Don’t be fooled by appearances. Marianne Garvin may come in a small package, but she’s a dynamo tasked with nothing less than finding solutions to what may be this region’s biggest challenge: Affordable housing.
As president and CEO of the Community Development Corp. of Long Island (CDC-LI), Garvin’s quiet-but-confident demeanor assures you she’s there to get the job done. Her approach is holistic: Weaving together stakeholders and community, equally, while reaching into issues and strategies to sustain Long Island’s quality of life and its fragile environmental needs.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to run off into the world (especially since we have no doubt it’s to compare how other places are making a go of housing needs), and play. Fueled by Starbucks, Garvin’s sense of adventure has led her to many interesting sites around the globe. Read on to find out more about the woman who’s shaping up Long Island’s tomorrow today…
FMC: What are the 3 best things you’ve done in your life?
MG: Family is the most important thing in life, so I’d have to say marrying the right person — I’ve been married for 38 years –and then having and raising two great children has to top the list. But then knowing that making a difference in people’s lives through my work and choosing housing as the means to that end is the other. I made the decision early in life, got a great education in community development at the University of Chicago and spent my entire career on Long Island impacting lives and communities and making our corner of the world a little better.
Have fun! Enjoy your work and all the people you meet along the way.
FMC: What mistake did you make that turned out to be your best learning experience?
MG: Years ago, when I was a novice in housing development, I did not involve all the important stakeholders in the community in discussions about a particular project and that great project was never built. It helped me to learn that no matter how good a project is, implementation takes the involvement and cooperation of many people and institutions. Outreach and compromise are critical to success.
FMC: When you were 5 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
MG: I was raised with two brothers and was a bit of a tomboy. My father was a huge Yankees fan and took us to games all the time. I would play ball with my brothers and was really good at swinging the bat. It seemed reasonable to me to fantasize about being the first female major league baseball player.
FMC: Why do you do what you do?
MG: Home matters for all people. It is the most basic human right. It is the oasis from the troubles of the world. It is where families can be strong. My vision is for every person to have a home that offers that sanctuary and where children can have a solid foundation for success in life.
FMC: What’s your guilty pleasure?
MG: Chocolate! In any form. Guaranteed to put a smile on my face!
FMC: What gives you hope for the future?
MG: Young people who question everything and who take it for granted that life is better living in a multicultural world.
FMC: What’s your idea of a great day off from work?
MG: I love socializing with friends and family, so a great day off means having plans to do all sorts of things! Seeing a play or listening to a concert. A day trip out east to visit a vineyard or go to the beach. I also love to travel around the world to see other cultures and to better understand how other people on our globe live.
FMC: Coke or Pepsi?
MG: Coffee! Especially Starbucks.
FMC: Who was/is the most influential person in your life?
MG: My grandmother, who emigrated from Sicily when she was 16. She did not know the language, but needed to forge a new life for herself for economic reasons. She left behind her mother and never saw her again. She was the matriarch and taught us the importance of family, integrity, love, compassion and food! In the midst of the depression she saved her money and through sheer grit bought a house in Brooklyn, because home matters for a solid foundation in life.
FMC: Favorite restaurant?
MG: La petite place. It’s a little café in France near the Picasso Museum that makes a fabulous French Onion Soup.
FMC: Last book read?
MG: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
FMC: Where do you get your news?
MG: Newsday and The New York Times
FMC: What five people, living or dead, would you want to have dinner with?
MG: My grandmother. Michelle and Barack Obama. Jesus. Martin Luther King, Jr.
FMC: Favorite drink?
MG: I love red wine, but when I go out I like to have a Cosmo.
FMC: What’s the biggest misconception people have about you?
MG: That I don’t have an Italian temper.
FMC: Define leadership and tell us, who is your favorite leader?
MG: Leadership is listening, understanding contradictory indicators, integrating information and being bold enough to take a position and being courageous about moving forward. It’s inspiring people to be their best and most effective self. I wouldn’t say I have only one favorite leader. There are many people whom I admire for their leadership. For example, I admire Governor Cuomo for loving New York and taking bold steps to move the state forward in a positive economic and social direction.
FMC: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
MG: The biggest challenge has always been to find the right work/life balance. I am passionate about the work I do and sometimes it is hard to leave the office and say, ‘It will all be there tomorrow.’
FMC: What’s your choice of super hero superpowers?
MG: I’d like to leap tall buildings with a single bound.
FMC: Idea of success?
MG: Having made the world a better place for someone.
FMC: What’s the best business advice anyone ever gave you?
MG: Have fun! Enjoy your work and all the people you meet along the way.
FMC: If you weren’t you, who would you want to be?
MG: I’ve had such a wonderful life that I can’t imagine being anyone else!