Lee Coffee Jr, M.Ed., Oral History Interview, June 30, 2021
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Description
Chapter 01: Early Professional Development Leads to a Career in Leadership and Diversity
Chapter 02: MD Anderson: A Match Between Professional Skillset and Institutional Needs
Chapter 03: The Leadership Institute: Optimizing the Potential of every Employee
Chapter 04: The Leadership Institute: Teaching Accountability to New Employees
Chapter 05: Leadership Following The Death of George Floyd, Part 1
Chapter 06: COVID and the Global Pandemic
Chapter 07: Leadership Following The Death of George Floyd, Part 2
Identifier
CoffeeL_01_20210603
Publication Date
6-30-2021
Publisher
The Historical Resources Center, The Research Medical Library, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
City
Houston, Texas
Recommended Citation
Coffee, Lee Jr., MEd and Nevill, Nina, "Lee Coffee Jr, M.Ed., Oral History Interview, June 30, 2021" (2021). MD Anderson 2020 Interview Collection. 7.
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/mda2020_interviewsessions/7
Conditions Governing Access
Open
About the Interview
Chapter 01: Early Professional Development Leads to a Career in Leadership and Diversity
Mr. Coffee begins the interview by talking about his personal and professional history - including early education and military service. Also discussed are the courses he implemented at MD Anderson related to LGBT Diversity and BIAS training. He concludes the chapter by discussing his thoughts on leadership and intersectionality.
Chapter 02: MD Anderson: A Match Between Professional Skillset and Institutional Needs
Mr. Coffee talks about how his background and training led to a productive career that aligns with MD Anderson's core values.
Chapter 03: The Leadership Institute: Optimizing the Potential of every Employee
Mr. Coffee goes into the history of the Leadership Institute including its origins and current mission to "optimize the potential of every employee." He discusses how the Leadership Institute empowers leaders with coaching and development programs.
Chapter 04: The Leadership Institute: Teaching Accountability to New Employees
In this chapter, Mr. Coffee provides an example of how new employees are taught accountability while thriving at MD Anderson. He mentions a Buddy system during onboarding. He concludes the chapter by talking about some of the obstacles that occur while having difficult conversations about accountability and tolerance of harmful behavior.
Chapter 05: Leadership Following The Death of George Floyd, Part 1
Mr. Coffee addresses the institution’s actions following the death of George Floyd. He talks about a program he conducted titled: "Racism is as American as Apple Pie". Mr. Coffee mentions how the institution includes diversity and inclusion as part of cultural competencies reflected through the various initiatives.
Chapter 06: COVID and the Global Pandemic
Mr. Coffee talks about the institution's first response to the COVID-19 pandemic - working from home, adjusting communication preferences, and shifting job responsibilities.
Chapter 07: Leadership Following the Death of George Floyd, Part 2
In this chapter, Mr. Coffee talks about how he trains leaders to address racial and gender disparities. He talks about the diversity of MD Anderson's staff and several of the programs and courses offered by the institution. He stresses the importance of building awareness of societal contributions from BIPOC and women - including a chapter he wrote for a book Black Cowboys of Texas.
Chapter 08: Reflections
Mr. Coffee concludes the interview by discussing his strengths in creating meaningful conversations reflected in his talents as an educator.