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Patricia Garcia Duarte, president and CEO of network member Trellis, is a trailblazer in the affordable housing and community development field. This year, she was selected as one of the Phoenix Business Journal's Outstanding Women in Business. Her past accolades include:
- 2009 Brian Mickelson Housing Hero Award.
- 2010 Lupe Sisnero Memorial Award.
- 2011 NNA Emerging Leader Award.
During this Women's History Month, we sit down with her for a history on her career, advice and some answers to interesting questions.
How has the work around community development and affordable housing changed during your professional career?
On a bright note, the quality of affordable housing developments has improved; however, there are fewer financial resources from the federal, state and local governments.
What’s your advice for women in this field?
Don’t be afraid to pursue non-traditional roles in community development — those in the construction or financial business lines. If that is of interest, it’s truly rewarding.
I started working with a nonprofit, so my advice would be to learn about nonprofits in this community development field; volunteer with them. Get a degree in finance, which gets you a “place at the table.”
Has this advice been important to your success? Why or why not?
I did get a degree in finance, and that educational background has returned 10-fold over my career.
What has been your biggest career obstacle and how did you overcome it?
I am lucky to report that I haven’t had any major obstacles in my career. Today, however, I often find myself as the only woman and only minority on some boards. That is disheartening, but I speak-up, participate and engage, nonetheless, to make my voice heard.
How has technology affected the way we do community development and affordable housing work?
When I started, there were no programs that developed proformas or analysis. I had to create my own spreadsheets. I also remember we didn’t have faxing or scanning capabilities. Obviously, these advances have made our work faster and easier.
If you had the chance to have dinner with or ask advice of anyone throughout history, who would it be and why?
I wish I could sit down over dinner with my great grandparents — to learn about their struggles and explore their history. Their stories would add additional richness to my family history.
What’s your favorite book?
A book I read recently has made an impact on me is "Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much" by economist Sendhil Mullainathan and cognitive psychologist Professor Eldar Shafir.
For me, it was particularly personal. While we never lacked for food or housing, I remember how my mother used to stretch my dad’s low wages to provide for our family. In light of the book’s message of how poverty of all kinds literally reduces imagination and the ability to shape one's own life, it has made me re-think how we are delivering our services, about how we communicate our messages and about how we are building relationships with our clients.
