Meet Claudia Caballero | President & CEO of Centro Hispano de East Tennessee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claudia Caballero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claudia, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
One of my deepest core values is courage—courage to be who you’re supposed to be, who you’re meant to be. I build relationships and teams around that, the authenticity in people’s souls.

I’m also big on collaboration. Whether in friendship or in work, reciprocity is important. Not that everything has to be equal, but understanding the energetic give and take is really important for me; each person should feel full.

Adaptability and compassion as well, and they go together for me. When we have plans and ideas and then they don’t work, we need to show compassion to ourselves, to others, to the things around us. I go through the world believing that people are good and want to do good, that they are trustworthy until proven otherwise.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Starting along this path, I was so naive! But sometimes when you don’t know, you take bigger risks. It can go well or not, but luckily, I’m happy with the results in my story. A lot of it was trusting what others had told me before I knew what to look for.

I’m thankful that I could trust that I was making the right moves, taking the right steps, and then it was just a question of putting in the hard work once I committed to something. Liking what you do makes a big difference!

I’m proud of having worked to build an organization that’s fiscally responsible and sustainable. And my team and I work hard to try to maintain a healthy work environment; for me, personal growth and professional development go hand in hand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Funny you should ask! My sister’s coming from Germany to visit me in April and I’ve been thinking a lot about what we’re going to do together.

Day one, I will definitely be taking her to Potchke, where I will get the Bat Mitzvah Show Stopper. Grocery shopping at 3 Rivers—I’m a food nerd and I love to grocery shop—and then we will probably be cooking up a storm at my house. In the evening, I want to take her to see live music at one of my favorite venues, the Bijou. Then Adopo for a pizza and salad.

On day two, I’d like to take her kayaking at Norris Lake—I love it there. Then we could go to Wild Love Bakehouse, where I will buy my weight in bread. After that, probably a thrifting tour of Knoxville. We both love to thrift!

On the third day, a yoga class with Nora Vines (who is amazing) at Glowing Body, then Zalate for margaritas, Mexican street corn, and tacos de quesabirria. Can you tell that I love to eat?

Before she leaves I also want to take her for a stroll at Ijams or I.C. King Park. Knoxville is so beautiful in the spring! Then a bonfire and potluck at my house with friends.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely! I want to give a shoutout to organizations and programs that don’t just give us hard skills, but also space for reflection, questioning—spaces that help us become better leaders. The Mosaic Fellowship is one of those, Joyful Impact Accelerator is another one.

There’s a lot of power in leaning into the social network that exists in the world, and so often we don’t ask for the help we need. I’ve had so much help along the way, and I’m really in awe of those who are out there forging their own path, even when they might not have that social capital. At Centro Hispano’s recent college fair, I was listening to a panel of moms talking about the journey of their kids’ college experience. Two of them speak English really well, the third did not, but when their kids started going to college, none of them had the tools or the social capital to help them get through it. They were relying on their courage and determination to get their kids in school, through school, through financial challenges, bureaucratic challenges. And then to hear them talk about seeing their kids out in the world as graduates was very inspiring.

Website: www.centrohispanotn.org

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