Michelle A. Nicholas of PCSB Bank: 5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society

Start the work internally. You need to understand and not pretend that you understand. Be an upstander and get real about supporting this important work all the way. There is no room for a convenient ally.

As part of our series about ‘5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society’ I had the pleasure to interview Michelle A. Nicholas SVP, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Community Development at PCSB Bank.

Michelle A. Nicholas is a dedicated advocate of women, children, and inclusive issues who works locally and internationally to instigate change through intentional strategies.

As the Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Community Development for PCSB Bank, Ms. Nicholas is a member of the Bank’s senior leadership team responsible for leveraging diversity, inclusion, and cross-cultural competency as well as engaging the external community on issues of development to advance the organization’s mission and business objectives. She is also a member of the Bank’s Foundation Board of Directors focused on providing needed funding to help meet local needs and enrich the quality of life for all throughout the Bank’s footprint.

Focused on advancing the wellbeing of all, Michelle has used her history in and understanding of the public and private sectors to secure funding for programs to benefit those who need it most while ensuring that those who support these programs remain engaged and enthused.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to ‘get to know you’. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

Thank you for having me.

I was born and raised in Guyana, South America.

My family lived in a small town called Linden and I am from a family of four children. We were raised poor, but I am forever grateful that we were raised with strong values. My father worked two jobs while my mother ensured we were taken care of as well as doing community advocacy work. My parents have always been strong leaders for us and taught us that we needed to work hard for the things that we want in life.

Though we did not have a lot growing up, my parents ensured that we made do with what we had. My siblings and I played and grew together. I will say that laughter was something that always kept us, even in the toughest of times. My father would find a way to make you laugh, though you wanted to cry, and that mattered. My mother was more academically focused and would ensure we got our school work completed. Having them both, with their values, commitments and talents had and continues to have a profound impact in my life as I focus on working hard in the community to positively impact change.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I have read several books and I know that you asked for one but I will give you two. The first is the Bible and the second is Leadership From The Inside Out by Kevin Cashman.

The Bible is a book that I read daily. It has taught me the importance of treating all people with respect and fairness, and how to love unconditionally.

Leadership From The Inside Out reminded me about the journey of leadership and serves as a constant appreciation that leadership starts from within. I believe that people can change but to improve the outside we must understand the inside first.

Both books speak to getting your inside world — your mind and heart — right, and which will enable your outside world to shine beautifully right through.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

“Do unto others as you would have done on to you.” Matthew 7:12

I recall when I was a teenager, I was bullied because of the way that I spoke, dressed, looked, etc. I remember sometimes crying all the way home. When I got older, the same person that bullied me reached out to me seeking assistance. At that time, I could have refused and said hell no and told them that I remember what you did to me. But I forgave that person and not only helped but allowed them to realize new successful heights.

Of course, I could have treated that person the same way they treated me but that would not make me better than them. It would make me the same person that they were, the same person that bullied and mistreated others. That is not me or someone I ever want to be. I will love you, pray with and for you, treat you with respect and fairness, and hope that you do the same for me.

How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?

There are so many sides to leadership. It would be hard to define.

I see Leadership as a responsibility to empower and inspire others to be their best selves, not just for the now but for their life journey. I see it also as a responsibility to be true to yourself so that as you lead, you can do so authentically, from the inside out.

As a leader, you lead with vision, empathy, and passion and avoid being complacent. The world keeps changing, as it should, great leaders are constant innovators.

The life lessons and experiences that I have learned from my parents, and so many others have kept me going daily. They are not lost, in fact, they are always right there ready for me to tap into them. One of the things is patience. “Good things come to those who wait” they would tell me. My father was a very patient person and he would always share that your patience allows you to accept setbacks, make more productive decisions, and enjoy life better. I grew up embracing patience and have found such success in its practice.

In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high-stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?

I love what I do. I love people. I see each success and challenge as an opportunity for me to learn and grow.

Each day I wake at 5:00 am. At the beginning of my week, I fast for half of the day and center myself in my faith. Daily, I read the Bible and listen to music in the comfort of my mental zone. I have found that when I can listen to the words of the songs, I embrace my faith and find such peace and calm.

Things happen, true, but I am in control of myself and I do my best to allow my peace and calmness to travel with me in all that I do.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. In the summer of 2020, the United States faced a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This is of course a huge topic. But briefly, can you share your view on what made the events of 2020 different from racial reckonings in the past?

As an immigrant, racism has always been part of my conversations. From someone just looking at me and assuming that I am from Africa, to being asked how I learned English, to being tokenized. As a firm believer in conversation, I would take the time to educate those that I could reach but it does get draining. I remember discussing the protests in the US and across the world and realizing so much and feeling the same drain from past experiences.

And no, you can’t take any medication to heal from this sense of drainage. It takes years and I am still in the process of healing.

We could spend hours going through this but let me just say this. I recall when my son was born, I started to wonder when he was going to start talking. When he started talking, I wondered when he going to start writing. I share this to express my realization that social transformation has been happening but does take time. It does not happen overnight, but it has been happening. We need to keep pushing and when I say WE, I mean everyone. From the individual pushing their community representatives, to the community representatives pushing the government officials, to the government officials pushing the companies to ensure that the decision-making process is done through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote Diversity and Inclusion? Can you share a story with us?

Currently, I am serving on the Board of Nonprofit Westchester and Chair the Racial Equity Committee. Recognizing that in order to advance racial equity externally in the nonprofit sector, there is work that the organizations need to do internally, we started with internal trainings at the Board level to ensure that we can really speak to the importance of this work. I believe in walking the walk. We have been doing the work and taking action; hence we have been inviting all nonprofits to participate in charting an anti-racist path forward in Westchester’s nonprofit sector event where intentional action and a willingness to change is the real evolution being realized.

Additionally, at PCSB Bank where I work, we celebrate the diverse backgrounds and uniqueness of all our employees and communities that we serve. As a financial institution covering the Lower Hudson Valley, we have been actively working on showing inclusiveness throughout our interview process, employee affinity groups, as well as our recently launched employee of the month program. I enjoy when people are their authentic selves and the Bank provides that opportunity. We will continue to ensure that at the Bank there is a culture of inclusion and that people continue to be the heart of who we are.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

Growing up, I have always heard of the importance of surrounding myself with people who can help me make the best decisions. I was told that support is not always a YES, it could be a NO.

In 2021, the CEO/President of PCSB Bank took an upstander position and hired me to lead the Bank’s diversity and inclusion division. This was not a decision that was being made across community Banks in my region but it was one that he made. His decision has put PCSB Bank ahead of the curve and has shown others in the space the importance of making Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion part of company culture. It is also great that our employees see that we are doing the work from the top-down.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. You are an influential business leader. Can you please share your “5 Steps We Must Take To Truly Create An Inclusive, Representative, and Equitable Society”. Kindly share a story or example for each.

There is so much I want to share here but I will keep it simple.

1. Start the work internally. You need to understand and not pretend that you understand. Be an upstander and get real about supporting this important work all the way. There is no room for a convenient ally.
2. Spend the time. Take time to listen, engage and understand your people without judgment. There is much you will learn.
3. Focus on not only individual change but systemic change. We know that systematic oppression is still thriving and we need to research, learn, organize and act.
4. Be sure to measure progress. When you measure the progress, you are speaking to accountability. We have had some progress but there is still so much more to do.
5. Create Equitable Opportunities. Make a real effort to reach out and ensure that opportunities are being created for minority populations.

We are going through a rough period now. What makes you optimistic about the future of the US? Can you please explain?

We have seen that social transformation is a product of generations of struggle and sustained commitment. I believe that we must continue making diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority and not a checked box. Just the same way we must breathe to survive, we must have true diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I have two. First, I would like to have tea with Rihanna. As a girl from a small island, she never forgets where she came from and who she is. Her authenticity and commitment to people and community are beyond inspiring.

I would like to have tea with Barack and Michelle Obama. Their journey together and individually, gives me pause, even as I respond to this question.

How can our readers follow you online?

Your readers can follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Search for my name and you will find me. Thank you in advance for the conversation.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!