Meet the Team: Jenny

Jenny Tolman joined Humble Oak Consulting in March 2022 as the Research and Administration Associate and has since transitioned to Operations Manager. Having grown up in Vermont, Jenny returned to the area during the pandemic, which is where she first learned about Humble Oak. Learn more about Jenny’s background and what she’s learned from working with Humble Oak over the past five months.

What was your background before you started working at Humble Oak?

I have a background in non-profit work, including both direct and indirect service. I have experience with how to grow non-profits through grant revenue and board engagement, but most recently I worked in a direct capacity, working with people receiving the services of the Upper Valley Haven in the Food Shelf. I helped manage our extensive volunteer network and ensure that the operations of the food shelf ran smoothly. I also helped connect food shelf clients with other resources the organization might be able to offer them. 

Why did you join Humble Oak?

I joined Humble Oak because I have many friends who hold historically marginalized identities and I wanted to work in a role where I can help contribute to the increased appreciation for these identities. I liked the combination of working on business operations, while simultaneously learning from Lucretia about facilitation and DEI philosophy as we collaborated on different projects. 

I was also really excited to explore beyond the non-profit world. Non-profits have a specific way of doing things and are often constrained by their funding. I was excited to work in a new company establishing processes and procedures, and on top of that seeing how social change happens in another sector. We’ve been investing in the things that will help Humble Oak grow. I want to take these skills with me to the work I’ll do in international affairs for a vision of strengthened DEI.

What are some of the most meaningful projects that you’ve done while you’ve been here? 

I’ve enjoyed the hiring process for our new positions, as it’s been fascinating to hear people’s individual interest in DEI and to see how many people are actively looking to make a transition to the DEI field or use what they’d learn working with Humble Oak to strengthen their position in another industry. We had over a hundred applicants for a role we posted recently, which showed me that there is strong interest and passion for this work and hopefully we can have some societal push toward themes of DEI.

I’ve also enjoyed supervising our intern Ally, because she has so many strengths that I have no experience with, so it’s been a fun and humbling opportunity to learn from a high school student about how to run our website, how to do these little tasks that end up being so confusing as someone who has not had experience running social media or marketing strategy. 

You are going to grad school for international affairs next month. How will you carry what you’ve learned with you?

I have noticed that my communication style has improved from working at Humble Oak and working with you specifically. You have such a direct communication style, you ask the hard questions, and you are open to having sensitive conversations in an inclusive way, so I have felt really strengthened in my own ability to have these conversations. I’ve also learned a ton about business development, like how to work with a small business advisor, how to set up a CRM, and how to manage a hiring process. I view it as a whole network of seemingly small, in-the-moment tasks coming together to strengthen the work I’ll do in the future. 

On the mission side, I have learned about how to promote DEI on the societal level and on the person-to-person interaction level. Like one of your sessions touches on, diversity isn’t one person or one aspect of identity, it involves our intersectionality and interdependence. From working with you I’ve learned how to support that understanding in subtle and appropriate ways, in both professional and social situations.

As you close in on your last month as the first employee, how do you hope Humble Oak will continue to grow? 

I’ve enjoyed leading the hiring process because I’m excited to see the strengths of the people we’ll bring on to our team on both the business operations and facilitation sides. I see Humble Oak broadening the service offerings and having more specialized sessions on top of the existing offerings. I still see us having a very specialized and conscientious approach to DEI work and keeping it “boutique”— we’re not trying to mass produce our work, but rather trying to grow thoughtfully and in partnerships with the companies we serve. I see it being organic growth and continuing that way as we grow and develop based on the strengths of our new hires. 

What have you learned about being a white woman working in the DEI space? 

I’ve learned that I have a lot of responsibility to educate myself and use my voice and my power, even my societal status, to have those difficult conversations with people who are not as far along in their DEI journey, specifically, other white people. It has cemented in my mind that it isn’t the responsibility of people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, or anyone else to bare themselves and share the struggles they experience to educate others. Instead, I can help speak about these struggles without experiencing the exhaustion from also holding those identities.

I’ve also realized that DEI can be incorporated into your everyday life without it being a massive conversation. Something as small as, “Someone’s sexuality is being discovered, they didn’t necessarily change” can come across without being condescending or confrontational, but can help shift the way that people in my world are speaking about the experience of others who are different from them.