We sat down with the CEO of International Institute of New England (IINE) Jeff Thielman, to discuss his career and how IINE has grown in the past few years. With a long career in leading mission-driven organizations, he shares his advice for other nonprofit leaders and newcomers.
Tell us about your career journey leading up to joining the International Institute of New England?
Thielman: I have a lifelong interest in working with immigrants and refugees. I began my career right out of college. I was a Jesuit international volunteer in Peru for three and a half years, so it became clear to me that all human beings are connected in some way, shape, or form, and it’s important to break down barriers. In Peru in particular, I learned more from them than they probably learned from me. I was there for a little over three years until I came back and went to law school.
I had an ambition to help people through the law and I ended up getting reconnected with the Jesuits. I worked with them on a model of education where high school students work to earn their tuition called the Cristo Rey schools.
After 18 years of setting these schools up across the United States, I got a recruitment call from somebody looking for a new CEO for the International Institute of New England. That combined a lot of things that I’m really interested in – an organization that’s in the middle of perhaps one of the most important issues facing this country – immigration, and doing direct service work. With that being said, when I get excited about a mission, I throw myself into it 100% and i’m always thinking, ‘how do we grow this; how do we scale it; how do we make it bigger and better so it serves more people?’ So then, in 2015, I got the job and went to work.
IINE has grown significantly since you joined. How did you do it?
Thielman: A great team and a great board. One of the things that made our journey and growth possible is the support of a board of directors that had confidence in our team. They effectively checked management decisions, ensured we were on the right path, and gave great insights. Plus, I walked into a great mission, we were already set up in three locations, and we had a great program. When I first arrived, I was impressed by the quality of services we provided to immigrants and refugees. I quickly realized an opportunity to expand our reach, raise more funds, and establish a fundraising operation because the institute had a very small fundraising arm when I took over. And of course, I inherited some good people.
So this was not Jeff alone – that’s not how leadership works.
What advice do you have for other nonprofit leaders or even newcomers?
Thielman: My advice is that it’s incredibly rewarding work, though it can be challenging because you do not have all the resources and systems that you would have in large corporations.
As a leader, you have to be willing to learn from mistakes. You’ve got to own it, reflect on how it happened, and what you did wrong. It’s really important to be open to advice from everyone around you (your direct reports, those above you, and your board of directors), because you’re only one person in the organization, you can’t possibly know what the entire organization thinks and feels without talking to people.
You always have to be willing to learn, grow, be curious, and creative. You have to ask tough questions, like, ‘are we doing things the right way; am I asking the right questions about what the staff is doing, seeing, and thinking; am I understanding the client’s needs?’ Bottom line – the title is Chief Executive Officer. So at a certain point in time, you have to make the call and you have to go for it.
Connect with Jeff Thielman, here.
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