Sara Meléndez : Interview for the John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Sara Meléndez, president and CEO of Independent Sector from 1994 to 2002, reflects on her career in public service and her time at Independent Sector. Meléndez begins the interview by discussing her early years in Puerto Rico and her family’s immigration to New York. She recalls the difficulty of transitioning from a rural part of Puerto Rico to urban New York City, her family’s struggles to establish themselves, and the sacrifices they made. She also fondly recalls her early love of education, learning, and libraries. Following her mother’s death in her last weeks of high school, Meléndez attended Brooklyn College, where she earned a degree in English. After a brief marriage and return to Puerto Rico, she describes working as a secretary in New York to support her young son. She eventually transitioned to teaching as part of a bilingual program in Brooklyn. She describes her decision to continue her education at Harvard as part of a Ford Foundation fellowship for minorities and how Harvard opened doors for her. She goes on to describe her post- Harvard career in the Office of Minority Concerns at the American Council on Education with Reginald Wilson, as vice provost at University of Bridgeport, as CEO of the Center for Applied Linguistics, and finally as the CEO of Independent Sector. In the latter part of the interview, Meléndez describes meeting John W. Gardner and fondly recalls the working partnership of Gardner and Brian O’Connell. She describes how she viewed the important work of Independent Sector and recalls Independent Sector’s interactions with various politicians at the time. She concludes the interview by sharing memories of John Gardner and the planning of his memorial services.
Description
Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
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Extent | 1 audio file; 1 text file; 1 photograph |
Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Date created | April 19, 2018 |
Language | English |
Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
Interviewee | Meléndez, Sara | |
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Creator | Meléndez, Sara | |
Interviewer | Abel, Suzanne | |
Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
Subject | Gardner, John W. (John William), 1912-2002 |
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Subject | Civil Society > United States |
Subject | Independent Sector (Firm) |
Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
Biographical profile | Sara E. Meléndez retired in 2006 as research professor of nonprofit management at the School of Public Policy and Public Administration of the George Washington University in Washington, DC. From 1994 to 2002, Dr. Meléndez was CEO of Independent Sector (IS), a coalition of over 700 foundations, corporations and nonprofit organizations working to promote, strengthen, and improve volunteering and citizen action for the public good. IS was cofounded in 1980 by John W. Gardner and Brian O’Connell--both of whom she came to know and deeply admire. During Meléndez’s tenure, IS worked to increase accountability and ethical practices in the nonprofit sector, and to increase the visibility of the sector and its contributions to society. Prior to her time at Independent Sector, she worked for over twenty years in education, as an elementary school teacher, professor of education in undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Hartford, a dean and vice provost at the University of Bridgeport, and an executive and CEO in education associations. She was associate director for the Office of Minority Concerns of the American Council on Education and CEO of the Center for Applied Linguistics. She is an ardent advocate for educational opportunities in higher education and the nonprofit/philanthropic sector for minorities and women, particularly Latinas. Following her tenure at George Washington University, Meléndez served as a consultant with the firm of Fuentes Strategies, which offers culturally competent advice and access to federal offices and elected officials. Dr. Meléndez has served on the boards of directors of the Educational Testing Service, Richmond--the American International University in London, the Ethics Resource Center, the Points of Light Foundation, the Ms Foundation, ASPIRA, and the National Puerto Rican Forum. She currently serves as chair of META--Multicultural Education Training and Advocacy and as board member of the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women- Washington Area Chapter. A native of Puerto Rico, Dr. Meléndez grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BA in English from Brooklyn College, an MA in education from Long Island University, and a EdD in education policy and administration from Harvard University. |
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Transcript |
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Finding Aid | |
Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/xf799yn0743 |
Location | SC1355 |
Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project
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