Member Spotlight: Valerie Goode

What is your industry or area of expertise? 

My title at the San Francisco Foundation is Chief Marketing Officer, but I think of myself as a strategic communications practitioner and learner.

Why do you believe in the mission of BlackFemaleProject? 

I love every part of the mission, in particular the part about defining success for yourself. That is liberating. I can’t name another space for Black women to really define excellence and celebrate our lived experiences and do it in a way that is about positivity and joy. We have so many different ways we show up in the world, and our stories are not out there. Everybody wants to understand how people are doing this thing called life, and we need more spaces where Black women are just safe to be. 

What brought you to BlackFemaleProject?

As a marketer the name immediately made me think, “What is that about?” But beyond that, the fact that I had the opportunity to work alongside Precious when I was at Oakland Unified School District, and I knew that anything that Precious was up to was something that I wanted to be a part of or make sure I could remove any barriers for her or send people her way. I just see so much light in Precious, and I wanted to make sure that I was amplifying that. 

How has BlackFemaleProject impacted you personally?

This project of reflecting on your race, how the culture has impacted you, how a racialized environment has beaten you down, and all these ways that you may really lock up and ignore what you need to be for your life and for your job – BlackFemaleProject helps me to not have to have a trauma response of, “Oh, I’m not going to talk about that.” 

What BlackFemaleProject content have you found most resonant?

I’ve been a part of working groups—as soon as something from BlackFemaleProject comes up, I sign up for it– and there’s always an email with tools. Sometimes our schedules are hectic and they are  not conducive to attending every meeting. And while I might missed that I didn't get to unpacking things with a group of people, I appreciate that there are tools to help me reflect on my own and ask myself questions that I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Those tools became important for my professional and personal evolution. Those types of things make BlackFemaleProject powerful. 

And I love that Pprecious always remembers to share her point of view on LinkedIn. As a communicator, it can be exhausting to always have to post, but I see that Precious is doing it, and it makes me think I can do it, too. She’s a north star. 

Bio:

Valerie Goode is the Chief Marketing Officer at the San Francisco Foundation (SFF), one of the largest community foundations in the country. Goode joined SFF in April 2020 to support the foundation’s mission of advancing racial equity and economic inclusion in the Bay Area. She is a tested communications professional with over 20 years of experience helping local and national organizations design and implement successful communication strategies. Goode brings an infectious, fun, and energetic personality to her work. 

Goode is known for counseling organizations and leaders on utilizing the media and building strong local partnerships. She is on a lifelong journey of advancing racial equity, narrative shift, and strategies for changing behaviors and attitudes. She has been fortunate to work in many fields including journalism, public health, education and now philanthropy. Each experience has provided unique looks at the intersectionality of race, class, and gender within our society. 

Prior to joining SFF, Goode was the Deputy Chief of Communications and Public Affairs for the Oakland Unified School District in California. She also served as the first Director of Marketing for Broward County Public Schools in Florida, the sixth largest school district in the US. Before that, she dedicated herself to over a decade in health communications with the Gallup Organization and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Early in her career, she covered crime for the local newspaper in Syracuse, New York. 

Goode holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations from Northeastern University. In her spare time, she works with youth and helps community organizations access resources and information.

CONNECT WITH VALERIE: LinkedIn