NAPA is happy to announce that Zelda Harrison has been named NAPA’s Volunteer of the Year! Zelda launched and has been instrumental in developing NAPA’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NAPA.Anthro), which is a prominent “public face” of NAPA. Also receiving a Special Recognition from NAPA is Sophie Goodman, who is Zelda’s partner in keeping the Facebook content lively and current.
[Excerpted from the September 2017 issue of NAPA Notes.]
Zelda Harrison
What is your background, and what drew you to the field?
With a background in Marketing and Communication, I consider myself an AnthroDesigner, an emphasis on the latter. I was deeply inspired by lectures on the work of Claude Lévi-Strauss and Franz Boas in corporate strategy classes at business school and determined that anthropological praxis would be integral to my consulting work. I launched my career in marketing research in consumer packaged goods, and currently work with clients as a consultant in Marketing and Strategic Communication, specifically with municipal agencies and several non-profits that cater to underserved communities. I hold degrees in International Marketing (Rouen Business School), International Relations (Allegheny College) and the Fine Arts (CSULB). I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
How do you feel about being recognized for your efforts?
I am deeply honored by NAPA’s VOY Award. Being a social media manager for NAPA and growing its online community has been incredibly fulfilling; an invaluable way of staying connected with practicing anthropologists.
What do you find interesting about doing the NAPA Facebook page?
The Facebook page been an excellent way to tap into discussions I am passionate about, including cultural relativism, the use of big data, and creating space for AnthroDesigners on multidisciplinary projects.
How can NAPA members get the most out of the page?
I know it’s cliché, but it really does take a village to build professional capacity and recognition, and I would like to encourage members to reach out on NAPA’s social media, share their experiences, and let us know what topics they’d like to hear about.
Sophie Goodman
How did you get your start in anthropology? What drew you to the field, and how has it changed over time?
I first discovered anthropology while enrolled in a psychology degree at university. I had chosen psychology as I wanted to learn about people, but found myself in large lecture theatres doing statistics and decided to look for something else! That’s when I found out about anthropology and completed an undergraduate degree in it. After some time living overseas and then while working in consulting I started looking into anthropology again. I was drawn back to further study when I discovered that ethnography was being used in organizational settings and completed a Masters in Applied Anthropology. A thesis was part of my degree and I chose to explore identity and relationships in Facebook as I was interested in the meaning of emerging social media platforms. I also wanted to apply an anthropological mindset and research method to a contemporary phenomenon as a way to demonstrate its value, and increase its appeal to a broader audience through an accessible topic. I freelanced for a few years in customer experience before joining the global consulting firm Deloitte where I use my research skills and qualifications on large, complex projects.
What do you see for the future of the page?
Volunteering for the NAPA Facebook page helps me to continue on my aim to make anthropology more accessible to a broader public and promote its value through case studies, links to advertised jobs, profiles of practicing anthropologists and interesting human stories or fun articles. It would be great to have NAPA members support the work we are doing on Facebook by sharing and engaging with our content so we can keep building our reach and deliver on NAPA’s mission to further the practice of anthropology as a profession.
How do you feel about being recognized for your efforts?
It feels great to be recognized for our efforts and I’m very proud of the organic results Zelda and I have been able to achieve through the content we are finding and sharing. Zelda and I have been able to work really easily together despite only ever communicating by email and across odd time zones! It’s been wonderful to be part of a team delivering results that NAPA members are so pleased with.