{"id":1874,"date":"2019-07-17T15:34:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T19:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/?p=1874"},"modified":"2019-07-22T09:46:18","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:46:18","slug":"work-hard-and-choose-courage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/issues\/summer-2019\/work-hard-and-choose-courage\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Hard and Choose Courage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cortney Nicolato \u201901<\/h2>\n

\n

President and CEO, United Way of Rhode Island<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
\"Cortney<\/div>\n

Cortney Nicolato ’01 is certain that she has the best job in Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis state and its amazing people have given so much to me. Now I can help the state be its very best,\u201d she says. \u201cUnited Way brings together the community, the corporate sector, and nonprofits to do extraordinary things.\u201d After 13 years in Texas, native Rhode Islander Nicolato returned to her home state last year to lead United Way of Rhode Island. She invites you to learn more about this important work at uwri.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here, Nicolato shares some advice, answers, and insights.<\/p>\n

Essential personality traits for success in your field:<\/strong>
\nResilience is a critical part of working in a nonprofit. You have to adapt and respond to routinely changing needs.<\/p>\n

Your path not taken:<\/strong>
\nI love business and was laser-focused on working in the for-profit sector. But I was taught to be a servant leader and community advocate, and that was missing for me. I still use every aspect of my äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ finance degree, but now I\u2019ve married it with my passion to serve.<\/p>\n

“I still use every aspect of my
\näçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ finance degree, but now
\nI\u2019ve married it with my
\npassion to serve.”
\n\u2014Cortney Nicolato<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Best advice you ever received:<\/strong>
\nAlways lead with integrity, even when that isn\u2019t the easy road. Then you will always have confidence, because the work is about something greater than yourself.<\/p>\n

Your advice for aspiring nonprofit leaders:<\/strong>
\nDon’t let perceived barriers get in your way. Push past them by putting yourself out there. Work hard, choose courage over comfort, and show the world that you are destined for greatness.<\/p>\n

Recommended reading:<\/strong>
\nAnything by Bren\u00e9 Brown and Shawn Achor. And New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World\u2014and How to Make It Work for You<\/em> by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms.<\/p>\n

Best and worst work habits<\/strong>
\nBest:<\/em> I\u2019m good at staying calm, cool, and collected even in the toughest moments. That\u2019s an important trait for any leader.
\nWorst:<\/em> I believe in my work, so I struggle to “shut off.” Case in point: I am typing this at 11 p.m. on a Wednesday night!<\/p>\n

\"Iced<\/div>\n

Work fuel\u2014Coffee or tea?<\/strong>
\nAfter 13 years living in the South\u2014iced tea\u2026all day.<\/p>\n

\"A
Nicolato received the Army National Guard Minuteman Award for her work promoting healthy lifestyles for guardsmen and their families.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n

Favorite object in your office:<\/strong>
\nThe Army National Guard Minuteman Award, which I received in 2008 for my work with the American
\nHeart Association on the Decade of Health Campaign, which promoted healthy lifestyles for Army National Guardsmen and their families. It\u2019s the most prestigious honor bestowed by the Guard to a civilian. <\/p>\n

Hardest thing about your job:<\/strong>
\nSeeing the inequities Rhode Island families face saddens me. United Way is focused on building systems in the areas of education, housing, and financial stability that are equitable for all. It’s hard but necessary work.<\/p>\n

Can’t get through a day without…<\/strong>
\nHugs from Jacob and Ian, my two amazing kids.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cortney Nicolato \u201901 President and CEO, United Way of Rhode Island Cortney Nicolato ’01 is certain that she has the best job in Rhode Island. \u201cThis state and its amazing people have given so much to me. Now I can help the state be its very best,\u201d she says. \u201cUnited Way brings together the community, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,115],"class_list":["post-1874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-summer-2019","tag-cortney-nicolato","tag-united-way","architecture-field-notes","architecture-network"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1874"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2370,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1874\/revisions\/2370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}