From Warehouse to Community: Jessica Smart's Bold Vision for Clearbrook

[0:01]  [music] Welcome back to another episode here on the Horn and Hustle podcast with our next guest that answered a newspaper ad because she was bored and now she's the CEO of the organization serving thousands of families um like mine. Jessica, welcome. Thank you for having me. I appreciate being here.

[0:32]  Yeah. Can we just kind of get started? Like this was just you decided to enter a newspaper ad and this is where we're at today.

[0:39]  Yeah. So, um you know, kind of an interesting story, but uh after I graduated college, I of course uh like everybody was looking for a job. Wasn't sure, you know, what was out there, what I wanted to do. Um but I needed money. Um so I uh you know, applied to a variety of jobs and I got a job. um working in the human resources field doing some benefits administration, some work on pensions, and you know, it was it was work um and I got some good experience, but I just didn't find it uh fulfilling, right? I wasn't excited when I woke up in the morning and wanting to go to work. It was kind of dragging my feet and getting there right at the at the last minute. Um, and so I really, you know, had to think about, um, what I wanted to do for the rest of my life at 22 years old. Um, and I, uh, you know, thought that the the organization I was with really wasn't, uh, sustainable for me, um, and my goals and what I wanted to to accomplish in life. And, um, so I picked up a newspaper and went to the one ads and read every single little little posting. and I came across one um towards the bottom that said um case manager wanted college degree required. Uh and then there was a phone number. Uh that was all that was was was in that ad. And so I was like, "Okay, well, I'll just I'll just call them." And uh what I now know was the receptionist answered. And I said I was calling about the ad in the newspaper. And she said, "Great. uh do you have any experience working with um individuals with disabilities? And I said, "No." And she said, "Do you have a college degree?" And I said, "Yes." And she said, "Okay, come in for an interview." Now, knowing what I know now, um to be uh a case manager in the field that I I work in, um requires a four-year degree. So, that was uh kind of the qualifier that got me got me in.

[2:43]  Yeah. They're going to teach you the rest of it. As long as you had a degree, that's all they needed.

[2:47]  That was all we needed.

[2:49]  Yeah. No, I love it. I, you know, just just thinking about the newspaper days, you talk about it was just small, very to the point. They had to pay for that space, right? So, they had to keep it as as simple as possible. So, you had to go through all these different things, right? And to even think the newspaper is the way we used to communicate back then is just, you know, kind of mind-blowing. But here we are now. You're you get into a space that you truly love, have a passion for. You've been doing this for some time. How many years have you been with the organization now? Um, with my current organization, I'm going on 11 years and I had about 13 years at the prior organization whom put the ad in the newspaper.

[3:25]  Wow. So, you've been doing this for almost three decades per you you'd say?

[3:28]  Yeah. Yeah. Pretty close.

[3:30]  And and leaving school, you know, a lot of times we leave high school, we go off to college, we want to be these uh doctors, we want to be a basketball player or astronaut, I don't know. What did you want to do, Jessica? Was it always in this kind of lane or did this just kind of happen by by just faith?

[3:46]  No, not at all. I um I actually started college as a math major um and three years in um was like I I don't really know what I'm going to do with this because I wasn't you know I wasn't in the college of education. I wasn't going towards towards teaching. It was just you know something that um came easy to me. And uh my junior year I was in I'll never forget it was advanced linear algebra and we're talking about building bridges and I was like this is this is not where I need to be right now. [clears throat] Um and so I went and got my file from my counselor and I walked it over to the psychology building and finished my degree there which is what qualified me to get that first job um in my in my field.

[4:29]  So good. Um I'm I I love math. I love numbers, but when it gets to numbers and letters and all this other stuff, you can forget about it. Okay, so I love math. It is definitely my forte until you start to add all these just algebra. Um, that just always drove me crazy. Like when I had those classes, I'm like, and let's be honest, how many times have you used algebra today or in the last 20 years, Jessica?

[4:53]  None.

[4:54]  Right. They were stressing me out here. I almost was growing white hairs over this math class. But no, you're in a special place now. You have um I think 80 locations. We do. Correct.

[5:02]  Yes, we have 80 locations through the out the Chicagoland area.

[5:06]  Um many um

[5:08]  when you took it over

[5:08]  H

[5:09]  when you took it over, how many locations did you guys have?

[5:11]  Um you know, I've been in this role for two years, but when I started with the organization um about 11 years ago, I would say, you know, in terms of our operating budget, we've probably doubled in in that time. Um so Clearbrook has had um a huge period of um expansive growth which is which is great. That means we can support and serve u more individuals that need us.

[5:34]  Yeah. No, for sure 100%. Especially doubling in size like that. That means there was definitely that need. What does a daytoday in your life actually look like at the head of the table?

[5:44]  That's a great question. Um you know I think it it depends on on the day. I I supervise um a staff of a very capable um executives that that um head up um all of our functions here, whether it's programmatic or human resources. Um with 80 locations, you can imagine our maintenance department is very busy um all the time. Um and then I also um spend some time um with our fundraising department. Fundraising is key uh for us to be able to have the resources to carry out Clear Brook's mission. And so whether it's attending events um or doing a one-on-one uh tour with a donor um you know m much much of what I do is is I'm the face of Clearbrook. So I'm getting our message and our story out to as many people uh as possible. I I spend uh quite a bit of time um talking to our our local um you know state legislators here in Illinois about what not only Clearbrook but the entire service system for those with developmental disabilities need uh in the state of Illinois. Uh right now we've got about 16,000 people waiting for services like the ones that that Clearbrook provides. So there's a tremendous need in our state um to support those those individuals and their families. and these services. Is it just because um not enough locations, not enough people in the spaces, or what's the um the holdback on it?

[7:07]  Um you know, there's a there's a financial um component when we're talking about perhaps buying a home in the community to convert into um a group home, there's that's a capital investment. um the uh Chicagoland area uh that we are in uh homes are are pretty costly and then we have to renovate them, put in fire suppression systems, get a vehicle, furnish them, um and then move all of the individuals in. So, it's it's pretty uh costly to get one up and running. And uh normally there's about four individuals that live in a group home. So, um, you know, it's wonderful when we can serve four more people, but thinking about 16,000 on the wait list, um, we we're just, you know, making a little dent in in the need.

[7:54]  And give us what what Clearbrook does. What are the program and services that you guys offer for the communities?

[7:58]  So, we we have uh residential services for um individuals uh with intellectual um and de developmental disabilities in a couple different settings. We, as I mentioned, have group homes, which we call sillas, community integrated living arrangements. And so we uh pair uh roughly four individuals to live together with a staff member in a home. And we do um kind of shift shift staffing um to make sure that there's always somebody available to assist and care for the individuals. um for those [clears throat] that have more medical needs um we have um what are called intermediate care facilities and that is is very much like a long-term care facility for individuals with um intellectual and developmental disabilities. So um I always say that's the last piece of Clear Brook's mission. Um we uh across the span of what we do could uh serve an individual through their lifespans. We have children services and early intervention to the long-term care segment. And you know, as um our individuals are aging, just like like us, um that last piece has become um critical for families um and their loved ones who maybe lived with Clearbrook for 40 years and now they need a higher level of care so we can provide that within the Clearbrook family.

[9:17]  I love that. That's pretty cool. And and your leadership really speaks for itself because last time I spoke to you, you mentioned the um as you switched over to different organizations, people were just following you over. what what what made you that person that people really wanted to work with about uh the way that you lead? I'm pretty stressed that what people were really fascinated about. Can you kind of share a little bit about that?

[9:36]  Um you know, I really try to be um fair and compassionate. Those are both uh really important to me as I work with staff at all levels. I want to make sure that everybody feels that they're they're treated fairly um in their in their place of work and their job. Um, but I also, um, I'm a pretty compassionate person. So, uh, you know, I chose this I I ended up choosing this field for the last 25 years because I want to help people. Um, and that holds true for for my staff. I, you know, I think for me, um, not only is my commitment to the individuals we serve, but it's to the staff that are taking care of everybody served by Clarebrook. Um, so I I I think that's what people would say about me.

[10:19]  I I love it. And there's just so many more things I can really imagine people really say. But when it comes to a leader like yourself, you you have a a child that that represents all this, right? This is what you do it for. When you wake up and understand the why, you wake up and see the why every single day. What does that look like? What does that um what did that teach you when it became to being a leader in this organization? You know, I think I think it further taught me compassion and as I work with the family members of those we serve, I think I have uh a different perspective because when I go home um and you know talk with my husband and and and and my stepson, I see that that other side of what I do professionally um which has been um I think helpful for me in my career and my approach to not only our individuals but the families that are supporting them them also. It's, you know, it's really um kind of a team effort here at Clarebrook between us and the individuals and their families.

[11:20]  Do you feel that it's been a very difficult time? I I hear a lot of organizations when I talk to them about what's happening at the government level and just, you know, funding. Are you guys just kind of figuring pivoting or are you guys feeling some of the um the things that are happening within our economy at this? We haven't uh felt any um direct financial um impacts at the moment but you know we are uh primarily Medicaid funded. Um so um we kind of have I feel like we have this cloud looming over us. um you know, if if uh Medicaid is is cut, um that brings less Medicaid dollars into the state of Illinois. And you know, there's only maybe so much the state could do um to close that gap. So that is that's absolutely um a concern. It's a concern for myself, our families, our individuals, and and all of the staff that we employ. It it comes down to them also. um if we don't have the funds that we need to operate um and you know we wouldn't want to have to be in a position where we have to reduce services because each and every service is so critical. It'll be extraordinarily uh difficult to to have to go through that process of uh reducing services for for those that we care for.

[12:39]  Yeah, I it is very tough times. I hear it all the time. I see how people are really moving through this and I think one of the things that I hear and let me know if you're kind of in the same boat is people are trying to figure out how can we utilize something like AI to help us um and not just replace our individuals but really help us continue to scale without having to build our overhead as much. So we're not letting anybody go but we're just putting things in place that allows us to do more of the things we love less of the things we don't like. Are you guys in that same boat?

[13:07]  Um we you know we do use AI. Uh it it's it definitely saves time on taking minutes in meetings. Um you know we use Teams and Zoom meetings to just reduce the amount of uh time to drive in for a meeting. Um so we you know we are as as we can um beginning to implement some some AI and some technology.

[13:28]  Yeah. Know it's it definitely as you mentioned those notetakers in meetings is always the best. Like I for the nonprofit that I I run I told the secretary there's no need for you to take any notes anymore. just turn on the notetaker and and then we can just compile all that and just it's easier, right? You get really involved into the conversations. So, it's pretty cool that we are in the space of AI and you guys are kind of um I would say touching the surface on what it actually looks like to really move forward and and is there anything as you continue to move forward that um really surprised you about the CEO role? I know you you said you were doing it before, but what are some of the things that kind of surprised you as you moved up the ladder? You know, I think one thing that's um surprising and and it probably shouldn't be is um just the enormity of Clearbrook. In my prior role, I worked within one program of Clearbrook and now I oversee all of the programs and so um it's just it's a very large place and it's a great thing because we're serving um a lot of people. Um but in in another regards, you know, it's um kind of balancing the the needs of everybody, the staff, the families, the individuals. Um you know, and at the end of the day, I have to ask myself, is this right for Clearbrook? And if I can say yes, then it's something that I'll do.

[14:43]  I I you'll be doing this for life. I can only imagine you're already, you know, 20 plus years in here. But if you can actually go kind of go back and speak to some of these young individuals that want to be into this space because Jessica, I always feel that we need to tell our young um leaders about the space of nonprofits. So much great. And we actually laughed about it last time that listen when you come into a nonprofit you we we want everything. We don't want just you to just, you know, check this box. Do all your creativities that you want. Take whatever role as you want. Wear as many hats as you need into the nonprofit world. And in reality, while maybe it's not the biggest paychecks, the the ROI is really just the way you feel after you're helping some of these families in need, right? It it's the passion. It's the purpose that really allowed you to to fill your cup. Can we talk to those? Why is this so important to be into these spaces where where families are really being impacted by just us showing up and and and being their voice? Yeah, I think for me, you know, it goes back to my my first job experiences and feeling um maybe not valued, feeling unhappy, maybe not understanding what the end goal was, uh or maybe not wanting to be part of that that end goal. And so, um you know, from the moment that I walked into Marklin, which was the first agency I went to and interviewed at, I just I just had this feeling like I need to be here. Um, but I think it's because I was with like-minded individuals, compassionate, missiondriven. Um, and at that moment, yes, I was going to make less money, but I was okay with that because I feel like I I gained so much more um than than the financial aspect. And of course, we all have bills to pay and we need to eat and support our families. Um, but I think, you know, something that I I really considered, could I, you know, am I okay with less of something um to have more uh fulfillment in my work life? And and and the answer was yes. And I I can't imagine ever doing anything else but this.

[16:40]  I love that. What do you think the 22-year-old uh you know, young you would think about this nonprofit work and and where how far you've come into this space? seen off a newspaper ad. I would say even before that you're already inside the work, but this is years coming where you didn't know, you know, that you were in through this dark tunnel and and knew that there was something on the other side, but did not know. What would you

[17:04]  tell that 22-year-old?

[17:05]  I was thinking about this um last night quite honestly. And um you know, I could share um personally I uh was particularly close with my u maternal grandparents, particularly my grandfather, and he uh was a hard worker. He valued education. um he helped me um go to college um you know both uh just emotional support and and financial support and um when I graduated he said the only thing I want from you is I want you to help somebody else um and that was very much the spirit of of my grandfather and um I think about that often because I I'm doing that and and he passed many years ago but um I think he would be delighted to have been able to come to Clarebrook and see what we do here. Um, and again, I feel like I'm repaying to the next person, whoever that may be, the help that I got when I needed it.

[18:02]  Yeah. Cuz in reality, we're planting seeds. Sometimes they don't even know how far they grow. But, um, if if we could just plant that seed, we know we've done our our job in hopes that other organizations, other people continue to just water those seeds that we've planted. Um and and as you mentioned just doing the the what your your grandfather always mentioned. I actually spoke to another leader recently and before his mother-in-law passed he was in this place of um just kind of data and like it and she just couldn't stand that job that he did and she before she passed away she says you know I just pray that one day you'll do work where you actually help people and she passed away unfortunately. Um and he got into the hospice space and he's [clears throat] like man I took a pay cut. I got very uncomfortable. I left corporate world, you know, and that's more than anything. He said, "I left corporate world that I was new for 20ome years to go and actually start my own business around hospice," he says. And she would have been so happy. And it is that it is truly helping people. Like if if we just had more people in the world just be kind and have empathy,

[19:05]  you know, and do the work that you do, Jessica, like we're in a better place. You know what I mean? [laughter]

[19:10]  Yeah. I'll tell you, every day when I come home from work, if I've had the the opportunity to spend time with the individuals that we serve, which I love to do and I don't always get to do it every day, the minute my husband comes in, he'll be like, "You were with the individuals today." Like, he can just see it. If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure to guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you.

[19:47]  Yeah. No, I it's it's pretty cool to be in those spaces and see them for who they are. a lot of times overlooked, you know, and and to just my I have um nieces and nephews into in this space and just to every time I see them, I I make sure that that they're the first people that I give attention to because it just matters. A lot of times either they're the last or they're just not given the attention at all. So, I try to make it and and you'll see the difference when you do just interact on the smiles on their faces and now they really want to get involved and and just be more um more conversive with you and I really love that. I ask you though, Jessica, in the space of you growing and and I can only imagine there were some challenges, right? Um maybe some I would say losses, but in reality, I like to flip it and say lessons. So there's those moments in our lives that we're going and we're trying to climb this ladder and things happen, but there's so many lessons and those failures and those losses. Do you recall maybe three of them that you thought like why me but realized it was actually a lesson to those moments? Um yes. So I can um talk about you know we I was here during COVID and so there was a lot of lessons learned um in how to kind of navigate that and to pivot very quickly and in um a crisis situation maybe with the very best of intentions not always getting um the outcome that was desired because of the situation. And so I think um that has now taught me to be ready for anything um where previously I would probably that well nothing's bad's going to happen you know something like that wouldn't happen and then it does and and you have to to quickly pivot and and change uh your way of of thinking um and so that again working through that um without um right a lot of structure guidance from our regulatory bodies and and and the unknown bones. Um, you know, certainly trying to do the best that I could, but maybe not not always, you know, doing exactly the right right thing, but, you know, with the very best of intentions.

[22:01]  Yeah. Pandemic time for sure, I think, showed a lot of leaders their strength. Um, I don't think a lot of individuals were expecting something like that. Their backs were against the wall, but so many people really had to figure it out. You know, the whole world had to kind of figure it out. But if you were running an organization like this, you really had to figure it out. Did you guys start doing a lot of remote stuff or there wasn't really a lot of room for

[22:24]  there really wasn't a lot of room for that since we directly serve individuals um you know which was was challenging. I mean we were uh frontline workers um in the homes and and in in the programs um you know taking care of the individuals that live with Clarebrook. Do do you think there's a a myth that people have about just um working into this space and and maybe um running a mission-based organization like this?

[22:55]  I think um I think sometimes people feel right because it's social services and we're all social work people that it's it's all it's nice. maybe the maybe the accountability isn't enforced as much as you know when you look at a corporate environment. Um and that's not true. Um we have our customers to serve um just like any other uh business and you know we expect uh a lot from our staff and we expect people to be accountable and although um maybe we're you know a little bit on the nicer side, it doesn't mean that we don't accomplish uh everything that we want to do.

[23:39]  And what what does it look like when you think about a plan for the next uh let's say two to three years? What does it look like for you guys? you guys got things on the horizon you guys are working on.

[23:48]  We do. We we kind of are always looking at what's what's coming next. And right now we are in the midst of a a pretty big project with our community day service location. So that's where the individuals um go during the day and can get uh job training um leisure skills. They can connect with with friends from other locations. They go out into the community. Um and up until uh just a couple weeks ago, uh most of that happened in a very large warehouse setting. It's a 36,000 ft² warehouse um where about um on any given day 150 to 180 people would go and um as I you know entered my role um two years ago um and along with um my my executive team um really feeling that that's not the best way to deliver services. we want to be more um community integrated um more client focused. So with uh tremendous support from our board of directors, we were able to sell that building and purchase um a couple uh smaller buildings that are much more community- based. So closer to public transportation, closer to a gym. So rather than bring all of our individuals together into a building that has a gym and a movie theater, we want them to be out experiencing um the communities they live in. And I think when our individuals are out um they're they're enhancing the lives of the the other indiv other people around them and their their community. They are they work in their in the community. They shop in the community. Um, you know, it's wonderful um to to see them embrace that um and be part of a larger community outside of Clearbrook.

[25:33]  Do do you recall a story um that reminds you of this is why I do it? I mean, being in this space for so long. Yeah, [laughter] I I have so many. Um but but um with the opening of our first smaller uh smaller building, I had the opportunity to welcome um some donors and staff and families at an open house and was able to to give a speech and one of the individuals, Steve, um was with me and he came in his suit and um we were welcoming people and then he took the microphone and said he wanted my job, which which is great. Um and then and then he resigned a couple a couple minutes later. Um but then um fast forward to uh just another day I was out at that that location and I saw Steve and he he said he had he had something for me and he was you know looking in his pockets um and he he had um a note. It's all nicely folded up. Um, but he said it was for me in all of Clearbrook. And he wrote about how much he loved um his new location, how happy he was. He said he was having a delightful day. Um, and that he loves all of Clearbrook. And so I still I still have that that note. I took it to the next board meeting. I shared it with our board of directors because they also have a part in driving this mission forward. um you know, it's it's it's a a very much a a group effort and um but that was really special um for me to have and and for him to think of me and and and write that.

[27:09]  Yeah. No, that that's it. Well, we talk about what we do it for. That's it, right? That's that feeling you go home with like, man, that this I can't believe that I do this. I can't. Do you ever still believe that? Like you walk through the day and think to yourself like, wow, I can't believe that I actually do this for a living.

[27:23]  I And you know, and in the letter to Steve, I was thinking too that, you know, this represents a decision that I made to do this project and for him to um respond in that way. like I'm like, "Okay, I made the right

[27:39]  decision." Because sometimes it's scary um you know, making big decisions with financial impacts and um you know, I'm I'm responsible for the the health uh of this agency and um but then, you know, when I get home sometimes it really is, wow, I got to do all of that today. Um

[27:59]  wow. which is amazing and and rewarding and I just I feel so blessed to um serve Clearbrook in this in this capacity.

[28:10]  Yeah. Fill your cup. I'll leave you with this blinding question as we start to wrap things up. Jessica, if your child wrote a letter to you um to your staff about you as a mom and as a CEO, what do you hope it would actually say? Um, I hope uh that they would uh say that they um got their compassion from me. Um I I see I see it in them in in other areas whether it's supporting um children, homelessness. Um we don't they don't always support the same causes that I do, but I see that in them. Um, and I would hope that they would um feel like they got that from me and that I showed them how to be kind and compassionate as as they grow up. They're four of them are adults now and they're they're off uh in college or in their first jobs. Um and I'm, you know, I'm excited to see what what they do. I just, you know, I hope I hope I gave them a good foundation and and I hope they would say that.

[29:11]  Yeah, pretty sure you did. Are anybody in the nonprofit world, anybody kind of getting into that space? um one of one of my daughters is volunteering here in our um IT department while she's looking for a job. So, uh she's helping helping here and um I get some free labor. [laughter]

[29:32]  She she she never knows she might get the bug and she may stay forever. Who knows? She might be taking your seat at some point. Jessica, maybe the legacy continues. That'd be cool.

[29:39]  Um Jessica, where where can people find more of what you guys are doing? What is a website? Any social medias or anything like that?

[29:45]  Sure. Yeah. uh our website uh clearbrook.org um and there's all kinds of things um on there on ways to get involved, ways to join our advocacy efforts, um how to donate um and if there's anybody looking for resources um for the services that we do that can be found on our website as well.

[30:07]  I love that. And do you have a blind question for the next leader that we have here on the Horn Hustle?

[30:11]  Yes. Uh my blind question is is um what is their what what is their greatest success um that they achieved over the last 6 months?

[30:21]  Oo 6 months you got Okay, that's good. So sometime we forget to pat ourselves in the back for growth. So okay I like that. I like that Jessica. Well Jessica thank you so much for your time and for what you continue to do for the last almost three three decades. Okay, we can round that up and say almost three decades and continue just the growth that you've been doing for so long and continue to impact the lives and and bringing joy. I think that's one of the things that um you do most as well in this space is really bring joy to so many people. So, we thank you for being just a small part of what this world looks like when it comes to positivity. We thank you. My name is Era. This is Jessica. Make sure you guys go follow them on all socials. Go to the website, check out more information on how you can also help. Okay, we'll see you on the next one. Lers.