7/27/2019 SandraDr. Sandra Casey Buford Director of Strategic
Research/Diversity, Massachusetts Port Authority Casey Bufor
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As I frequently do so for myself, I encourage everyone to take
time to reflect on their personal career and life experiences
from time to time; and I am honored to participate in the Zars
Media project, celebrating the journeys of working women.Ive found
that reflecting is also about discovery; and each time I do so, one
or even several aspects of my personal journey
becomes more vivid, lucid, and distinct. Each reflection is a
new journey, in of itself. My journey is an accumulation of
thousands (maybe even millions) of memorable moments, some of
which are crystal-clear in my mind; others that are morefoggy, but
Im always amazed at how they can be awakened with an unanticipated
cue. I reflect every day, and I describe it
as my mind in constant motionconnecting the dots, adding
periods, question marks, and an occasional exclamation
mark; but I realize in the end, that this is my unique life.
This is me!
My Journey Begins:
My journey began when I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
named Sandra Darlene Casey, a Black American baby girl
born of parents, Joseph Casey Jr., and Abbie Elizabeth Daniels
Casey. Both of my parents were part of The United StatesGreat
Migration of Blacks from the South to the North during the late
1940s. My father was an ex-military member of the
US Army, and a laborer in the Pittsburgh steel mills. My mother
was a college graduate with a BS from an HBCU(Historically Black
College/University), Paine College, in Augusta, Georgia. She was
also a homemaker, and later, a
special education teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. My
parents were two individuals who, despite their own
personal limitations, would do everything in their power to
secure a better future for their three daughters. As a result,
allthree of the Casey girls earned graduate degrees and hold
professional positions.
The background of my family and the values that they held has a
strong impact on the way I plan and live my lifeThese values are
prominent drivers that help shape many of the goals I aspire to and
the choices that I make .. (1) You
are black and beautiful, and expect and demand equal treatment;
(2) you can achieve anything, despite inevitable challenges;and
finally (3) hard work is not an option, ever. As a young black girl
growing up in the 1960s, I needed this inspiration,
and I held fast to these values throughout my formative years.
Up to this day in 2013, I continue to respond to the power of
these parental and family values.
Career Accomplishments:
I admit, up front, that I was definitely a beneficiary of
Affirmative Action when I was offered the opportunity to begin
my
career in Human Resources. At the time, the University of
Michigan had an affirmative action plan minority female goal. Ihad
no experience as a recruiter, but I was certainly qualified with a
bachelors degree; and I was articulate, witty, and smart.
Im not ashamed of the affirmative action connection to my first
professional job; and I welcome the opportunity to talk
about it. I like to relate that when I accepted the position as
a recruiter at the university, I committed to learn everything
Icould about the job and the field, and I took advantage of that
opportunity to go above and beyond to advance as far as I
Adventur es of Dr . Sandra Casey Buford
Di rector of Strategic Research/Di versity, Massachusetts Port
Author ity(M assport)
2013 Winner of the COMTO National James G. Neusom Founders
Award
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.zarsmedia.com/archive.htmlhttp://www.massport.com/http://www.massport.com/http://www.zarsmedia.com/archive.htmlmailto:[email protected]
7/27/2019 SandraDr. Sandra Casey Buford Director of Strategic
Research/Diversity, Massachusetts Port Authority Casey Bufor
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possibly could. My efforts paid off and I was able to build a
professional career track for myself in all aspects of the
field,including talent management, employee relations,
organizational development, compensation, labor relations, and
training
and development. I admit that it was easier to make those
promotional moves in the 1980s and 1990s, but I was always
ready to advance to the next level. I consistently stayed on
point with excellent job performance, and I went above and
beyond what was required. To this day, I still believe that
affirmative action is a valuable strategic management tool;
however I've observed that it is often misused and misunderstood
in many organizations. An effective affirmative actionplan needs to
be accompanied with other key management actions such as business
and workforce planning, professional
development, and succession planning. It worked for me, and the
University benefited by hiring, developing, and retaining
a high potential employee who performed at her best for six
years, leaving behind a legacy of contributions.
Who knows whether or not I would have otherwise been hired for
that first professional opportunity; but building upon thatfirst
post-college professional job at the University of Michigan as an
HR recruiter, I am now a seasoned organizational
development and behavior, and HR expert who has held a number of
senior leadership positions in a variety of industries.
Today, with over 20 years of professional experience, I am an
author and researcher who worked in a range of industriesincluding
transportation, technology, health care, and academia, in domestic
and global settings, including fortune 500
firms. I have also served as a professor in several Boston-based
colleges and universities instructing graduate students in
HR, OD, Management, and Diversity and Inclusion. I currently
serve as a senior manager at the Massachusetts Port
Authority in Boston, Massachusetts. Above all, Im extremely
proud of having owned and operated a successful consulting
practice, serving national and international clients. Being a
business owner is the job I love the most; and Im planning to
resume that role some day, perhaps very soon.
Mentoring is the Key to Success:
People often ask me to name a key success factor for my personal
career success, and I always respond, with nohesitation.mentoring.
The reason? Everyone, no matter what youve accomplished or
achieved, can benefit from
mentoring. I have personally benefited from mentoring throughout
my career, including now; and I make it a point to look
for opportunities to mentor others, especially women; but also
men, and in particular, youth. Mentoring is a way to share
what you know, and youve learned in order to expose another
person to options that they might not have had, otherwise.
Some people think that mentoring requires a huge amount of time,
a steep commitment, and energy; and sometimes a
formal program does ask for that. However, mentoring can be
informal, and Ive found that informal mentoring is highly
effective. For example, I regularly initiate a meeting with a
person whom I admire, or would like to know more about.
These interactions have opened the door for many more
opportunities flowing my way. On the other hand, I stay open
and
ready to respond to requests for mentoring others. These
mentoring interactions can be short or long term, depending on
the relationship. I engage in all forms of mentoring, including
reciprocal mentoring, formal mentoring, and informalmentoring. One
additional type of mentoring....self-mentoring.....is something I
do daily. It is during these self-mentoring
sessions that I draw upon my core values and experiences to
reaffirm my goals and objectives; and I review who I am and
what I want to do next. The benefits of all types of mentoring
are well worth the effort and the time.
Reflecting into the Future:
When I reflect on my entire life I am stunned at how fast it has
sped by, and I am amazed at how much I have been able to
accomplish, including being a wife and mother of four talented,
high responsible human beings. . I am humbled by theincredible
number of brilliant, talented people that Ive had the privilege to
read about, work with, become acquainted with,
and befriend. Most importantly, I am in awe of the amount of
knowledge that exists in the universe, both known and not yet
discovered. I am resolved to never stop learning, and my
ultimate goal is to continue to improve myself, to help others,
and
to stay engaged in meaningful workforever.
Dr. Sandra Casey Buford
Director of Strategic Research/DiversityMassachusetts Port
Authority(Massport)2013 Winner of the COMTO National James G.
Neusom Founders Award
http://www.massport.com/http://www.massport.com/https://www.linkedin.com/pub/sandra-casey-buford-ph-d/5/411/253http://www.massport.com/
