Pros
The mission of HJ is a fantastic and much needed one. I loved being part of an org that helps students and families gain access to something most, if not all, had no idea was an option for them. The students that attend HJ are intelligent and hardworking but their families may not have the means to send them to a school that will challenge and support them along their educational journey. This is what helped me get to the office every day and do my best because the grateful and proud look on the families' faces at the end of the program made everything worth it. These students go on to excellent high schools and colleges after, most on scholarship. Very impressive.
Cons
The management style and office culture needs to change, starting from the very top, down. Employees are sometimes made to take the blame of management's inefficiencies and poor planning. They need to work on employee retention as that was and apparently is still a huge issue. They should take management courses so they understand how to interact with their employees. If one does not feel valued or appreciated, they will leave. Here, management will grind you down until your only option is to get out. Another issue is budgeting - spending an exorbitant amount of money for certain events, meetings, etc., should not be something that is done on a frequent basis. I think an issue is that management feels pressured by the board of trustees for events and such to look a certain way, and so sometimes they lose sight of why they're really at the org. Management wants to portray themselves in a good light, but only on the backs of their employees. They can afford to spend money on these things yet the staff pay is a joke (unless you are management or on "good" terms with management). Gaslighting is a thing here, sadly. I have a problem comprehending how the board does not see that the high turnover is an indication of a much bigger problem, and it will just keep getting worse and explode. Have they been fooled into thinking that everything is as wonderful as they think it is? They should be taking the time to get to the root of the problem - staff retention is pretty easy in general if you treat your employees as you would want to be treated. Management needs to take a good look in the mirror and admit that there is a problem and get to working on it. We can only hope that the board eventually discovers what's been going on for years now, and looks into it in depth. It would be a shame to let the organization fail at something that is so important, especially in this day and age.