We recently connected with Midy Aponte-Vargas and have shared our conversation below.
Midy, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I owe a lot of my strength and determination to my mom. She was a strong Cuban woman who encouraged me to live my life with honesty, humility, and wisdom. She taught me to never steer too far from my roots and to be proud of who I was and where our family came from. My parents were honest, hard-working people, and my mom counseled me to never let anyone make me feel less worthy or valuable in my career or personal life because I didn’t come from a certain pedigree. Instead, she showed me how to use my upbringing as an asset to build upon. As I’ve grown older, I’ve discovered that the spirit of my mom’s teachings has grown ever stronger in me. When I was younger, I used to hedge when entering new environments because I felt I was too different from those around me and didn’t belong. As I’ve matured, I’ve embraced her counsel and face challenges head-on. I no longer worry about not belonging. I’ve earned my stripes, and no one can take that away from me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a communications strategist and a business operations executive. I work mostly with medium and large-sized organizations, typically nonprofits and foundations or boutique consultancies in a field called “public interest communications.” My job involves tackling tough issues that impact our daily lives. For example, I may be hired by an organization to research how a particular community views environmental pollution. Then I develop strategies to engage that community in advocating for laws that protect local sanctuaries and promote cleaner environments.
I’ve spent most of my career in communications consulting, primarily within the public and nonprofit sectors. After the death of George Floyd, many organizations announced their commitment to prioritizing racial justice, and the consulting industry joined them in advancing the issue. Sadly, as an insider, I witnessed both turn well-intentioned efforts into public relations facades. Too many institutions and their consulting firms, exploited narratives to establish a strategic edge – often to the detriment of the very people and communities they claimed to uplift.
My approach to Civil Strategies aims to establish a third way: I am deeply passionate about the intersection of communications and business operations. As a seasoned practitioner in the consulting world, I work primarily with small business owners who are women or BIPOC, and I help them shore up business operations so they can compete against bigger, well-known firms that may not be doing the work authentically. I also bring my best communication smarts to philanthropic institutions that are earnestly democratizing the nonprofit sector.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My first trade is in public relations. To be a responsible public relations practitioner, you must be a bit of an anthropologist. That means understanding how people’s worldviews are shaped by how they’ve experienced life. That worldview materializes in the values and beliefs they align themselves with. And those values and beliefs turn into actions. Like, where they get their news, what they trust or don’t about public health leaders, and which political party they support.
My skill is in strategic communications. That is, creating strategies that involve groups of people, whether large groups who believe X, Y, or Z or targeted groups, like company employees. The tactics I utilize in strategic communications include ensuring that the people most impacted by an issue are part of the solution for the problem we’re trying to solve. Far too many PR practitioners have weaponized communications to score points rather than to help build pathways to solve the issues we’re dealing with today.
Finally, I have a strong interest in business, data, and operations. It’s important to have reliable systems in place to achieve your goals; otherwise, you’re bound to get stuck or veer off course. When I work with small businesses, I treat them like I’m helping them to construct a home: a sturdy base, durable frames for expansion, functional rooms, reliable appliances, and an inviting exterior that attracts visitors. This is the skill I bring to women and BIPOC business owners who work in my same field — bringing business operations to life so they can get work done, scale big, and compete against bigger firms. All while getting the recognition and respect they deserve.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In 2022, I decided to relocate to a new city and leave behind a job that no longer met my expectations and had not been serving me well. I had reached a C-Suite position as a person of color – a personal and professional goal. But, I remained conflicted because I was struggling with the same issues I was trying to address in the world. Issues of patronage, favoritism, and inequity were the same, they just looked different and were harder to address given the dominant culture and implicit biases I faced at an executive level. The lack of meritocracy became readily apparent. Meaning: no matter how well I performed or what I achieved, I realized I was climbing up the down escalator. It took its toll– mentally, physically, and spiritually.
I took a much-needed six-month break to focus on my personal life and to reflect on my desire to continue working in philanthropy, consulting, and public interest communications. I thought about leaving public relations altogether. Particularly since I knew I wasn’t interested in pursuing a high-level position – at least not now. During that time, I did pro bono work for several boards and organizations. My passion for working with organizations that are achieving meaningful things in the world never left me, and my experience as a BIPOC executive galvanized a commitment to help level the playing field so BIPOC business owners working in this space are better equipped to succeed. So I created Civil Strategies.
In a short time, I’ve built a client roster of which I am extremely proud. They include phenomenal organizations doing amazing and authentic work in communities throughout the country as well as BIPOC-owned consultancies tackling hard issues of race and inequity while competing against larger companies.
Throughout this process, my wife has been an unwavering source of support through all the ups and downs, giving me priceless guidance and endless advice. I’m also grateful for family and a large group of like-minded friends who have known me professionally for decades, trust me, and send business Civil’s way.
Setting out alone can be scary and intimidating, yet it’s also thrilling and incredibly rewarding. The experience has pushed me to believe in myself and my ability to create a business that truly matches my values, my beliefs, and how I work. I used to say that if you didn’t have a seat at the table, you must bring your own chair. Now, I’m focused on owning the table and inviting others to join.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.civil-strategies.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/midyaponte/
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Jacqueline Childress.
