A LU M N I PROFI L E S
The Opportunity Broker Jay Banfield ’86 Jay Banfield ’86 embodies Caritas in his work as a social entrepreneur and in his efforts on behalf of the economically disadvantaged and homeless.
four-year degree. That’s unnecessary. Not every job requires a four-year degree to be successful. Don’t over-credential the roles.”
After earning his undergraduate degree at Stanford, he matriculated to University of California Berkeley for a Master of Public Policy degree. He worked in the private sector at Oracle before gaining invaluable experience in non-profit organizations as well as positions in government and higher education. This led Jay to an idea: use what he had learned to address some of the country’s most difficult social problems.
Many companies, especially the tech giants, are open to Year Up’s approach. “They are hungry for talent,” Jay said. “But they are used to recruiting from universities or luring employees away from competitors. I would tell them: think more broadly and you will find some incredibly talented people.”
“That’s how I define ‘social entrepreneur,” he said. “Someone who uses their understanding of how things work to have a positive impact, to build up organizations that make a difference.” Social entrepreneurs uncover the real nature of the barriers like those that keep the economically disadvantaged people from securing well-paying jobs. They understand how policy is made, how to change it, and the very different ways the private, public and nonprofit sectors approach challenges. In 2015, Jay put his insights to work at Year Up, a national organization that takes a unique approach to preparing disadvantaged young people for substantial jobs in technology, financial services, software, etc. “Private sector organizations are all about results. They are focused on efficiency; the public and nonprofit sectors are closer to the need. They focus on people and equity. No one sector can fix the country’s most pressing problems by itself. In my experience, the best answers lie at the intersection of the public, private and nonprofit sectors.” “People often have the wrong idea about what it takes to succeed in a job,” he said. “And there are many stereotypes about poor young people.” When speaking to HR executives, Jay starts by clearing up those misconceptions. “I would tell them, I’m not asking for anything from you. I’m offering you a business proposition. You have a problem filling jobs and I have qualified candidates. Almost all jobs call for a 20
You may be wondering what makes Year Up successful when other seemingly similar programs have failed. The answer lies in Jay’s brand of social entrepreneurship. “It’s a question of distinguishing hard skills from soft,” he said. “Some young people have acquired technical expertise at community colleges or in the military. What causes them to get stuck in dead-end jobs is a lack of social capital and the necessary soft skills.” This is the focus of what Year Up students work on intensively for six months, with the help of Year Up coaches and mentors. As Jay points out: “Being able to navigate a new environment, write a clear email, communicate with colleagues, build a network, these skills can qualify you for the kind of job you ought to have.” In the second half of the program, students take up internships at companies such as Google, Salesforce, and Tesla. This real-world experience, along with the support from the Year Up community, helps students develop their professional networks and their confidence. Every year, Year Up produces 3,000 graduates each year across the country. Even with this impressive number of program graduates, Jay never stopped thinking about ways to do more faster and more efficiently. “We partner with community colleges,” he said, “to scale-up and help more people. Sometimes we embed inside a large company like Facebook and train people there; same coaches and methodologies, but we can lower our costs and serve more people.
Fall/Winter 2021
Teaching a cla ss
S peak ing
at Year Up in
with stud
San Jose
The Banfield e nts at Y ear Up
Family
Jay Banfield ’86
In his work from 2015 to 2019 as Chief Officer of Innovation and Scale and Managing Director of Year Up, he expanded the program to major cities in California – San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and to Phoenix, Arizona. In 2019, Jay accepted the position of Chief Officer of Economic Mobility at All Home, a new organization in the Bay Area. All Home ‘works across regions, sectors and silos to advance coordinated, innovative service delivery and build coalition-supported momentum to challenge the long-standing systems that perpetuate homelessness.’ “I had two reasons for transitioning to All Home,” he said. “The first was pragmatic: There are 800,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area who are either homeless or in danger of becoming unsheltered. I believe All Home1 is taking the only realistic approach to addressing the root causes of that problem. “My second reason was personal. When I was a child, my family had to move in with my great-aunt and great-uncle in Somerville. We had no place else to go. In fact, other members of my extended family had to live there at certain times as well. I can only imagine what would have happened to us if we didn’t have family as our safety net. Because when you need it, you really need it. And not everyone has it.” According to Jay, All Home was too big an opportunity to pass up. “Instead of helping 2,500 people, I can help 250,000 – or maybe 2.5 million.”
Jay is convinced that only significant change at the policy level will make a dent in homelessness. “Government has it all wrong. They don’t always think about finding shelter for people until they lose their homes. The approach should be to avert homelessness before it happens. “Homelessness is another problem that requires the public, private and nonprofit sectors to work together. That is, we’ve got to combine the speed and efficiency of private enterprise with the natural empathy of public and nonprofit sector organizations – they know how things play out for people.” Jay refers to the process of managing public, private and nonprofit efforts as being sensitive to the inner rhythms of all sectors. “Working separately, we will always have the status quo. Together, we can fix things at the policy level and work toward better outcomes for everyone.” “Homelessness isn’t just a housing problem. It’s a poverty problem. That’s the problem we have to deal with. There’s no other alternative.” When asked how he’d like to be known, Jay chose “Opportunity Broker.” “I try to use my skills to open doors for people.” This led him to a bit of advice for Austin Prep students. “When you pass through the door of opportunity, be sure to prop it open for those coming behind you. In fact, try to tear the whole wall down.”
Fall/Winter 2021
21
