Seated in our sunlit corner office, Dr. Adriennie Hatten waits for me. Her impressive credentials speak volumes: Bowdoin College Magna Cum Laude graduate, Director of Special Projects at the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, and Founder and Principal Investigator at A.Y. Hatten & Associates. I hurry towards the conference room, flustered and out of breath. She sits with an ease and confidence of someone who has spent decades navigating America’s most challenging social landscapes. Not a an ounce of worry detected. Dressed in a structured blazer over a vintage white blouse shirt—an aesthetic juxtaposition that feels perfectly emblematic of her boundary-crossing career—she speaks with the measured cadence of a person accustomed to having her words weighed carefully. “Cleveland shaped me in ways I’m still discovering,” she says as I enter the room. “You kept me waiting, but it’s okay.”[chuckles] We laugh and begin a light conversation as I rush to set up and prepare for our interview. As I would soon learn from our conversation, Cleveland, being the typical Midwestern city with its rust-belt resilience and stark social divides, provided the backdrop for what would become a lifelong meditation on equity and access. Later, the rarefied air of Bowdoin College would offer both opportunity and isolation—a paradox familiar to first-generation college students in elite institutions. What followed was a career that reads like a masterclass in institutional transformation: from the trenches of direct social services to the boardrooms where organizational culture is sculpted and reimagined; Dr. Hatten has become something of an organizational whisperer, diagnosing the subtle power dynamics and historical echoes that haunt our most well-intentioned institutions.
As we sit and begin the interview, I notice the wry smile on her face suggesting that she knows something. We both smile at one another, and she says, “There’s this American tendency to treat history as something we’ve moved beyond… But systems remember. Buildings remember. Policies remember…”
Audio Clip 1 - The Bowdoin Effect
BC:Let’s start with your background if you don’t mind. You’ve had an impressive journey—one that has taken you to places and into spaces many of us can only imagine. Share with us your origin story and how you got to where you are.
Dr. Hatten: Mmmm, okay. Sure. [smiles with a look of anticipation] Probably about 10th grade at Shaw High School, in East Cleveland where I went to school is a good place to start. I grew up actually in Cleveland Heights, due to a zoning decision before my parents bought our home, I ended up attending East Cleveland schools. There was “an arrangement” made in the city where, if folks lived in this particular part of the Cleveland Heights community, they’ll go to East Cleveland schools, and if they live in this particular part, they’ll go to Cleveland Heights schools, right? So my parents bought a home that’s a long Terrace Rd, near Taylor and Caledonia and Noble Rd. At the time, it seemed like a minor detail, but looking back, it shaped so much of my life. My parents bought our house when I was four, and my brother was five. People were surprised to learn that even though we lived in Cleveland Heights and paid Cleveland Heights taxes, we were assigned to East Cleveland schools. At the time, it didn’t matter much—the elementary school was right down the street—but later, I began to recognize the broader implications of that arrangement.
BC: And that direction led you to Bowdoin College—a major shift from Shaw High, and quite a cultural shift from East Cleveland. Tell us about that transition. How was that for you, moving from Ohio to New England?
Dr. Hatten: [speaks excitedly] It was a huge cultural shift on so many levels. I’ll tell us more about that later. I initially learned about Bowdoin through a college recruitment visit and because of a counselor at Shaw High. Her husband, who we also knew, and who worked in another part of the High School, together they were of the mindset that I could go to any college I wanted to. I always excelled in school, so… I was in a career awareness program focused on science, and we visited several schools prior to Bowdoin. One day, a representative from Bowdoin came to speak to our class. They had a friend who was a recruiter at the school and they were in town, and they asked them to come and talk to us. So ultimately, at the time they came, they, you know, we’re listening about the school, and I’m like liberal arts? That sounds kind of cool, actually. I knew I would be pre law, but you know, liberal arts will be good anyway, and they ultimately mentioned that as a part of their program to encourage students of color. When I heard they flew students up to visit the university if they were admitted, my friends and I thought, Why not? Right? We applied, got in, and went on the trip. Initially, I wasn’t seriously considering it—I just saw it as an opportunity to travel. [laughs] But once I visited, I knew I was going.
BC: That must have been a shock for your family.
Dr. Hatten: It was. My mom was like, No way! But I was adamant. I was drawn in by the faculty’s warmth—they invited us into their homes and allowed us to shadow them, which was something I hadn’t experienced before in an academic setting. Plus, the ocean, the lobster, the cherry wood in the cafeteria—it was a whole experience and I was sold! [laughs and smile] But once I got there, I quickly realized something: I was ready for the world, but the world was not ready for me. Bowdoin… What is it? Is it the 10th highest recognized College. John Brown was one of the first black graduates. It went co-ed in 71. It was primarily a white male school up until that time, and the college was part of the Underground Railroad… its positioning was right near Canada. They still have spaces you can see where slaves, well, not slaves, well, yeah, they were hidden until they went across the border. So Bowdoin is a tiny liberal arts college, but it’s highly ranked,
BC: And these spaces actually existed throughout New England and through the eastern part of the Midwest as well, right? These liberal arts colleges and pre Emancipation enclaves.
Dr. Hatten: Yeah. People don’t realize Cleveland was huge in the Underground Railroad, because you got to Lake Erie, you got across, you were so there. You were safe, sort to speak. I recently saw a map of some of the paths and the passageways even through Cleveland, but Maine, being on the border of Canada, put it in a real perspective. [adjusts posture. Leans in to speak] Once you got up that far, you were pretty close to where you were going. So I went to New England for school. It was just an experience. My first airplane flight, first New England trip. All of it. And I’m like, hey, my family went every summer. [laughter] We never went north. So I went to Bowdoin, and I came home and I said, “Mom going to that school.” And my mom was like, “No.” I’m like, Yeah, I’m going mom.
BC: That must have come as a shock to her?
Dr. Hatten: Yeah, it was… and to me too! And it was like, wow! [smile] Like, I hadn’t really thought about the relationship between the faculty and the student, and when I was there, that was so impressive to me. It was just like, wow, they cared enough about me to come and have me over to their home for dinner. And it really struck a chord… And to be honest, the ocean was beautiful, the lobster was delicious, and the cherry wood and the cafeteria was cute too! The whole experience and ambiance and everything. [laughs] There was this thing to me about going away to college… I had heard of people talking about when they go to college and they would have to go to the grocery store and eat grapes because they’re out of meal points or something. I was like, I’m not going to eat just grapes for dinner. Bowdoin is for me. [laughs] I love to eat and you know, Bowdoin was fancy and had small classes, so. They had a variety of degrees. I was intrigued by the liberal arts, and so I went. Now, mind you, I went to Shaw High School… We had models for our classes, and that year, our class model was ready for the world. And I can tell you, by October of 1986 I added a line to the motto [joyful pause].
BC: And what was that?
Dr. Hatten: It was “the world is not ready for me.” Because I was the starry eyed kid, you know, graduated from Shaw High School planning for college and all of the struggles we had to do coming out the Reagan years, when my dad had to work even harder, and he worked at Ford in the factory at the time, and all the layoffs and all of that. But still, you know, I come from a strong Christian family, we pray and we gonna get there, and we gonna put this trunk in the living room, and we gonna fill it in by time school is ready for me. And I’m telling you I was package and ready.[laughs] But just to give some context, in this era in East Cleveland, it was a stark difference from what we see today. I had always been surrounded by strong, educated Black role models—at home, at church, and at Shaw. At Bowdoin, I was suddenly a minority in ways I hadn’t fully understood before, ya know? I encountered ignorance I didn’t expect. Questions like, “How did you get here?” and “Do you have a tail?” was the one that floored me. I was often the only Black student in the room. Some of my classmates came from elite prep schools and couldn’t fathom how someone like me could be on equal footing. But I never doubted my own intellect. That was the Shaw and East Cleveland in me. [smiles and laughs] I didn’t feel academically inferior. If anything, I realized that a lot of the so-called “elite” students were coasting on privilege, while I had been taught to work hard and excel. That’s where I began to deeply understand systemic disparities and my journey into DEI began.
BC: How did that experience shape your career? That must have been both exhilarating and dreadful?
Dr. Hatten: [postures] It taught me how to navigate different spaces, ya know? I ended up majoring in Sociology, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies, because I was fascinated by people, culture, and human interaction. After graduation, I started working in social services. I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but working with families and communities showed me a different way to make an impact, and still live well. My mom grew up in Tenessee. They then moved to Cleveland’s Hough area. Her family was from the area and experienced the Hough Riots. My dad grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, so I understand how hard it was for them now to let their daughter go out into the world and experience that part of America, and I was clueless, but they weren’t. They were crying when they dropped me off at the airport, because they just didn’t want me to go far. I didn’t realize until I had my own child what that must have felt like. I didn’t even share all my experiences with them while I was in school. Some of them I shared, but I tell you, it took me having my own son and him leaving home for school, like in 2017, that I’ve really understood what my parents must have been going through. But ultimately, probably within about a year, I was starting to be okay with him being gone away to school. But by his sophomore year I was like, “Heck, no.”
BC: Tell us about that understanding or the realization you came to… What were some of your fears as a parent having a child away at school? It sounds as if you began to emulate your parents?
Dr. Hatten: So my son… Well, actually I am an auntie-mom for context. So I have one biological son who is now 26, and my sister passed away in 2013 and she blessed me with her four children, who were 5, 6, 8, and 17. Fast forward now. I got a crew of young adults. When my son got ready to go to college, he initially started off relatively close, and I was okay. And then we ran into America being America again his sophomore year. That February, at football practice, at six in the morning, they came in and said, we eliminated the whole program, and now what y’all gonna do? So my son had to find a new college in 30 days. I think he went to four or five states, found a new school, and ended up at Northwood U in Michigan. Well, Black Lives Matter movement was almost in full swing at the time that he was headed up to Michigan for school. And interestingly enough, you know, as a mother, I’m thinking, there was a march in Cleveland, there was a huge thing for Black Lives Matters in another city too. He was off for spring break, and I received a call from him randomly, and I’m like, “Hey, Joe, where you at? What you doing?” He’s like, “I’m downtown at the march,” and I tell you, my heart dropped. I’m like, “what are you doing there?” He’s like, “Mom, I’m a six foot four, 240 pound guy and I’m black. I played football all the way through college. Everywhere I go, people look at me. I just felt a duty to be here in solidarity.” And it’s like I knew I raised him to be aware and to be alert. But I just, I don’t know, in my mommy mind, was like, he ain’t not gonna be a part of that, right? [sobering look]
BC: Wow. That’s really moving and powerful… And also how brave of your son.
Dr. Hatten: As a parent, you’re going, “I don’t want my child to have to experience what I went through,” right? So I likened with my son at the Black Lives Matter march. I remember that my mom grew up in Cleveland, and I remember her telling me some of the stories of the Hough Riots during the civil rights movement. So I found myself saying, recently, I have three grandchildren under me, and two from this whole school of auntie-mom kids thing, and I found myself saying, “I don’t want my grandchildren to experience what my mother and myself and my dad have experienced.” We have to keep adding to the narrative and the history, you know? So I do what I do because it’s longitudinal. Like, legacy is longitudinal, you know, we’re building up, and it’s because at some point I’m like, we need to get this right this time… We need to get it right for the next generation. [stark look] It hurt me, you know, when I know that I can’t shield my child, and I didn’t raise him to be shielded, but the mother in me was like, he is such an intelligent, wonderful man, and how dare people have biases because he’s dark skinned or because he’s male, you know? But we haven’t moved very far with the needle, yeah, and that’s the cyclical nature of where we are today in society. People forget. I don’t want them to forget. They shouldn’t forget.
BC: So do you feel your son has picked up the baton?
Dr. Hatten: So I was proud of myself, because I’m like, Okay, I guess I got my son, but then that mother in me was kind of like, oh, but he’s gotta carry on the legacy, right? He’s got nieces and nephews now, males and females, and he’s got to be the uncle that shows them how to not be floored or personally decimated because people don’t treat them kindly, right? You got to know how to distinguish what from what, and know the rules and play the game of life. Because if you don’t know the rules, and you don’t know the game, you’ll think you are the problem. And not to say that, sometimes it may not be you, but…. in general, we’re talking about systems and rigged games. It’s like, you know, some people are playing the game Uno, while others are playing Phase Ten.
BC: So ultimately, what did you get from going to Bowdoin?
Dr. Hatten: Ultimately, what I got from Bowdoin was, this ability to think about things that we just didn’t think about all the time, the what’s. And the whys and the hows, right? I worked in social services a couple years afterwards, and I was like, no, I don’t want to be a lawyer. [ laughs] Also, what you see is that, you have to understand that the dialog in the households are not the same,and so then you realize the conditions we are all up against when living in the world. Back in the day, they used to say, “Well, people ought to know. People should know.” People don’t know because they haven’t been taught. So, fast forward now, I work through social services, I’m like, I’m gonna go into nonprofit management because I need to. I must! I’m a gap analysis person. I want to help make sure systems are effective, that people need to get what they want. I don’t want to be in social services anymore, so I’m gonna move the ball forward even more.
Audio Clip 2 - Teacher, Trainer, Advocate
BC: So, this is where it becomes really interesting, because your career is quite fascinating to me. What were some pivotal moments that pushed you toward advocacy, equity and inclusion, and leadership? You’ve sat on some pretty prestigious boards, and you have been in some very interesting spaces.
Dr. Hatten: Well, one of the biggest moments was working in Children and Family Services in Cleveland. I was young, only 22 when my career unfolded, yet tasked with making decisions that impacted people’s lives in big ways.[chuckles] I saw firsthand how systemic failures disproportionately affected marginalized communities, and even my hometown of East Cleveland. That hit me hard. That experience ignited my passion for making real change at the policy and organizational levels. And you know, later, as I moved into nonprofit leadership and community engagement, I saw how these institutions operated from a place of tradition rather than effectiveness… I really started to see this system, much like we find ourselves in now. [grins then smirks with a contemplative look upon face] That’s when I knew I had to be part of reshaping how decisions were made—not just at the community level, but in corporate and academic spaces as well…. I just had to, I recall.
BC: DEI has become a polarizing topic. However, it seems there’s multiple conversations, and not all are coming from a place of being informed. What’s your take on the current discourse happening around DEI? How do you make sense of what’s going down right now?
Dr. Hatten: [inhales deeply] It’s frustrating, because the pushback against DEI is often rooted in misunderstanding, and for some people they just don’t know what the heck they’re talking about… they just don’t have a clue. DEI isn’t about giving handouts—it’s about creating environments where everyone can thrive, you see? If people don’t feel physically, emotionally, or psychologically safe in a workplace, they won’t perform at their best. That’s not just a “minority issue”—it affects everyone. A lot of the conversations we’re having now about DEI are the same conversations I was having 35 years ago at Bowdoin, [chuckles slightly] if we really want to talk truth. People assume that racism, sexism, and other biases will just fade away with time. They don’t. You have to do the work everyday. If that were the case, we wouldn’t have needed the Civil Rights Movement. We have to be intentional about dismantling systems and removing these attitudes that perpetuate inequality and inequities. Heck, most people don’t realize that they are doing harm to themselves. [laughs a bit]
BC: Given your experience, what advice would you give to young professionals navigating these challenges?
Dr. Hatten: [looks intensely] I think America struggles with the willingness versus ability dynamic. If you’re willing but unable, I can help you, but if you’re able but unwilling, there’s not much I can do. America’s attack on knowledge and experience reveals that it’s fundamentally about willingness. We can have all the laws and constitutional protections, but without willingness, they’re ineffective. We’ve tied these concepts together in a confusing way. We’re approaching the problem as if people aren’t able, using strategies focused on ability rather than willingness. I have an almost two-year-old grandchild. Sometimes when I tell her something, she genuinely doesn’t understand because I’m using adult language. But other times, I’ll say “don’t pull that cord,” and she pulls it anyway. [laughs] That’s not about understanding—it’s about what she’s willing to do, you know? She did that because she wanted to… she was willing to do what she wanted instead of listening to what I told her to do. So I have to either discipline her or move the cords, right? I can’t pretend she doesn’t understand when she clearly does but chooses to act differently. America needs to address the question of will. We thought we had laws and a constitution with all the necessary refinements, but these don’t address willingness. They address ability—we put protocols in place assuming people will follow them. So when people with different intentions come in, everyone asks, “Why are they doing that?” We need to be honest with ourselves. Do I not believe in that? Now that I understand, where do I stand? Am I operating from a win-lose mentality? A scarcity mindset? Because when people really examine why they are where they are, their actions reveal their true intentions. And that’s different than something like DEI, right?
BC: Yeah, they’re really different when you look at it that way. There have been studies on this specific topic. I went to Cleveland School of the Arts, and we were so consumed with our passions and interests that we simply didn’t have the space or capacity to deal with other issues like these ones. I graduated in ’95, and all those things other people talked about and worried over—racism, the economy, whatever—my response was basically, “Okay, whatever. I’m over here doing my art… I’m doing what I love and creating.” So, in a way, I blocked out that negativity. Personally, I think this relates to people’s insecurities and their own inferiority complex. For me, I didn’t grow up feeling insecure – that was something that came later in life due to interactions with people… I was mentored, encouraged, and afforded so many opportunities growing up. Insecurity wasn’t something that was particularly prevalent. I mean, it happened occasionally, but not in the way many people experience it. Your analysis brilliantly reframes America’s socio-political challenges – and personal accountability when I think about it – through the lens of Augustin or DeBois, or, Kant’s distinction between phenomena and noumena—the ability to do versus the will to do. We often misdiagnose willful resistance as incapacity. So with this perspective, do you believe it invites us to reconsider our institutional frameworks?
Dr. Hatten: I mean, yes, and no. We talked about these things but from a different perspective… It’s just a different reality for most.
BC: So, touching on your career, I would sum it up as deeply political—not in the partisan sense, but in its essence. Working with human needs and in social spheres is inherently political, yes? When you engage with systems that address human necessities, navigate social relationships, and work to effect change in communities, you’re operating within the realm of politics in its most fundamental form, I believe. Everything you’ve done involves the distribution of resources, power dynamics, and the pursuit of collective well-being—which is precisely what politics, at its core, is all about, right?
Dr. Hatten: It is, but it isn’t politics in the traditional sense, because a lot of times they don’t… What should I say? [pause to think] Practice, policy, and academia don’t come together. They work side by side, right? But I think they need to come together, because that’s where we find the solutions. Creating solutions and information that politicians can use to make good decisions, that practitioners can use to have good practice—I think that’s really the role for academics or the academy. They don’t necessarily think so, but I believe the academy could do a lot more to help address situations in our communities. Traditional researchers ask questions for the sake of questions. And I’m like, “let’s ask questions to create solutions.” So, you know, it’s a little push, but I do feel like it probably is political work. I’ve kind of come around to that view. Like I said, I’ve played beside, I’ve walked beside, all those spaces. I’m probably now in a position to have more dialogue and have experiences to base that dialogue on. So I’m intentionally engaging in more spaces where it’s like, “Let’s figure out what we are actually going to do about it.”
Audio Clip 3 - Learning The Lessons
BC: Okay, and how is it shaping things? Is it strategic? What’s your strategy behind this approach?
Dr. Hatten: So I have one…I have been deliberately placing myself in diverse settings and conversations—ones I wouldn’t normally seek out….Attending retirement parties at community centers, participating in legislative affairs and community action groups, and engaging in conversations with various individuals who have crossed my path. I have an approach I’ve been taking, yes. I’ve been asking them: Where are we? What are people thinking? Where is the thinking happening? And who’s doing the thinking? I’m starting to realize I may need to create some spaces myself, because my assumption that “it’s happening somewhere, I just don’t know where” is becoming more of a myth. The truth is, we need to create spaces for these conversations to happen. This was part of the blinders I wore because I often felt like it’s not my lane. But I’ve realized that we need to cross these lanes. As we’re trying to do everything in parallel, we’re not making the progress we need. As a former mentor of mine in the art world used to tell me a long time ago: “If it’s not uncomfortable, you’re not doing it right.”
BC: Well, there’s clearly so much more depth to explore here with you and unpack. But I’ll let our audience discover that and more through your new column at BEHIND Cleveland—which we’re incredibly excited to have you on board. So, with that said, as we draw to a close with our conversation, what career advice would you give to those out there looking to follow in your footsteps?
Dr. Hatten: [smiles. eyes brighten] I would say, plan five years in advance, but stay open to where life takes you, ya know?. Your career will unfold in ways you can’t predict. Also, know the game. Understand the systems you’re operating within so you can navigate them effectively. And above all, don’t become your own worst critic. Self-doubt can be a paralyzing thing, as you mentioned. If you let it take over, you’ll lose creativity, optimism, and ultimately hope—all the things you need to push forward. Stay grounded, stay strategic, and keep building the legacy you want to leave behind. That’s what I would tell them.
BC: As someone deeply involved in community work, what legacy do you hope to leave behind?
Dr. Hatten: My hope is to inspire the next generation to be fearless in their pursuit of justice and equity. I want young people—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—to know that their voices matter. Whether they go into education, policy, business, or activism, they should never underestimate their ability to create change. I also want to help shift organizational cultures toward true inclusivity. Many institutions talk about DEI, but few embed it into their core values., and even fewer actually hold any literacy around it. I want to continue working with leaders to ensure that equity isn’t just a buzzword but a fundamental principle guiding their decisions.
BC: That’s a big mission. Looking ahead, what’s next for you personally?
Dr. Hatten: Right now, I’m focusing on consulting, mentoring, and working with organizations to strengthen their DEI initiatives. I’m also passionate about supporting young leaders through mentorship. There’s so much work to be done, and I’m excited about the future. [smiles]
BC: What final message would you like to leave with our audience?
Dr. Hatten: Stay engaged. Ask the hard questions. And never let anyone tell you that your voice doesn’t matter. We are all part of the solution, and each of us has a role to play in building a more just and inclusive world.
BC: Thank you for sharing your story and insights with us Dr. Hatten. Your journey is truly inspiring.
Dr. Hatten: Thank you. This conversation is part of the work.