ACCP Staff
This month, ACCP President and CEO talks with Robert Simmons, Director of Micron Foundation North America. Robert shares his path to the position, why being humble is so important to the work, and why his 7 year old son Malcolm is the person he admires most.
How did you get your start in corporate citizenship?
I started in corporate citizenship at Micron Technology in 2021. Prior to 2021 I had never worked in corporate citizenship, or any corporation, but had built and led large scale social impact efforts in the social sector. Micron gave me an opportunity to lead social impact from a corporate vantage point, while also giving me an opportunity to learn how corporations work.
The field continues to evolve. What are the most important skills and knowledge corporate social impact professionals need to be successful?
In my experience it’s less about knowledge and skills but more about a disposition. I have found that the most important disposition corporate social impact professionals should have is humility. Without humility the financial power differential between nonprofits and corporations can be exacerbated. Be humble in acknowledging what you don’t know. Be humble in acknowledging that nonprofits often know more than corporate social impact professionals. Be humble enough to admit when we are wrong.
What is one specific piece of advice you received that has served you well in your professional journey?
One of my mentors once told me—”I need you to believe in you like I believe in you.” These words have always stuck with me as I navigated my positionality as the son of an incarcerated father who often wondered if I really belonged in spaces I ended up in.
Considering the current landscape corporate social impact professionals are working in, what are the essential things you suggest for them to make a priority?
My first recommendation to corporate social impact professionals is to prioritize self-care. While on my professional journey, I have been told that I have workaholic tendencies—working on a Saturday, waking up at 5am on Tuesday, or working on an airplane; my professional work has been one of go, go, go. Six months ago, I was sent to the emergency room with a blood pressure reading of 190/120. It was at this moment that I realized I needed to slow down and pause.
From that moment on, I have taken time to just sit in the morning, not work while on airplanes (regardless of it’s work travel or not), change my eating habits, and most importantly—spend more time doing something that isn’t work related. So, what did I do, I tossed myself into fantasy football and Play Station 5 (new release of EA Sports College Football 2024), while prioritizing unplugged vacations, enjoying more time with my family, and recentering my purpose to focus on things that will sustain me at moments when life is difficult.
My second priority for corporate citizenship professionals is to never get so busy that we forget to look around, listen, and learn from those in the community doing the work with those who have been historically and systemically marginalized or excluded. Far too often I have found myself spending more time in meetings or in front of my laptop, than in the community learning from others. This was something I did very often when I worked in the social sector (visiting schools, talking to students/teachers, etc.).
I am realizing that I need to be more intentional about doing this in my current role and encouraging others to do the same. It doesn’t matter how long you have been at a company, or the ways in which things have always been done; what matters is the reality in communities is often different from the reality of corporations, and corporate citizenship professionals need to adopt a listening and learning posture more than ever before.
One fun/personal question – who’s someone you admire and why?
There are many people I admire but there is one person who stands out—my son Malcolm. Malcolm is 7 years old, and we learned when he was three that he is on the autism spectrum. While high functioning on the high autism spectrum and gifted in mathematics (he is in second grade advanced math), Malcolm must also navigate the world as a Black boy on the autism spectrum.
As the research indicates, Black boys, as well as Black girls and Latino children, are often overlooked when it comes to autism. A study at the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (University of Pennsylvania) noted that Black children are 5.1 times more likely to be misdiagnosed with behavioral issues before being diagnosed on the autism spectrum. This diagnosis disparity, as well the way in which far too many people view Black boys as threatening at a younger age, made me afraid for Malcolm.
Despite my fears, and the consistent ways in which racism stares down Black boys in America, Malcolm has thrived. He is resilient beyond measure. He is brilliant beyond measure. My son, Malcolm Simmons is someone I will admire in perpetuity.
