Giving Back and ‘Doing Good’
Interview with Prabha Pacey (’96) by Lara Kilpatrick (’85) for The Connection Summer/Fall 2012.
Recently, I had a great conversation with my dear friend and MMS alumna, Prabha Pacey (’86), over a delicious meal at her home in Soquel. Prabha is known to MMS alumni and families for her presence on the Washington, D.C. trips, and for her wonderful voice at senior graduation and the Prabha & Friends alumni concerts benefiting MMS (2009, 2011).
Employed by Starbucks, Prabha is a district manager (DM) for Licensed Starbucks within the Safeway and Target stores in San Jose and Morgan Hill and at San Jose Airport. She ensures that these businesses represent the Starbucks brand according to corporate standards. She first started with Starbucks’ corporate stores, and earned many accolades and awards within the company. Looking back on her career trajectory, she shares some highlights:
“I was store manager of the first Santa Cruz Starbucks when it opened in 1996, and was promoted to DM in 1998. I oversaw the opening of all the stores in the Santa Cruz area, as well as many stores around San Jose, Salinas, and Monterey. I grew with Starbucks as it grew. When I was hired, the Starbucks mantra was ‘2,000 stores by 2000’ – now we’re at nearly 20,000 stores all over the world! I was very fortunate to get in early and really help grow this area.”
As DM for 13 years, Prabha became very familiar and comfortable with the business, processes, people, and management. In her last 2 years in that role she took on projects in Seattle and San Francisco, and then just one year ago, while still working in SF, she began her job change to Licensed stores. This career change came at a welcome time, bringing new perspectives, ways of doing business, and completely new people.
Many MMS alumni, like Prabha, express a desire to go out into the world to ‘make a difference’. She says she her work with Starbucks provides opportunities for “doing good” in ways that are meaningful.
“I believe that Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz uses his power for good. He takes care of the people first, on the front line, and then trusts that the rest will happen,” says Prabha, explaining her reasons for remaining with the company. “He’s been criticized for that – for how he’s chosen to spend the money and take the direction of the company. We’re very healthy right now and we do good work all over the world. We create a value for people. And that works for me.
Starbucks likes it when we sit on Boards and have community influence – when we participate. Since October, I’ve volunteered more than 277 hours, and the majority of my work is with MMS and with Mount Madonna Center as Board Vice-President. I love all of it! It’s good experience and keeps me connected; and it adds to my skill-set.
We do a lot of volunteer work in the company, in teams and in our own geographic areas. I worked with the Sacred Heart Thanksgiving food drive in San Jose, and then on their toy giveaway, helping families choose toys. It is intense and gratifying – the stories are unbelievable. We walk away so much more enriched than those we helped.”
Prabha’s talents, skills and personality traits have helped her to build a successful career. She’s often been called upon to roll out new products, and in her current role, deals one-on-one with many different levels of Safeway and Target executives. She is comfortable with people, a good writer and presenter, and is known for her sense of humor. At the same time, she can hold people accountable. “I graduated high school with no fear of getting in front of people, and with an ability to think, process, and problem solve,” she explains. “I didn’t know then that I was a good communicator, but I learned very quickly that this was something I did well.”
Prabha came to Mount Madonna School in 1982 for 8th grade, and this evening as we talk, she smiles, remembering some of the experiences and people who shaped her. “We did some crazy things! There were many ways of learning that didn’t have a lot to do with rote memorization. I remember performing plays in Latin. I remember photography class with Sukhdev Pettengill (parent of Mallika Pettengill Bush ‘99). We’d go for a drive to a creek and study spider webs…I left with a curiosity about the world.
Absolutely Sampad was significant – no question. And Jayanti Peterson’s geography and world studies – loved that class! I also got a lot of support from [former MMS Principal] Brajesh Friedberg, who read my college essays. Sadhana Kilpatrick, for sure! She played marching music and put pennies on our hands, and today I can type faster than anyone I know! There is no way you can tell a middle school kid that typing is of value… but she made it fun! Those are the people that stand out for me.”
After graduation Prabha briefly attended the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and found the transition very challenging.
“On a campus of 20,000 students, there were just 300 African Americans. We were such a minority. I marked the African American checkbox on the housing application, and so was housed with a girl from Compton, who was lovely – but then I was in that community, and that was it. It was the first time in my life where we would walk down the street and be called ‘tar baby’ or be told to ‘Go back to Africa.’ It was so bad that the University interviewed me for a movie called To Be Black at UC Santa Barbara, which they began showing to incoming freshmen.”
In hindsight, Prabha says she should have paid better attention to her college choice. “I didn’t want to go to UC Santa Cruz, so I threw out my acceptance letter before my parents could see it. I was accepted to other schools, but we settled on UCSB. In the end, this wasn’t a good choice for me, although I met great people.” Prabha left UCSB after her first year, choosing instead to begin working.
“I have an irrational fear about not being able to take care of myself. I did not at all enjoy racking up debt, and really wanted to make money and be self-sufficient. If I had to do it again, I would make more of an effort to stay in college.”
Prabha doesn’t anticipate leaving Starbucks for another company, but if she were to make a career change, it would be to pursue music – a passion of hers since she was very young.
“Next year I’m taking a six-month sabbatical from work. I’m going to visit India and then record a CD. I love doing gospel and kirtan [Indian devotional music]. The CD will be all kirtan, with Barry and Shelley Phillips, and Shantam Galuten with whom I’ve done many previous events and concerts. Devin (Bhattacharya) Kumar (’06) will be my recording engineer. I am so excited to work with him! He is so talented.” Prabha has traveled together with Devin on several of the Washington, D.C. Values in World Thought trips.
This brings our discussion around to Prabha’s long history of going on MMS’ Washington, D.C. trips as meals in-charge and chaperone.
“Prabha has been a key player in the D.C. trip since its inception,” comments trip leader Ward “SN” Mailliard. “If it’s too hot or you are tired or hungry, Prabha with great humor, has educated two generations of students that complaining does not improve anything; tough love in abundance! One can always take Prabha’s ‘I have it covered’ to the bank. Logistics, food, midnight hospital runs, schedules, transportation, early morning coffee, student discipline – covered!
We have had two wisdom tooth extractions, and on the most recent trip, after I finally fell into a much-needed sleep, my phone rings and it is Prabha: ‘just thought I should let you know that I am at the emergency room with a sick child. Don’t worry, I have it covered. Go back to sleep.’ I always wondered how she could do all that and at the end have the students adore her. She is a natural leader who also played a masterful supporting role that made the rest of us look good.”
The May 2012 D.C. trip was her last. Although the program began after Prabha graduated from MMS, she has been a part of the biennial program since the inaugural journey in 1989 and never missed a trip. In fact, one year MMS went two years in a row to accommodate the rising numbers of juniors and seniors that began with the 1999 class.
“Back then we felt 12 students were too many!” Prabha shares. “Those were the days! We thought we couldn’t take 20 kids – we needed to split them (compare this to 2012, when 29 students attended the D.C. trip)!
“What an extraordinary program! It’s amazing to see people at the top of their game, and basically, running the world. What a gift to be in the same room, rub shoulders and get some of that energy – to see what a single individual or group of people are capable of accomplishing. Put this together with traveling with these young minds, and seeing how they grow and learn and experience amazing moments of impact. The power of that human connection, putting young people who are at the beginning of their lives in front of people who are doing it, and showing them their power is extraordinary. It is also good for me to stay connected with that age group! It’s healthy, to be around people of different ages, in different times of their lives; it builds a healthier community.”
After participating in 13 trips, Prabha decided to create space for pursuing other activities. “I have really enjoyed my time on the trips, getting to know each student before they graduate. I want to stay connected and contribute. I just need to figure out a different way. It feels like 23 years has been a decent amount of time to dedicate to a particular program, and now feels like a good time to step out and let go. I am planning to do another benefit concert for MMS.”
As our conversation winds down, Prabha offers a few parting words for fellow MMS alumni and students, gathered from her experiences: “Bring your personal best, every day. And, do what you say you’re going to do. It seems ridiculously simple, but so many people don’t, and they wonder why they’re not successful.”