Dr. Josette Compton - Owner and Founder of Smart Cookie Bodycare / Program Director at HHW Ohio
Although we live in a time where empowerment, encouragement, and enlightenment are offered to women more than ever before, there is no doubt that inequality and disparities still remain, especially when it comes to the workplace. Specifically in the trades and blue-collar industries, women are not often shown or told that they can thrive in these positions and are made to believe these careers are not for them. Leadership, as it often is, acts as a beacon of hope for these women and for our community, this uplifting is done by none other than a fellow woman herself.
Well-educated, well-traveled, deeply thoughtful, and deeply passionate, Dr. Josette Compton leads the way for workplace advocacy in Cleveland and is making waves with her work every day. Impacting not only our city and its people, she drives forward the idea that women are capable of pursuing whatever careers they see fit for themselves. Encouraging others to not let preconceived notions of ‘how things should be’ hold them back, Josette pushes women to not only reach their full potential but to set themselves up for long-term professional and financial success.
HHW has been around since 1979 and was founded by three tradeswomen with the objective of developing leadership and hard skills to make these professions more accessible. At that time, and still today, women are largely underrepresented in these industries and it is essential to provide working women with the tools they need to grow their skills and enter these career paths. Now operating in 10 counties total including Summit, Lorain, and Franklin, HHW boasts its programs in partnership with many local career tech programs and colleges such as Marion Technical College, Stark State, and Zane State College.
Josette's main focus within HHW Ohio is that of the WISE Pathways program and the creation of its Cleveland curriculum. Her guidance and passion for getting to the truth of the matter, has led to the building of a successful program that really aims to make a change in the professional world for women. As program director, Josette carefully considers the programming she is creating and aims to take into account the community and its current standards to help create a framework for growth. She also teaches the class for the pathway alongside executive director Kaci Roach and community engagement manager Sarah Taylor.
WISE Pathways is the flagship program of HHW and gears itself toward job exploration and job readiness. Focusing on soft skills, the curriculum centers around three core theories. Malcolm Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory, Patricia Hill Collins’s Black Feminist Thought Theory, and Gloria Steinem’s work on equal pay and gender disparity in the workplace. These topics heavily influence the work of HHW Ohio in providing women with the knowledge necessary to overcome the odds and obstacles.
Josette told us, “We know that women make up about 50% of the American workforce but when we look at STEM-facing pathways such as automation, robotics, advanced manufacturing, cyber security, or information technology, they are still roughly under 25% in terms of representation. So we know that there is still a major problem and then when we look at the numbers from the Census Bureau and Community Solutions, we realize that Black women specifically, in the city of Cleveland, are one of the most oppressed groups in terms of economic and employment opportunities.”
She goes on to discuss the disparities for Black women when it comes to many different factors and how the stereotypes and assumptions often lead to Black women being geared towards food preparation, childcare, home health care, and other long-term low-wage positions. Knowing this, the WISE Pathway program aims to help women understand their value, break away from the cultural standards, and find what speaks to them as individuals.
As a former journalist for 15 years and educator for eight, Josette has seen her fair share of stories from not only working in New York City and Washington DC but also living in Cape Town, South Africa. Her own feminist story began at the age of fifteen at her all-girls catholic high school and she is motivated still, by her desire to help those around her. Providing tangible assistance in areas like childcare, transportation, paying the bills, and navigating male-dominated spaces is what drives her to create change where she can for others.
With a doctorate in Teaching, Leadership, and Curricular Design, Josette is the perfect candidate for creating a curriculum that benefits those in the WISE Pathway. Leading them to the answers they seek and the clarity they need to pursue their goals is no small feat. Determination and consideration are two of the qualities Josette clearly possesses that make this impact possible and show that she is a perfect fit for her role in HHW Ohio.
Fostering growth at every turn, Josette pays careful attention to the community surrounding her and her programs and takes into account each and every factor that leads to the inequality she is trying to overcome. She told us, “Knowing we live in a city where 61% of the population, according to Seeds of Literacy, is functionally illiterate. So I take a lot of cues from my former life as an educator and use it to keep women engaged with information that is relevant to them.”
This work was not always the place Josette imagined landing. A journalist at her core, she has always found herself questioning the status quo and seeking more answers to her questions. After feeling like it was time to leave journalism at a time when the housing crisis generated massive layoffs in magazine journalism, and education had burnt her out, she saw that her feminism and advocacy had grown with her through the years, and after traveling the world in 2021 and 2022, and found herself feeling passionate about helping the marginalized succeed.
She shared,” I have my master's degree from the New School in international development, and after I did my dissertation on African American girls and how they can be prepared for careers in digital arts, I was kind of ahead of myself. It made sense because my focus was always on girls, specifically African American girls, poor white girls, South Asian girls, and anyone who has been marginalized by society. Those women were always like my sisters and I felt like I had to take care of them. So I think the dissertation was a solution for them.”
Additionally, Josette can brag about her own entrepreneurial spirit with a small body care business to show for it! Smart Cookie Bodycare was founded by Josette five years ago and focuses on creating natural body products that help target diabetic skin. After her mother and sister struggled to find a solution for their fickle skin due to diabetes, Josette realized the expensive products weren't working and set out to create her own solution.
Handmade by Josette herself, the products are sold on Amazon with the hopes of expanding further this year. With the goal of helping women and men with combination skin and skin issues to find natural solutions, Smart Cookie works with Brazilian farmers to be an eco-friendly brand. Her products have proven to be massively successful among those struggling with skin issues and she continues to make a difference for so many people in so many different ways.
Though she never saw herself in a non-profit organization, it is obvious that Josette has a clear calling to help others. We asked her to touch on how working for women, and with women, has impacted her. She told us about how this work has shaped her saying, “ It starts with you. It starts with your relationship and your perspective on women themselves. I’ve always grown up in a house of fiercely strong women, I have very strong relationships with my mom and my sister and that’s something that makes this work fun for me because we are essentially building a sisterhood. Essentially once you take off all the things society puts on us like race, class, and all the other things, we’re all women and we have so many things in common. There is no time for women to be bitter or jealous of each other.”
Leading the Cleveland WISE Pathways program, allows Josette to foster a welcoming and encouraging environment where sisterhood thrives and competition is nowhere to be found. Being able to put herself in someone else's shoes, without assuming she knows what they’ve been through is what sets her apart from others and makes her role in the organization so impactful. Knowing that each woman has her own unique experience and not trying to force herself to relate to individual stories helps her to empathize with them and better understand different perspectives.
“That is my favorite part of the job,” she says, “Teaching WISE pathways and being in a community with women. It feels good to lift other women up and to be lifted up by other women.” This sentiment is what makes people like Josette so wonderful at jobs in the non-profit and human-centered spaces. A willingness to listen to others, learn about their journeys, and find how to best propel them forward is such a key part of her work and successes.
In many non-profit environments, especially those that revolve around human rights and equality, things often get personal and the motivation to succeed comes from working directly with individuals you know are benefiting firsthand from your efforts. Josette told us that this human aspect of her work is both the most difficult and most rewarding factor. Although it can sometimes feel overwhelming when the world outside our bubble isn’t accepting of our efforts, connecting face-to-face with others is a massive motivator and the reward of creating impact in your community is priceless.
Speaking more of the community values that drive programs like WISE to succeed, it’s impossible not to touch on the Cleveland community specifically and what makes it a good candidate for an organization like HHW. Josette explained her thoughts on this saying, “I think Cleveland is ideal for a program like WISE Pathways because Ohio used to be a leader in manufacturing and it's always been a blue-collar town. Every city has what defines them and Cleveland is working class. A program like this provides an alternative to women who don’t have the time and money to go and get that extra degree, but they will be equipped with the intellectual skills to end up very close to that person who went away and got a bachelors degree.”
Dismantling how the differences in career paths can often seem to equal ‘good’ or ‘bad’ jobs can help women to see the value, both mentally and physically, that tradework can provide. For young women who are unsure of which path is for them but are ready to move past minimum wage work, WISE helps to show that there are opportunities available and that they can sustain themselves and make a livable wage.
Josette also touched on Cleveland’s economic and racial disparities and how those who have been highly marginalized can still find success and have the chance to get to a place where they can pay their bills, support their families, and even begin to put away savings. She talked about how programs like WISE play a key role in providing resources and education to support these people in our communities but it is often overlooked and many are not aware of its existence.
She said, “I've been here 18 months, and when I first started, not many people in the city remembered HHW. After I got there I really hit the ground running and set up potential partnerships, meetings, and ways to get out into the community and now it feels like we are the popular kids on the block. Sometimes we don’t even have the capacity to handle all the requests so the community is clearly showing us love.”
The community repose to the program motivates Josette and her team to keep working to provide their services to more and more women and expand the help they are able to give. Her training in education and background in journalism continues to guide Josette and pull her to connect more with the community as much as possible.
Keeping in mind her desire to meet each individual where they’re at and truly get to know someone before speaking on their situation, we asked Josetter if there was any advice she might give to someone seeking services like those offered by HHW and wondering if the programs are a good fit for them. She told us, “The first thing you have to do is understand what you’re values are. I don’t know that a lot of people want to do that work. Some people are driven by money, but if you’re driven by purpose, you really have to do a lot of introspection before you join any program because some of the misconceptions that women have is that they’re going to do this eight-week program and then get a job.”
She also elaborated on the idea that many women seeking financial freedom and success often lean toward entrepreneurship as a solution. Although this can be the right path for many, Josette encourages being 100% confident that this path is for you before setting down to become a business owner. As all of the burden, blame, and struggle falls to you as an individual, it is true to say it is not for everyone and we should only pursue this avenue if it feels like our true calling.
All in all, Josette maintains that honesty with oneself and evaluation of one's goals and values are what drives people to be successful in the WISE Pathways program and others like it. Entering with the willingness to learn, work hard, and have realistic expectations is what allows for success stories to develop from the program and although it can be hard to understand if something is the right fit, self-reflection, and true honesty can often lead to clarity and a stronger sense of direction.
Josette shared that her biggest takeaway from the program is often the sisterhood that is formed among participants and instructors alike. Building a community of our own can provide the feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment we so often seek out as women. Being able to relate to one another, support one another, and uplift one another while receiving those benefits in return is part of what makes community relationships so strong.
Putting it all together perfectly, Josette said, “I don’t look at the numbers. I look at how people are leaving this program. Do they feel more empowered than they did when they came here? For women trying to figure out what to do next in their lives, come to WISE because we will explore all the different pathways for you.”
As for the future, we asked where Josette sees not only herself but HHW Ohio as a whole, and the continuation of the WISE program. She told us that although expanding HHW is always the goal, maintaining local connections is what really ensures the success of the organization, and taking things to a larger scale could damage this success. Of course, seeing the number of women in the workforce increase is a tangible way for Josette to see her work have an impact and she continues to strive to make noticeable differences in the statistics that shape our communities.
Personally, she has a strong desire to live abroad, whether that be to take HHW international, or on a different journey, Josette knows that her traveling is far from over. Her zest for life and excitement for adventure drive her both personally and professionally and we know, just from our quick chat, that she is destined for meaningful greatness, wherever she goes.
Not only is Dr. Josette Compton talking the talk, but she is also implementing the importance of walking the walk in her line of work and how meeting women where they are can be the difference in making a difference. Her work goes beyond the statistics and puts a face to the causes she fights for. An entrepreneur, an educator, a mentor, and a leader, Josette is paving the way for so many individuals seeking guidance and support. Knowing that nothing is impossible and never taking no for an answer, she continues to trailblaze her way through the community and bring others with her on her ascent to success. Knowing that women like Josette exist and work hard each day to improve the lives of others is reassuring and inspiring. It was an honor to learn more about her work with HHW Ohio as well as her body care business and we are so thrilled to see what more she continues to accomplish personally and professionally.
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