Meet Scott Gavorsky, Ph.D.

We were lucky to catch up with Scott Gavorsky, Ph.D. recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

The feeling of being the “only one in the room” is a constant issue in my dealings with Native American tribal governments and organizations. In my initial work with Western Shoshone communities as part of a language revitalization project, I was often the only non-Shoshone person in discussions about using digital tools to facilitate language revitalization. I quickly discovered an important key to dealing with this was accepting the distance and closely listening to others in the room. These skills became even more significant when I worked with the Census Bureau as a Tribal Partnership Specialist. I was often alone in tribal council meetings answering questions from members of the community that were already suspicious of my goals and motivations, and there was little possibility of “fitting in.” The key to make this work was understanding that the gap exists and being patient until I could understand the different perspectives, then work towards a shared understanding.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

Gavorsky Consulting is built on a proven record of event organization for informational, fundraising, and community purposes, as well as strategic and tactical planning for sustainable, multi-partner projects, including data collection, analyses, and reporting for organizational and federal regulatory standards. Successful projects include the Nevada Recovers Listening Tour on behalf of the Nevada Governor’s and Treasurer’s Offices, organizing 26 public events across rural Nevada, including 7 events specifically for 19 Nevada tribal governments, as well as assisting in a state-wide survey project. Most recently, Gavorsky Consulting’s work as a member of Nevada-wide teams on the Nevada Child Care Fund and First 5 Nevada projects has been recognized by consecutive Pinnacle Awards for Community Engagement from the Las Vegas Valley Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2023 and 2024.

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?

The first skill I would say is vital in doing outreach is never underestimate the value of human interaction. The outreach world has become enamoured of social media blitzes, in part because they provide clean, easy metrics. In reality, these serve more often to alienate than help. Pick up the phone and call, or drop in at similar events. Human connections matter.
Second, research, research, research. While specifics about a client I am engaging in is always helpful, understanding the “big picture” is moreso. For instance, I am currently engaged in a number of outreach projects concerning children 0-5 in rural communities. While data for individual communities is relatively easy to come by, overcoming perceptions of the “aging rurals” to convince clients to put resources into areas where children actually are has proven to be more difficult.
Finally, understand the various facets of a project. It is not enough to know your own part. I often find myself called upon to do video and graphics editing for specialty audiences even though many of the teams I work on have dedicated creative teams. I also have found myself working more and more with local media as media specialists based in urban areas often have limited understandings of what is happening in rurals.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

Encourage curiosity and discipline–the two are combined. My parents, both of whom came from working-class backgrounds and had high-school degrees, not only always encouraged my siblings and I to learn about new things, but kept us grounded in how to be disciplined in doing so. One of my favorite memories was the big, cheap dictionary–missing the cover–that my parents always used. Even when they wrote personal letters to family and friends, they would constantly use the dictionary to make sure they spelled words correctly or used the right word. It sounds minor, but that discipline in such minor issues has stuck with me over the years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://scottgavorsky.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottgavorsky/
• Other: “The Rurals of Nevada”: ruralsofnevada.substack.com – Substack article series
  775Alive.com – podcast project page.

Image Credits

All photos by Scott A. Gavorsky