Marla Privitera

Center Business Manager, Center for Latin American Studies
Age: 47
Hometown: Fredonia, N.Y.
Time at Georgetown: 2 years

What brought you to work at Georgetown?
I’ve had a career typically in higher education, and I heard from fellow colleagues that it’s a great place to work, especially for staff — I’m sure it is for faculty as well — but that the staff is valued. And that’s turned out to be true. It’s a great work environment.

What’s your experience in higher education, and how do the other universities you’ve worked at compare to Georgetown?
Locally, I’ve worked at American University in its School of International Service, so that would be a direct competitor with the SFS. I worked for 10 years at Northwestern University in Chicago and for about four years at the University of Chicago. I worked with great people at both other institutions just like I do here. I guess I would say the difference [is] Georgetown is a Jesuit university. That is prevalent, and I wouldn’t say necessarily so much for staff as I’m assuming it is for faculty and students, but I do think it plays a role in the community, and there seems to be a shared appreciation and value for that. It spoke to me. This idea of service and that in pursuit of service, humans … can become fully developed. I did the Peace Corps, so any service component will resonate with me.

Can you describe your position at Georgetown?
Here at the center, it’s strictly business, financial, anything that deals with contracts, whether that’s equipment or people, so it’s a lot of paper-pushing, quite honestly. I originally got into higher education because I love working with students. This is the first role I’ve had in a higher ed institution that I don’t have a lot of contact with students. 

Do you feel that Georgetown has a strong sense of community?
I think they do treat their staff well. I feel that here. I get both support and the space to do my job, and both I value a lot. In terms of being in a place where we have each other’s backs and we’re clearly working as a team, there’s not a lot of … This is probably the job I’ve had with the least amount of stress, and I think that has everything to do with the people and the community and the way in which we’re treated.

What is the most challenging part about your job?
For me, because I primarily sit at my desk all day, I crave a lit bit more of the student interaction. That’s the hardest part for me.

Do you have any memorable experiences from your time at Georgetown?
I guess, most memorably, getting to hear and see Hillary Rodham Clinton speak — that was pretty awesome. But just in general, I just appreciate being in a center where I’m familiar with the culture and the language, so there have been many times when I’ve been impressed by maybe a group of people that I find myself with because of that commonality. I served in Peace Corps El Salvador and then lived in Central America many years following that. That’s what I have in common with the center.

What are the strengths of Georgetown’s international programs?
I think our faculty would be first. The experiences, the breadth and depth of knowledge — it is world class. The access that the students have to that research, to that scholarship and to them, I would say that it makes us the best. And then the location, that we’re in Washington, D.C. It can’t be beat, the opportunities that are here.

Interview by Robert DePaolo