Faces in Business: LaMetra Murdock, director of the multicultural family center
Prior to becoming director of the Multicultural Family Center last fall, LaMetra Murdock had served as the family self-sufficiency coordinator in the City of Dubuque’s Housing and Community Development Department since 2021. In that role, she was responsible for the overall activities of the City’s Housing and Urban Development grant-funded Family Self Sufficiency program, a five-year voluntary program available to families and individuals who receive a Housing Choice Voucher.
The program is designed to assist participants in setting and reaching personal, financial, educational and employment goals. Murdock also worked to connect multicultural families and youth to youth-focused and -serving community resources, provided parental and guardian support to families and collaborated with community partners for parenting classes and workshops and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging programming.
Prior to her role as family self-sufficiency coordinator, Murdock was a housing financial specialist in the City of Dubuque Housing and Community Development Department’s Lead and Healthy Homes Grant Program. She was responsible for educating multicultural families in the community on the dangers of lead poisoning in children and recruited families into the program to reduce lead and other hazards in their homes.
Her years of experience as a community leader focuses on addressing various needs of the community such as homelessness, adults and older adults’ economic mobility and self-sufficiency, child development, brain health and substance abuse.
Murdock also serves as a mobile crisis outreach counselor for Foundation 2. She provides in person support and counseling for families and individuals that are in crisis. She establishes community partnerships that aid her in connecting families and individuals with resources in the community.
She recently became trained in suicide first aid, which is referred to as ASIST, or Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. It enables her to work directly with individuals who are at risk of suicide.
Before joining the City of Dubuque, Murdock’s experiences included positions with Prudential Financial, Hillcrest Family Services, the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, the City of Chicago Department of Human Services and Thresholds Bridge North. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music therapy from Illinois State University.
Murdock’s volunteer work and community service experience includes: United Way Community Impact Committee , Great Dubuque Development Corporation, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Equitable Recruitment and Retention Team City of Dubuque, Let’s Connect for Dubuque County Children, Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC), Habitat for Humanity, Days of Caring, Community Connectors NICC, Opening Doors Board Member (Theresa Shelter), Success Team Partnerships (NICC), Wellness Committee (City of Dubuque), Wellness Policy/Culture Committee (City of Dubuque), Radius Church, Dubuque Dream Center, Tabernacle of Faith, Dubuque County Cultural Equity Team, Intercultural Competency Facilitator (City of Dubuque),Dubuque Community Police Relations Committee, High Performing Government (City of Dubuque), Community Impact Award, Dale Carnegie Leadership Graduate, Leadership Dubuque Class of 2024-2025, Family Self-Sufficiency Specialist, Trauma Informed Care/Adverse Childhood Experiences, Connections Matter Facilitator, Understanding Explicit Racial Bias, Understanding Racial Equity in Child Welfare, Equity and Inclusion Training, Fair Housing Training, Mental Health First Aid, CPS (Collaborative Problem Solving),Mandatory Reporter, Human Trafficking and Safety, and Understanding Diversity.
Tell us about your field and what attracted you to it.
My field has always been in human services and community services. In other words, “people.” Growing up in poverty, I’ve seen firsthand and experienced what human and community needs really are. From an early age, I have always wanted to help people. This was before I knew that there could be a career in servicing the community in this capacity. The older I became, the clearer it became that the needs were predominately for the underheard, underserved and underrepresented populations and that those people looked like me — ”BIPOC” Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Even as a youth, I believed in creating opportunities to help others, especially disadvantaged populations. When I learned of the opportunity to become the Director of the Multicultural Family Center, I knew this was an opportunity to change systems that would be impactful for the community by increasing economic mobility through education, financial literacy, employment, homeownership and self-sufficiency.
How has your field changed in the time you’ve worked in it? How have you adapted?
What has changed in my field in the past 20 years of experience is the focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. In previous years, the focus seemed to be on brain health awareness and equality. Both continue to be great focuses; however, they needed their companions called “diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.” Once the need for specific accommodation for individuals to thrive and reach their potential has been addressed throughout the community, space was made at the table to have in-depth problem-solving conversations. These conversations shifted and expanded the focus of assistance to becoming individualized, shaping and moving the needle of progress toward changes needed not only in the community, but in the lives of people, their families and communities. It created a feeling of belonging that we all need to thrive. Having these conversations also provided me with the opportunity to establish partnerships with various community organizations where we can collaborate and strategize ways to meet the needs of the community. These partnerships empowered me even more when assisting our community and its residents. This is the culture of the Multicultural Family Center. It’s an honor to serve the community at the center, where we empower all families and community members in Dubuque to reach their potential and build unity through diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Is there a person or people who have had a tremendous impact on you?
Yes, my father and mother, Willie Lee and Christine Murdock. I didn’t know we were poor until I went to college. My parents taught my brothers and I how to thrive and be successful no matter what the case. I had it all growing up and I still believe this to this day! It wasn’t until I went to college and experienced life from the lens of individuals who were more “privileged” — through the lens of society and systems — that I noticed the divide and how society and systems played a role in my new view of the world, as well as how others viewed me as an African-American female in America. It is because of what my parents instilled in me as a child that empowered me to face adversity and stand strong in who I am. That is how I can do the kind of work I do today, to have tough but needed conversations with other distinguished leaders, to acknowledge elephants in the room and to become a partner of change in our community.
Do you have any advice for young people and/or new graduates? The is the advice I give my three daughters: “Get involved and to make a difference in your community. Never shy away from who you truly are. Do not melt into the background or try to be someone else. Be you. The world needs you. There is only one you, and if you don’t show up, there will be a void. Remember that the graveyard is full of ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.’ In other words, people who have died without fulfilling their dreams and purpose due to fear and missed opportunities. Don’t be one of them. Live out your dreams. Be innovative and leave it all here for future generations to continue to expound on. Leave a legacy.”
When you think of the future, what kind of changes would you like to see in your field? In the broader world?
I would like to see every community throughout the entire world acknowledge that there have been prominent disparities throughout the history of the world. This can be accomplished by creating opportunities to meet people where they are in efforts to bring them up and out of poverty. In other words: Poverty would not exist. I would also like to get away from labeling people and populations (minority vs. majority, upper class vs. lower class, etc.) and to just call people “people.” I am aware that labels are needed to identify specific needs, but what we need to also be aware of is that labels still “label” people and most people do not like to be labeled in any way.
How has your professional life helped you grow as a person?
Understanding people and the diversity and complexity of their individual needs, which has increased my level of empathy on a much greater scale.