Eugene's life journey has taken him from the small US Virgin Islands in the middle of the Caribbean to the fast moving streets of New York and then across the country to the San Francisco Bay Area. During this journey he endured his parents divorce, the death of his father and becoming a young, single father--all of which provided him with pivotal moments and turning points, but none of which stopped him from becoming the man he was determined to be. Now, a proud and accomplished husband, father, coach and Chief Financial Officer for San Francisco's District Attorney's Office, Eugene reflects on his journey and shares with us what he believes makes someone a Smart Guy...
I grew up in St. Croix, born in a middle class family, the youngest of four children. My mother was a college educated primary school teacher and my father was educated in the military and then rose through the ranks for the US Department of Customs. When I was in the 5th grade my parents got divorced and I spent the rest of my childhood going back and forth between them in St. Croix and St. Thomas. I am the product of Catholic education with the exception of the time spent in Florida as a child. I was always pretty engaged in school as I was always in competition with my older sisters (they weren’t competing with me though) for who got the best grades. Most of the teachers I encountered all knew my sisters and the high standards they set before me. I took that as a challenge to do no less than they did. My two sisters were both successful in high school and went on to college. My brother ended up on a different path, he didn’t graduate from high school and ended up spending time in the criminal justice system.
Coping with my parents divorce was the first significant obstacle I remember facing. During this transition, I had to move to Florida for a while which was a totally different culture than I had ever experienced living in the islands. It ended up being a good early learning experience for dealing with others and different cultures, one I've had to call on countless times in my journey. The second life changing moment that stands out for me was losing my father at the age of 17. He was diagnosed with cancer when I was in the 9th grade and he died right before my senior year of High School. That loss forced me to become very independent and self reliant in an instant and I felt a major hole in my life as a boy without a father.
I attended New York University for Undergrad and Graduate school. For my undergraduate studies I attended Gallatin School of Individualized study where I was able to create my own major which was a combination of psychology and sociology with an emphasis on youth development. At the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, I concentrated on public finance and non-profit management. I attended NYU mainly because of the school’s reputation. I found the school’s academic rigor to be pretty challenging and opened my views quite significantly.
Part of my decision to attend college was to seek a totally different experience than what I was used to in the Virgin Islands. Interestingly enough, my experiences in New York became more fulfilling as I became more involved in exploring my cultural background and experiencing West Indian/Caribbean life in New York. While in college at NYU, I became a father at the age of 21. So in addition to being forced to be independent and self reliant because of the loss of my father, I now had someone else depending on me for their survival. Yet instead of giving up, falling down or dismissing my responsibilities, I became more driven and focused. I managed to finish my BA and MPA by age 26, all while supporting myself and maintaining a significant role in my daughter’s life.
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| Eugene and his daughter at her HS graduation |
When my father passed away, there were two people who took a chance on me and it has paid dividends ever since. My sister Monique knew that I had dabbled in photography as a youngster and advocated for me to become the staff photographer for the newspaper where she was the editor when I was 16. A few months into working at that job I was offered another job to assist with running a new photo shop that had opened. My sister Monique and Kim (the owner of the photo shop) both took a chance on me because of something they each saw in me. My peers at this age were bagging groceries, working for some other government run employment program or selling drugs. I had the opportunity to do something I loved that had meaning and purpose to me. Those early opportunities showed me the value of work, what it meant to have a meaningful career, and most importantly what it meant for someone to believe in you and offer a helping hand. As a result, I have pledged to always give back to the community to ensure that others who want to get ahead and who have the potential can realize their potential.
My role model and mentors are all members of my family. I never needed to look beyond them for inspiration or examples of success. My sisters, aunts, mother and father were all giants to me in whatever they chose to do. They all rose to positions of prominence in their respective fields while raising families and remaining grounded.
When I left St. Croix for college, I wanted to be a photographer. I still love photography but I chose a different career path. Currently, I am the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In this role I am responsible for the overall management and operations for an office of 250 plus personnel. This involves developing, planning, monitoring and reconciling a budget of $41 million dollars annually. It also involves working with the District Attorney in implementing policies that affect the office’s ability to seek justice on behalf of the citizens of the county of San Francisco. I have also been the Chief Financial Officer for the San Francisco Sheriff Department and the Mayor's Office. In my job I have to be very analytical on a day to day basis. In order to be successful, I have to listen, analyze and develop a course of action to resolve the issues.
One of the ways I give back and stay involved in my community is through coaching. I’ve coached girls AAU basketball for the last 11 years in the Bay Area, working with the Rebels program and helping these young athletes reaching statewide prominence and national recognition. We like to call ourselves a “mom and pop shop” and are proud of the family atmosphere that we've created and maintained while simultaneously creating a culture of excellence and success.
To me, a 'smart guy' is someone who can overcome his/her circumstances to take the necessary steps to become the person that they want to become. A smart guy isn’t necessarily someone with all the money or prestige; a 'smart guy' is someone who is able to achieve success as they define it while maintaining their character and integrity. I think what makes me a 'smart guy' is the fact that I’m from a little island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea and have successfully navigated the City of New York, then moved across the country to San Francisco and now have worked for the first African American Mayor in the City of San Francisco, the first woman, African/Indian American District Attorney, and the first Cuban American District Attorney in California-- all while being a good father and husband and continuing to be connected to the community and serve on a daily basis.
My advice to young people is to always challenge themselves. Put themselves in situations where they aren’t always comfortable. Being comfortable often leads to complacency and being stagnant. In addition, people put limitations on themselves and say they can’t do this or that, or proclaim something to not be their thing, without even attempting to do it. If they keep the mindset of always challenging themselves they will find themselves among others who are looking for the same things out of life.
A 'Smart Guy' from the Islands,
Eugene
*Author's Note: last year, at the age of 43, Eugene's brother graduated from college. Getting up after you fall down, a 'smart guy' trait to be proud of...
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