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Trustee Profile: Felícita Solá-Carter

(Marla Shaivitz) -- The thought of retirement conjures imagery of traveling for weeks at a time, or perhaps leisurely gardening in spring. Felícita (Felí) Solá-Carter had these thoughts after retiring in January 2009 from almost 38 years of service to the Social Security Administration.

After retiring from the day-to-day in the office, there was a two-week trip to Argentina with her husband and two sons – but the spring flowers had to wait.

Solá-Carter cheerfully describes 2009 as a “rollercoaster”, due to all of the new commitments she added to her roster. “I didn't retire, I rewired,” she explains. Solá-Carter traded the title of Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources and Deputy Chief Human Capital Officer of the Social Security Administration for a litany of others – board member, trustee, president, mentor, coach, consultant and speaker.

This commitment to service isn't something that Solá-Carter discovered with the dawn of retirement. It is rooted in the values her parents instilled in her as a child. She says, “I feel blessed, and for that, I feel an obligation to give back. If there is something that I can contribute, I see it as a privilege to serve.”

Commitment to Family and Service

As an only child in what she describes as a strict household, Solá-Carter was born breech – literally, on her feet. She graduated from high school at age 16 at the top of her class. Her achievement led her to win the prestigious Presidential Scholars award, one of two students from Puerto Rico, and travel stateside to receive a medal from President Lyndon Johnson. It was on another trip to the States however, to New York's Columbia School of Journalism in her junior year, that Solá-Carter realized a desire to return to New York for college.

“My parents said sure – if you receive a full scholarship. AND – it has to be an all girls school, AND a Catholic school. My parents never thought I would do it!” laughs Solá-Carter. She did. After graduating from the College of Mount St. Vincent in New York, she considered law school, but needed to be employed full-time to stay in the US. “There is a long commitment to civil service in my family,” Solá-Carter explains, “I considered federal service a good idea, and my parents thought Social Security was an excellent program.” Because she was bilingual, her parents knew she could help Spanish-speaking people in her work. She began working for the Social Security Administration in 1971.

Through the years, Solá-Carter was promoted and held management positions in New York and New Jersey. While working as a manager in the East Orange, NJ office, she was tapped for a lead role at the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn, MD. It is at this office that key decisions on the national-level are made. At an awards event in Maryland they both attended, an agency executive expressed interest in having Solá-Carter join his staff.

Even though Solá-Carter's husband is a Maryland native and had family here, this was not an easy decision to make. “We would come to Maryland all the time for holidays,” recalls Solá-Carter, “but my sons were 5 and 10 at the time, and were doing well in school.” In asking friends and family where to live, everyone directed her to Howard County, citing the quality of the school system.  In 1991, the family moved to Dorsey Hall, where Solá-Carter and her husband live today.  “Both my sons graduated from Howard County public schools, and it has prepared them well for life.” While it was difficult for the family to leave New Jersey, Solá-Carter says it was the absolute right decision, saying “genuine friendships survive distance and time.”

At the Social Security Administration (SSA), Solá-Carter gained intense exposure in running a national program, and was instrumental in the agency's strides in recruiting employees from diverse backgrounds.  Solá-Carter explains the business case for diversity through an example that occurred at SSA on the west coast. A few years ago, there was an influx of Southeast Asian refugees (“for the same reasons that Burmese refugees come to Howard County”, explains Solá-Carter, “the existing network of support”.) SSA had limited staff to speak Cambodian, and didn't have the capacity to handle all of the interviews for those requesting support. In response, applicants were bringing their own ‘interpreters' to the interviews and some of these ‘interpreters' were scamming claimants of benefits they were entitled to – as well as the government. “The lesson,” explains Solá-Carter “is the need for highly-trained, skilled and culturally-proficient employees. Having diverse employees increases service and increases the knowledge base for policy and budget decisions as well. It allows for the efficient and effective delivery of quality service while preventing fraud.”

Solá-Carter was instrumental in implementing diversity programs at SSA at a time when African Americans, Asians, People with Disabilities and Hispanics as a whole were under-represented in federal government. Her role led to speaking and consulting engagements on the issue to other federal government agencies. She continues her involvement in the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and in October 2009 began a year-long stint as a Coach in the Excellence in Government Project out of the Center for Government Leadership. She leads a team of 26 of professionals in the exploration of best practices, values in government and effective leadership traits to ensure there is a pipeline of highly-talented individuals ready to step into high-level positions. A highlight of this experience was a trip to the Holocaust Museum in February 2009 where the group reflected on the subjects of ethical and moral leadership and the courage to make the right decisions in difficult times.

Celebrating the achievement of Hispanic Youth in Howard County is the role of Conexiones, and in her role as the organization's president, she spent most of the past year organizing a fundraising event called, “Café, Cultura y Mucha Azuca” which translates to “Coffee, Culture and Lots of Sweets.” (Food is a very important part of Hispanic culture, Solá-Carter notes.) This was the first year for this event, held during Hispanic Heritage month (starting on September 15 and ending on October 15). “It was an extraordinary effort, and it was a success – we learned so much, and the positive feedback was overwhelming.” Conexiones was honored as the 2009 Maryland Non-profit of the year by the Governor's Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Solá-Carter also serves the Hispanic community as Chair of the Hispanic Heroes segment of the Hispanic Youth Symposium for Maryland.

Even more Howard County students are the beneficiaries of Solá-Carter's work through her involvement in the Board of the Bright Minds Foundation, which supports equity, innovation, and lifelong learning.

Solá-Carter has been a Horizon Foundation Trustee for a little over a year and says, “The range of experiences, perspective, education and caliber of the Foundation Trustees makes it an honor to serve.” She continues, “The Foundation is an organization whose mission is similar in view to my parents' views of responsibility and service. I wish my parents were here to see it.”

As for her second year of ‘retirement', Solá-Carter has promised her husband, “I will not join another thing!” For a baby who was born on her feet, she has stayed on her feet ever since.