CIERP Alumni Perspectives: A Conversation with Natalia Espinosa Tokuhama

By Vishal Manve

The Fletcher School and the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) in the City of Boston are synonymous with Natalia Espinosa Tokuhama, a 2020 MALD graduate, who has stepped into crucial public-facing roles with Mayor Michelle Wu’s office and expanded on the city’s economic integration initiatives for marginalized communities.

Natalia's story is a testament to the power of heritage, education, and determination, as well as the evolving role of governance in an ever-changing digital world. Natalia embarked on her journey from Quito, Ecuador, to the United States, bringing with her a wealth of experiences and a commitment to public service. After completing her undergraduate degree in New York through a government scholarship, she returned to her homeland and delved into the public sector, where she faced the challenges of a national recession while working to promote economic growth and prosperity. It was her time in local government that opened her eyes to the profound impact local governance has on the lives of its constituents.

Recognizing the importance of understanding the intricate relationship between governance and law, Natalia pursued a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) degree at The Fletcher School.

Upon graduating during the tumultuous year of 2020, Natalia joined the MOIA in Boston, where she played a vital role in developing innovative solutions to assist new Bostonians amidst a global pandemic and a period of societal reckoning. Her work exemplifies the resilience and adaptability of local government structures in responding to the most pressing needs of diverse communities.

Today, Natalia serves as the economic mobility point person for the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet in Boston, under the prolific leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu, the first Asian-American woman in the City Council and the first woman of color elected to be the Mayor of Boston. Working diligently to retrofit government structures to serve an increasingly diverse and inclusive population with tailored services, Natalia's passion for equity and economic justice aligns perfectly with Mayor Wu's commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable Boston.

Natalia's journey is not only a testament to her personal achievements but also a reflection of the broader theme of Hispanic Heritage Month – celebrating diverse identities, embracing hyphenated heritages, and leading by example. As the Center for Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) honors the rich tapestry of Hispanic and Latino cultures during this month, Natalia Espinosa Tokuhama's story serves as a source of inspiration and a reminder of the enduring contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States.

Join us as we delve deeper into Natalia Espinosa Tokuhama’s journey, gaining valuable insights into the importance of leading by example, understanding the intersection of Hispanic heritage, equity, and ways forms of governance are evolving in a digital world.

VM: You have had an inspiring journey during and post your Fletcher graduate school experience. From academia to working with the City of Boston’s Mayor’s office. Could you talk a bit about your Fletcher and post-Fletcher journey?

NET: I came to Fletcher in 2018 from Quito, Ecuador. I was very lucky and got to complete my undergraduate degree in New York through an Ecuadorian government scholarship that required me to return home after getting my bachelor's degree and I work in the public sector. In that sense, my return to Quito opened the doors to local government for me. I worked first as a coordinator for an economic development zone and later moved on to managing the productive districts for the City of Quito. I really learned a lot by working during Ecuador’s national recession for economic growth, prosperity, and investment attraction. For anyone who’s been in an austerity government, they will know that it was tough, but you also learn a lot. Among the things I learned was that local government is the most widely felt form of government and it is also the most connected to the people it serves. I came to Fletcher after my years of service in Quito because the MALD degree enabled me to look at the relationship between “governance” and “law” and how the two can both foment but also hinder development when used in certain forms. I’ve always been curious about how old systems have had to evolve with the passage of time, the changing of technologies, and the evolution of societal wants and needs. I got to explore that at Fletcher, and I had so many phenomenal mentors while there. In that sense, when I graduated in the midst of the 2020 pandemic and during a summer of social reckoning with ongoing BLM protests, I was primed to start my job as the economic integration point person for the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement (MOIA) in Boston. The old forms were not equipped to deal with global pandemics and national identity reckonings. We had to come up with new solutions. While at MOIA, my team and I were tasked with finding ways to assist new Bostonians, regardless of the systemic inequalities that preexisted, and helping them integrate into all aspects of social and economic life. These past few pandemic years have taught us a lot about existing wealth gaps and how crises affected certain populations disproportionately. Now, I am the economic mobility point person for the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet. In the Cabinet, we have 8 departments (including immigrants but also serving other traditionally underserved groups such as women, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ as well as Black male constituents, etc.). I get to keep working on that puzzle of retrofitting government structures to serve a broader and more inclusive population with tailored services than what, perhaps, had initially been conceived.

VM: What projects are you most excited about in your current role, and could you also offer a glimpse of what an ideal day looks like in your life?

NET: Well, as I mentioned in my previous answer, it is so great to work with the 8 departments in the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet. Under Mayor Wu’s leadership, this relatively new cabinet has grown and, I personally think, it is one of the most exciting spaces to work due to the diverse staff and the phenomenal wealth of knowledge my colleagues bring. I love that in the broadest of terms, we all are working to ensure that the 200-year-old+ inherited systems of government can adapt to include all the populations who were not originally included in their operative framework. Local government is often the first to feel and hear of the challenges of diverse communities. This is true whether it is:

(1) the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on a particular subset of the population; (2) waves or new arrivals coming to the US; (3) the warning signs of global warming such as flooding damages or overheated neighborhoods in the summer.

These challenges come to local governments as acutely felt needs that require real and immediate responses. I’m excited about the many people I work with on a day-to-day basis who tackle these issues head-on. They do so by listening to community leaders, consulting with experts, sharing experiences with others to mount collective responses, and approaching problems with curiosity and determination. Working with these talented people with the pragmatic optimism so characteristic of City Hall right now is the ideal day for me.

VM: What are you most passionate about?

NET: This might sound silly, but I am very passionate about making equity and economic justice such a common practice that it becomes mundane. And please don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean mundane as in boring, I mean mundane as in it just becomes an accepted practice that everyone defaults to. There is a saying in this current City Hall, that I probably won’t quote correctly, but essentially it boils down to “doing the big things by getting the small things right.” This means that I’m super passionate about working with my colleagues within the cabinet and without, to ensure that we develop equity-centered policies that address the underlying conditions that result in financial and economic health gaps. This could mean that I am either supporting their policy creation and program rollout or helping them with their data collection and evaluation needs.

VM: Could you offer some advice to students who are foraying into international climate policy, international development, and politics?

NET: Well, if someone is already at Fletcher, they probably know this, but surround yourself with people who are optimistic about challenges and really genuinely care about the work. Being in government or advocacy can simultaneously feel fast, and also weirdly slow. I really enjoy surrounding myself with people who can say “This is hard, but we can think about solutions” or “I really care about getting this right, so let’s make sure we work together.” My advice is to look for the pragmatic optimists and hold each other's optimism up. It’s easy to become jaded or cynical, but it’s better for you, the work, and everyone who works with you if you approach challenges with a sense that solutions to big things can and will be found.

VM: How has your Hispanic identity played a role in your career and development work which focused on working with communities utilizing governance mechanisms and measures?

NET: It’s funny this question followed the previous one. I was just thinking about the refrain “Sí se puede” - “yes we can” which any Latin American will immediately recognize from football/soccer, and which we all have used in constructing our individual national identities. But beyond that, I’ve used my Spanish (and French) skills in many of my roles as a way of connecting with people in the languages they feel more comfortable in. I also very purposefully use both my last names in professional settings even though using just one name or hyphenating both names would perhaps be easier for US work culture. You see, in most Spanish-speaking countries, you use both your father’s last name, in my case “Espinosa,” and your mother’s last name, in my case “Tokuhama.” I do this because I think my mother, who is an Asian-American educator from California who raised me in Quito and around the world, deserves to be honored in my name and identity as much as my father, a dedicated civil servant from Ecuador. It feels wrong to eliminate my mom’s name from my own. I know that there are many Latin Americans who feel the same way when they come to the US and simplify their names out of convention (or let’s be honest, to simply make it easier for their name to fit in forms like the SAT). But by keeping both my last names in my professional role, I’ve been told by constituents that they knew that I would understand their situations not just because we shared a language, but also because they knew we had that shared understanding of names and identity.

VM: Would you have advice for Fletcher members of the Hispanic community during this month as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

NET: Be you. Being Latina/e/o/x and/or Hispanic carries such weight during Hispanic Heritage Month. We (and I can include myself here) often panic to define what it even means beyond any boxes you may tick in the census or the languages you speak. I think that this term is so broad and encompasses so many different “flavors,” that the best way to honor your heritage is to be unapologetically yourself and celebrate all the hyphenations, or lack thereof. You do you, y que nadie te apague.

Vishal Manve is a Fletcher School MALD Alumni, Class of 2023