A Gift That Keeps on Giving
Rodney Jenkins
Director, Durham County Department of Public Health
When LGFCU Fellows alumnus Rodney Jenkins accepted his first director position leading the Durham County Department of Public Health in January 2020, he had little idea of the challenges ahead.
Less than two weeks later, the state announced that a traveler through the Raleigh-Durham International Airport had been diagnosed with COVID-19. The message for North Carolina’s local governments was clear: a public health crisis was coming.
“It’s one thing to be new in a job, but it’s another thing entirely to be a public health expert during a global pandemic,” Jenkins said. “All the ideas and plans I had for our agency were put on hold. COVID-19 was our top priority.”
Jenkins applied for and participated in the LGFCU Fellows program prior to his arrival in Durham County; at the time, he was a deputy health director with Cumberland County. His experience illustrates the power of the Fellows community and its commitment to alumni throughout the course of their careers.
The program’s focus on emerging leaders allows it to identify and empower individuals like Jenkins, giving them the tools they need to be successful when their leadership is critical to their communities.
“The Fellows program was deeply personal to me,” Jenkins said. “I was at a point in my career when I needed that reassurance in my abilities. I needed to know I had what it took to be a leader and to take that next step.”
That confidence would prove to be critically important as Jenkins led his team in a time of great stress and uncertainty. Fellows also provided Jenkins with a leadership toolkit that was filled to the brim with ways to help his team.
“Everyone is willing to endure tough times if they have a leader they can depend on,” Jenkins said. “I wanted to empower our team to be innovative and to think outside the box. Fellows teaches us to be flexible and adaptable in different situations, to be quick-thinking, and to be prepared for our moment.”
In the lead-up to his Fellows experience, Jenkins received a key piece of advice that he has continued to keep close: “Have an open mind.” That mantra inspired both his time in the Fellows program and his department’s response to COVID-19. That included letting his team be innovative in their approach to the pandemic, launching new data analysis projects, creating dashboards, and shooting weekly videos.
Now, as the state eases into re-opening and departments shift their focus to encouraging vaccination, Jenkins and his team are relying on the same core principles in their communication to county residents.
“We made a strong commitment to be open, honest, transparent, evidence-based, and backed by science,” Jenkins said. “We want to meet people where they are and educate them so they have the opportunity to make the right decision for themselves.”
Throughout the pandemic, the demand for Jenkins’s time and attention has been overwhelming. Amidst the long hours and high levels of stress, Jenkins has dedicated himself to attending the program’s “Five Good Minutes” sessions over Zoom, which he cites as an ongoing source of encouragement and strength.
Jenkins describes the Fellows program succinctly: “It plants seeds, and the seeds it is sowing are bearing phenomenal fruit.” He sees that in his own career and ability to respond in trying times: Fellows prepared him for a leadership role, gave him tools to lead in crisis, and continues to support him through networking and educational opportunities as an alumnus.
“Very sincerely, LGFCU is changing lives,” Jenkins said. “There are people in my cohort who were unsure of themselves as leaders. They’ve gone on to do marvelous things because they’ve received that positive reinforcement and know they can do it. Each of us are examples of what can happen if you take a chance on this program.”
“It’s the gift that LGFCU gave that keeps on giving,” he added. “We keep paying it forward. I have so much gratitude for the opportunity.”