Name: Naimah K. Bhuruku
Title: Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
Formal Job Classification: Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
Organization: Diversity and Inclusion Program Office (Code 100)
What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard? How do you help support Goddard’s mission?
As a diversity and inclusion specialist, I help employees to integrate fully into Goddard’s culture and workforce through diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives. We seek to empower individuals to show up as their full selves while still feeling like they belong and are part of the community.
What is your educational background?
I have a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies (public policy concentration) with a Minor in Government and Politics: International Development & Conflict Management from the University of Maryland, College Park. I have a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Maryland University College.
What first drew you to procurement at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Virginia?
My work experience has varied widely with a consistent thread of service to others. My desire to serve was expanded in a greater way when I began my federal career in 2009 through an internship program at the Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM). This experience was an introduction to a new skill set and career in procurement. This internship enhanced the skills I had acquired from my previous positions all while learning so many new and exciting ones. My time with MARCORSYSCOM came to an end in 2012 but was without question the launching pad and bridge to my career with NASA.
What attracted you to Goddard?
NASA being NASA was of course the main attraction!
However, my internship program with the Marine Corps had a requirement to do an external rotation detail at another agency that procures different products, services and items. I chose to go to NASA, and NASA accepted. In the fall of 2011, I completed an awesome three-month detail with the Goddard Office of Procurement. While on my detail, I had an opportunity to attend a NASA MVP 200 course about Goddard’s mission, vision and people in which I learned intimately about the center. At the end of the course, I knew I had to get back here. At the end of my detail, I returned to the Marine Corps and within a few months an opportunity opened up within procurement at Goddard. I applied, and the rest is history. I officially joined Goddard in 2012 as a procurement professional, excelling to contracting officer until I left that role in 2019.
How did surviving cancer motivate you to move into the D&I world?
Throughout my time in the Office of Procurement, I was interested in D&I work and was actively engaged in that work to varying degrees. I became a co-chair for the New and Developing Professionals Advisory Committee, which was my introduction to the D&I world at NASA. As I became more involved, my desire to remain involved deepened.
In the spring of 2015, much of my involvement with D&I came to a screeching halt. It was during this time that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a blood cancer. I quietly entered the fight with cancer with very few colleagues knowing. I am thankful for my managers who were supportive of me during this time. Fortunately, I endured the fight and survived it.
When I came back after remission, I was deliberate in shifting from a survivor mindset to a thriver mindset. I wanted to be more than a survivor. I explored and reevaluated everything in my life. Cancer changed me for the better. It made me more honest and fearless. It gave me my voice back. I learned more about how I wanted to use my life in a more intentional way. I decided that I only wanted to do things in my life that I was passionate about, and I realized that I was passionate about D&I work.
Trauma can be a catalyst for some of the most beautiful things in life. For me, it has made me taste the sweetness of life and savor it. Surviving cancer was a gift for me, made me want to squeeze out every ounce of juice out of that lemon, and make lemonade. It has widened my lens in a greater way so that I can see myself and others more fully and more deeply. I enjoy every minute of life now. Time is a gift and a greater gift is being able to walk into your authenticity with conviction and with no regrets. Thank you, cancer, for being one of my greatest teachers.
How did you remain mentally and emotionally balanced during your cancer treatment?
My faith was my anchor, my compass showing me my true north. My faith allowed me to literally ride the waves of life and kept me afloat.
I am Muslim and practice Islam. My holy book is the Quran. One of my favorite passages is: “Verily, with every difficulty there is relief.” (94:5).
That gave me hope that relief was on the horizon. I internalized this phrase as truth, and it manifested as such through the support of loving family, friends, physicians, and strangers who each served as lift rafts during and after that journey. The relief is now. I am living it and I am grateful for that.
Why are you passionate about being a D&I specialist at Goddard?
In every position I have held, I have always been intrigued about the human experience, the things that have shaped us, the things that make us uniquely who we are. I am always in constant awe at the powerful stories we hold within us often left untold because of fear, shame, guilt and judgment. We often minimize our experience as if it doesn’t matter, but it does. It matters so very much. There is one thing I know to be true that I have learned through my own self-discovery catalyzed by facing my own mortality, and that is at the core of each person, at our foundational selves, all we want is to feel like we matter. We want to be seen, heard, valued, to belong, and to contribute in some meaningful way.
Reentering life with renewed zeal, perspective and this truth strengthened my desire to move into D&I. I wanted to directly impact enriching the experiences of Goddard employees. I wanted to have some influence in facilitating a space where they knew their contributions, voices, and all of whom they are make us Goddard and make us NASA. When an opportunity opened up to work in D& I, I went for it, and here I am as a diversity inclusion specialist. I love my job, my team and the people I get to serve, and I have no regrets.
What special training did you receive as a D&I specialist?
I received training as an agency diversity dialogue facilitator through NASA Headquarters in Washington. This training helped to refine and hone in on the skills needed to navigate difficult conversations. The goal and intent is to engage people to share and hear each other’s stories with the purpose of increasing their understanding, mutual acknowledgment and awareness in order to open up new thought patterns and actions. The hope is to create new possibilities and opportunities for connection.
How do you personally want to make an impact in Goddard’s D&I world?
I want to continue to influence increasing individuals’ capacity for empathy through the numerous initiatives and programs we facilitate through DIPO, ODEO, the center and agency. Empathy is being able to understand and share the feelings of others. I feel it is a core skill necessary to look at a situation from many lens other than your own. Also, empathy is deeply embedded in innovation. Innovation is often birthed out of need and curiosity. At the core of the need is a person or people who have courageously expressed or identified a problem that needs a solution.
We can only empower and encourage individuals to innovate if there are safe spaces for engagement where they can courageously share their ideas. Being able to communicate and connect in an empathetic way brings out the best in people in the most authentic and sincere way. I want to assist in facilitating and curating experiences through which phenomenal and brilliant minds are given the space to be phenomenal and brilliant by feeling safe enough to bring all of whom they are to the table
We have some of the greatest minds, problems solvers and innovators in the world, and I want to be able to have a hand in connecting the missions to the people and the people to the missions.
Can you please give us an example of influencing an individual’s capacity for empathy?
As a trained facilitator, especially in the challenging year that was 2020, I have been able to guide hundreds of individuals as they navigate the many difficult emotions, experiences and layered realities that they were confronted with. This work was mainly through dialogue in listening sessions. In these sessions, I played a part in moving through crucial and difficult conversations. Topics included, but were not limited, to civil unrest, race, grief, coping, illness, being overwhelmed, caregiving, work and life.
In those sessions, employees were given the permission to share their truths in ways they never had to discuss things they never would at work. Storytelling is an incredible tool to learn, listen, talk and grow. It is a way to invite a new perspective and create new thought patterns. Most importantly, it is an opportunity for individuals to show up as they are without fear of judgment. Ultimately, by hearing these stories, we learn more about ourselves and learn how to connect and relate in a more meaningful way with others.
Please tell us about your role as program manager for the New and Developing Professionals Advisory Committee.
When I joined the D&I office, this became one of my primary responsibilities. In this role, I champion new and developing professionals who are seeking to ascend in their careers and who desire to grow their networks. Through our events and programs, I am able to connect them to people and resources so that they feel fully integrated at Goddard. My goal is to empower them to channel their talents and passions with fierce focus.
We meet monthly. We also hold events such as brown bag lunches with special topics speakers and other social events for connection. We also collaborate with other advisory committees for a more enriching and integrated experience.
Do you have a D&I hero?
There are far too many to name, but at the top of my list are the Prophet Muhammad, beloved Prophet of Islam, and Nelson Mandela.
What books would you suggest to learn more about empathy?
Roman Krznaric, “Empathy: Why it Matters, and How to Get it”
Daniel Goldman, “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ”
Maria Ross, “The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success”
Brene Brown, “Dare to Lead”
Who are your mentors? What advice do they give you?
I have many mentors, each for a different purpose. Collectively, they say to own all of whom you are. In the end, you will become a stronger, more capable and happier person. Set your insecurities to the side. Do not overthink things, just be yourself. Be willing to grow. Be present. Find someone who is willing to tell you the truth about yourself, to make you aware of your blind spots and areas for growth. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know. Pivot when necessary. Embrace change. Don’t burn your bridges.
Who is your favorite author?
I am an avid reader, and I have far too many to name, but here are some in no particular order:
Edwidge Danticat – Haitian-American novelist and short story writer
Brene Brown – known for her work on courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy
Maya Angelou
Toni Morrison
Is there something surprising about your hobbies outside of work that people do not generally know?
I love do-it-yourself projects around the house, anything from building to painting to refinishing furniture. My favorite stores are Lowe’s and The Home Depot. I started a YouTube channel documenting some of my projects. Recently, I made a headboard. I have a laundry list of projects.
I also love adventure, thrill-seeking. After remission, I started doing things I always wanted to do that I have never done. I did a half marathon. I flew a plane with an instructor. I learned how to make pottery. I swam with dolphins. I went whale watching. I learned how to ride horses. I have a running list of adventures for me to pursue.
What is your “six-word memoir?” A six-word memoir describes something in just six words.
Live the heavenliness out of life.
Conversations With Goddard is a collection of question and answer profiles highlighting the amazing breadth and depth of our incredibly talented and diverse people. CWG has been published twice a month since May 2011 and is archived on the NASA Goddard homepage under the People tab.
By Elizabeth M. Jarrell
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center