me.
Briefly describe your role: In my current role as VP of Development, I get to support CareLink’s mission of providing much needed services for older people in central Arkansas by expanding awareness of the nonprofit, raising funds for programs like Meals on Wheels, and telling the story of our impactful 40+ years. I am also fortunate to serve on the Senior Leadership Team, working directly on the expansion of our effectiveness in the community and adapting to meet the growing, changing needs of older adults. As COO, I will get to focus more on the program side of the agency and work directly with staff to provide the best care possible.
Q: Is what you’re doing now what you always pictured you would do?
A: Yes and no. I waited until my Junior year of college to choose a major because I could not decide between education, psychology, sociology, health and human services, all the things! Embarrassingly enough, I wasn’t even aware that Social Work was an option. I actually thought I invented it! When I finally settled into my Human Services major, I prepared to enter the Social Work field and spend my career directly working with families or children. “In the field”, as it is called. I expected to forever juggle both the sense of fulfillment that comes with direct service and the weight of walking with others through their challenges. My goal was always to serve in whatever role would allow me to impact others and hopefully connect them with resources to improve some aspects of their lives. Though not how I pictured, that is exactly what I have my hand in now.
Q: What do you see as the greatest challenges for women in your chosen industry? What are the greatest opportunities?
A: I would imagine that other women in the non-profit sector share the challenge that I face personally: the balance of being both a compassion-driven and business-minded professional. This is fully self-inflicted in my case. I’ve been fortunate that no one has accused me of being weak because of my consideration of others, but I certainly worry about how that is being perceived. In my mind, that is a concern mostly females bear. I often struggle with infusing empathy into business development and compassion into assertiveness, but I find extreme value in leading through connection. I challenge others to find opportunity in this challenge. I look forward to the day when traits can be viewed as purely positive or negative and not be gender-specific.
Q: Who has inspired you in your life/career?
A: I have been so fortunate to have a different mentor for every pivotal phase of my life. My grandmother, Clara Metcalf -an actual domestic goddess, taught me all the things I use to express myself creatively. My college mentor, the lovable and approachable Beverly Quillin of Henderson State University, left me dreaming of reaching her level of intelligence and patience while devoting my career to serving others. Also, I cannot stress enough the importance of the television show the Office (U.S.) and what it teaches us about budget surpluses, how workplaces actually look, and the importance of HR.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring professional?
A: My advice is to explore your strengths and assign value to your interests while absorbing as much knowledge as you can. I think the one good thing I’ve done is follow the thread of what fuels me. I’ve made a career out of being creative, relational and instinctive. All of the other important details I just learned along the way! Be open to the different avenues that could lead to your goal. All I knew was that I wanted to help others. What I learned was that there are many ways to do just that. I’ve helped people in their homes and their schools but now I get to help behind the scenes in a supportive role, which turns out to be the perfect fit for me.
I would encourage patience in spending some time in jobs, volunteer roles, or community groups that may not be your desired profession but will sharpen skills that will eventually help feed your purpose. Also, I find equal importance in both personal and professional development. Learning processes and procedures is as valuable to me as learning what you have to offer and what is important to you.
Q: What’s been your secret to success?
A: My secret to success, in all the ways success can be defined, is surrounding myself with the right people. For me, I truly lucked into working for leader after leader who championed my interests and strengths. From my current boss, CareLink’s CEO Luke Mattingly, I have been continually invested in, motivated to pave my own way and trusted to make the decisions that I see fit. Just as important as having a good leader is building your support system. For someone completely and utterly athletically defective, I sure do believe in the power of a team!
