Lacretia Johnson Flash

Founded in Boston, Berklee is a global community of musicians, artists, and educators who cultivate professional excellence and develop innovative fields and practices. Anchored in a vision of contemporary performing arts education that centers diversity in all its forms and the artistic traditions of the African diaspora, Berklee fosters an equitable and inclusive culture of teaching and learning. Our transformative educational experiences prepare students for purposeful lives and careers as creative leaders in a rapidly changing world. This mission is championed by Lacretia Johnson Flash, the Senior Vice President for Community, Campus Culture, and Climate.

Max Webber, Co-Host of The Interview, had the opportunity to speak with Lacretia about her extensive background in student affairs, her dedication to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Berklee, and her innovative approaches to engaging students and creating a sense of belonging. 

Lacretia's Journey

Max: Let's begin with an introduction to your current role and institution.

I oversee the division of Community, Campus Culture, and Climate at Berklee. Berklee is a global community of artists, musicians, and educators, and we are focused on contemporary performing arts education. In my opinion, we are one of the coolest schools on the planet – we have more Grammy winners than any other institution – over 300 now and extraordinary artists, educators, and professionals across many creative disciplines.

Max: What drew you to student affairs and kept you engaged in this area?

My first job as a student was as an Orientation Leader and then as a Residential Assistant. As I trained, I was particularly interested in human developmental theory – I loved understanding how we progress in terms of our cognitive, moral, and psychosocial development. 

Out of the seven positions I've held as a professional, five of them have been inaugural, so I have been able to chart new territory within the institutions I have worked with a keen awareness of emerging needs, pressures, and opportunities. With this, I fostered a code of ethics centered on compassion and dignity which I have carried with me throughout my career. So although I started as a practitioner, where I could never have imagined moving into a cabinet-level leadership role, I learned a lot about how students experience their college years  and brought that with me into my current position.

Max: How has your background set you up for a career in student affairs?

One of my early memories is of being a teenager and my high school English teacher giving us an assignment to start writing a journal — we were told to write in it every day, even if it was just one sentence. Thirty-seven years later, I’m still doing this assignment. For me, this has created a practice of reflection — whenever I'm moving through challenges or great moments professionally, I have a way to reflect and think about what I've learned from every situation. I think expressing yourself honestly is incredibly important and helpful.

Max: I’d love to hear more about your experience featuring in Reuters’ Slavery’s Descendants series — what was that experience like for you and how has it shaped your leadership style?

Last year, I got an email from Nick Brown, one of the investigative reporters at Reuters about a project he and a team had been working on. I expected to have just one conversation with him and he would get a few of my quotes to use, but when I shared that I had kept a diary that had a lot of relevant information to the piece he was working on, he wanted to find out more. This turned into multiple conversations and text exchanges over several months. Later in the summer, NBC Nightly News flew me down to Tennessee, my ancestral home, for an on-camera interview. I learned a lot about journalism through this experience, and I found all whom I interacted with to be highly ethical, professional, and the stewards of telling important stories through meticulous research and reporting – it was a great experience.

Part of the Reuter’s piece was centered around my cousin, a farmer in rural Tennessee, who engaged in what I call quiet activism. When schools were segregated and Black children couldn't attend school in town, he purchased a school bus and took these children to school himself, a seventy-mile round trip every day for ten years. He couldn't change the practice of segregation but he knew what he could do and did it — this reminds me that no matter how daunting the situation is, or how big the problems are, we can always find the power to do something. 

Max: An incredible story. Moving on to the campus environment at Berklee – how do you create a sense of belonging for all students on your campus?

For my first six years as a professional, I was a practitioner, which meant working directly with students every single day. Now that I’m in a senior leadership role, I have to be proactive to remain connected to the student experience. 

When I joined the President’s Cabinet in my current role, I didn’t want to lose touch with students, so I started Flash Friday. Once a month, I host a pizza party where students, faculty, staff, and campus leaders can hang out socially. I provide pizza from my favorite place in Boston and we are able to be in community with each other. I take this time to ask students about their experiences and what changes they would like to see. I often take the feedback from these conversations into my leadership meetings. This is a way for me to authentically connect with others and bring their voices into other spaces.

Max: I know the sector has come under scrutiny recently, how are you staying tuned into DEI practices?

We are gearing up for what is going to be a very polarizing fall with our upcoming election, so it is a huge challenge. For me, it's about going back to our core values and allowing them to guide how we proceed in these turbulent times. I know I can't change the national political climate, but I can be an active member of a community and allow my community to inform how I show up. We can't change everything that’s difficult in the world, but we can focus on the communities we are a part of and work to make them stronger, more cohesive, and healthier – this is very important to me.

Max: You touched on the divisiveness of the upcoming election. How do you retain a sense of community in these challenging times?

One example is from a few years ago when we were experiencing a challenging moment around racial equity. I convened a Campus Climate Summit of students and campus leaders to engage in a listening session to ask students what they thought were the biggest issues facing our community and hear suggestions of things we could do about it. For me, it was important not just to rely on leaders' voices but on insights across the board. Later, when we launched a comprehensive campus climate survey, many of the ideas students shared during the summit became official recommendations to inform action planning from the survey results. Whenever we can bring new voices in, we make sure that we do.

Max: Finally, what is your biggest piece of advice for someone embarking on a career similar to yours?

Now, when I go through difficult periods in my life and career, I try to switch my mindset to telling myself that challenging situations, or in some cases challenging people, are actually my teachers who are here to help me grow and actively practice my values. Looking at these hard moments as opportunities for growth makes these difficult times easier to embrace.