Shacresa Fletcher is a trailblazer in the Atlanta Fed's effort to enhance aspects of its culture and revise legacy business processes into flexible practices needed to navigate the present and future economic environment.
Shacresa Fletcher travels the Sixth District and Federal Reserve System
to help employees devise and implement new ways of working. Photo by
David Fine.
Fletcher serves as an internal consultant in the Bank's journey of change management. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta started the effort in 2019, and Fletcher travels throughout the Sixth District and Reserve System helping employees devise and implement new ways of working. Her calendar remains full as she and the Agility Resource Circle pursue Ignite, the name the Bank gave the next phase of this change management process.
Fletcher's brief description of her work is to "help teams get work done in more efficient ways." A longer version is to assist leaders and employees as they adjust their practices, policies, and behaviors to help the Bank better fulfill its dual mandates of maximum employment and price stability.
Fletcher is helping implement a concept known as agility, which the Bank adopted after collaborating with a consulting firm, The Ready. The Bank hired the future-of-work consultancy to help create organizational processes and ultimately adopted four agility principles to guide its change management vision: through us not to us, progress over perfection, learn by doing, and safe to try.
One agility practice familiar to many at the Bank is the check-in question to start a meeting. More than a tool to pass time as people arrive, the question is important to the philosophy behind the concept of agility, according to an article on The Ready's website.
"The check-in question serves two purposes," Fletcher said. "It gets everyone present in the current meeting, and it democratizes the meeting by making sure everyone knows they have a voice at the table."
Fletcher uses herself as an example of change management in practice. She grew into her current role by pursuing professional development goals and assembling a foundation for the work from her formal education and 19-year career at the Bank.
"I was in business continuity, dealing with crisis management," Fletcher said. "When the Bank reached out to me to be involved with this initiative, I thought I would be a secretary to schedule the meetings. But The Ready really transformed my role. I had a seat at the table. My voice was not only invited but heard and considered. The role took wings and I leaned into the opportunity to learn, and I learned with The Ready."
While Fletcher gives great credit for her blossoming to The Ready and the initiative, her past achievements indicate a record of resilience and steady progression.
Fletcher starts her career story as an Atlanta native and graduate of Therrell High School, whose graduates have set a high bar for success. Its alumni include a former member of congress, noted music industry professionals, professional athletes, and the Rev. Herman "Skip" Mason, an archivist and historian who specializes in the experiences of Blacks in the Southeast.
In 2003, just as the nation's unemployment rate was peaking after the dotcom bust of 2000, Fletcher graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor's degree.
"I had a degree in computer information systems and no one was giving me a chance. I was working a temporary job," Fletcher said. "I ended up going to a career fair at Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena) and the Board of Governors was there recruiting. I happened to be in their line and shared a resume. I got a call from the Board of Governors. Throughout the entire time of being recruited, I remember telling my mom, 'They want me.' She didn't think I would move to DC alone. I started there on the help desk, supporting the BOND [Banking Organization National Desktop] and CDTR [Central Document and Text Repository] applications, the apps the examiners used to examine a bank."
"Shacresa is willing to lead others and do so in a very supportive way by being tough on the problem and kind to the people."
Michelle Duke, Atlanta Fed director of financial managementResilience, perseverance, and optimism have become Fletcher's trademarks among those at the Atlanta Fed whose paths overlap with her new role. These personality traits, coupled with Fletcher's firsthand experience in Bank practices, add to the resonance of her voice as she advocates for agility.
"Shacresa has loads of exuberance, and that comes through in every engagement," said Jeff Devine, executive vice president of operations and administrative services. "Over the time frame I've known her, I've seen intention in her personal and career growth. From a personal perspective, she's shown an absolute thirst for learning and growing, and those two attributes anchor and contribute to what she's become. I've seen the focus turn from personal to, now, helping others and the organization grow as well."
Tanya Das, director of the strategy office, describes Fletcher by the soft skills needed to retool business processes of a large institution like the Atlanta Fed.
"Because of the way Shacresa is, her personality and work ethic, she's the change agent you need to implement long-term change," Das said. "She's so lovely, so delightful, there's a trust with people. Because of that, you're never going to say 'no' to Shacresa."
There's also the gravitas Fletcher brings to conversations because of her experience in operations, according to Michelle Duke, director of financial management.
"The places she's come from are heavy in the compliance world. They have stricter rules because of the risks involved, so this is a big shift for them," Duke said. "Shacresa is willing to lead others and do so in a very supportive way by being tough on the problem and kind to the people. There's never been a challenge she's said is too tough or hasn't come up with a really productive idea. She's going to inspire you."
David Pendered
Staff writer for Economy Matters