A little over four years ago I found myself relocating to Syracuse and looking for a career change. When I saw an opening at InterFaith Works, I was excited about the opportunity to work at an agency that shared my values and commitment to social justice. As soon as I walked into the lobby, I saw several large posters commemorating the history and ongoing work of the Civil Rights Movement, the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement, and the Women’s Movement. I immediately felt like I had found my people. 



After I was hired, I started to make relationships with the most diverse staff I have ever worked with. To give you a snapshot of our staff diversity, 34 of our 64 employees are immigrants/former refugees and 61 percent of our employees are of the global majority, including African, African American, Asian, Caribbean, Latina, and Middle Eastern. Individuals from 18 different countries work at IFW, and we routinely hear staff speaking one of 20 different languages from all those different countries. It is a vibrant representation of the world in which we live. 

In my role as Chief Administrative Director, I am privileged to meet individually with every one of our new employees through the hiring and onboarding processes. Under the direction of Olive Sephuma, Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, IFW has developed and refined our onboarding program. All new employees receive training in agency-wide values, practices, and policies, in addition to their job-specific training. We have assembled a core onboarding planning team that includes Olive Sephuma, James Dunne, Serena K. Jackson, Hanan Muse, and me. But, even with this talented planning team, we can’t do all of the onboarding work by ourselves. Over 40 of our employees have volunteered to help with onboarding in some capacity. These staff volunteers help by providing agency-specific training sessions, giving building tours, or serving as “buddies” to new employees. We are thrilled that so many of our staff are committed to making new employees feel welcomed and included from day one. 

Our staff is the agency’s greatest resource, and we could not fulfill the IFW mission without them. It is for that reason we invest time and effort to show our staff that they are valued and appreciated. Here are some examples of ways we are demonstrating our commitment to creating a positive work environment that affirms the dignity of our employees: 

• A well-defined Staff Wellness Program with structured activities twice a week 
• A “Recharge Room” which staff may reserve for a 15-minute, uninterrupted break 
• Instituting weekly “4 out of 40,” which designates four hours each week when there are no client appointments, meetings, or interruptions. The staff has this quiet time to concentrate and focus on projects or client notes. 
• Celebrating staff birthdays, hire-date anniversaries, and promotions
• Annual Staff Recognition Luncheon – This past March we went to the Zoo! 
• Other fun collegial gatherings, such as potluck lunches, picnics, ice cream socials, fall apple picking, and an end-of-year party with gifts

InterFaith Works is a great place to work. Even on hard and busy days, the two things that keep me personally motivated are the agency’s mission and my incredible colleagues. They are among the kindest, most considerate, and most supportive people I know.  

If this sounds like a place that you would like to work in, or you know of like-minded people who would be good candidates, I encourage you to look at our current openings at the following link to see all of our employment opportunities. Come help us affirm the dignity of all people! 

-Melissa Morral

Chief Administrative Director