Staff Spotlight: Javier Leiva
Javier Leiva with Onix, his dog. Both are taking a breath after exploring Crack-in-the-ground, in the Christmas Valley area
Javier Leiva, Executive Administrator, a Superstar Behind Camp Scenes
Javier Leiva, our superstar executive administrator, joined Camp Fire in 2020. Soon after moving to Central Oregon and seeing a job opening to teach Spanish in our afterschool program, he decide to apply but, shortly after that, found himself landing a different position—growing the STEM program, with a particular focus on robotics.
This robotics role better aligned with his background, and he served in that capacity for about three years before realizing that working in direct service for youth was tough to juggle with his life schedule. Fortunately, another opportunity at Camp Fire surfaced just in time—working as the executive administrator, a position that’s been an excellent fit for his skills and need for flexibility. Javier says that he’s very grateful for an organization that invests in its people and strives to align its staff members need with what the organization can provide.
Javier Leiva (far left) poses with his robotics competition team in 2023.
In terms of his background, Javier says it’s been very heterogenic—or diverse in nature. In some form or another, his work has almost always been related to research and education, technology, information retrieval, and management. He thinks that what he contributes is flexibility to meet the different and changing needs of Camp Fire and the ability to learn and take on new challenges constantly. Behind the scenes, he’s more than an executive administrator but a superstar team member, aligned in focused to our mission and goals!
Here, Javier shares more about himself and his work with us:
Q: What is your role as Executive Administrator?
A: My work is very varied. I help with policies and procedures, HR and bookkeeping tasks, IT support, customer service, and Board of Directors logistics. I also translate some texts and guide Spanish-speaking families through our offerings when needed.
I try to contribute to Camp Fire’s goals by helping, usually behind the scenes, and taking on tasks that may not be directly related to programs but that hopefully make the work easier for everybody else on the team.
Javier Leiva with Gemma, his wife, his kids, Aniol and Sira, and their dog Onix, in a hike at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
Q: What are your sparks?
A: Learning something new, traveling to an unfamiliar place, hiking a never-before-hiked (by me) trail— and perhaps my main “spark” is “the unknown"? I think the feeling of discovery brings me joy.
Q: What are your future goals—professional and personal?
A: Professionally, my goal is to get our documentation platform to an optimum level or completion in the coming months. Our policies and procedures are constantly evolving, so it’s not an easy accomplishment, but I’m confident we’ll get to it.
Personally, I’d love to road-trip all US Highway 20 from Newport to Boston. I’m sure it would be a fun experience, full of little surprises along the road!
Q: What's your favorite part of working with Camp Fire?
A: My favorite part is when someone from the team comes to me with a problem, and I am able to solve it and remove the barrier that is keeping them from achieving their goals. IT issues could be a good example of that.
Q: Why does your job—and Camp Fire Central Oregon—matter?
A: Camp Fire cares about youth and puts a considerable effort into helping them discover their sparks, develop skills, have fun, feel seen and respected, and create and grow relationships. All the Camp Fire staff do everything they can to provide the best possible experience for them and support families in supporting their children. To me, all of that matters a lot, and I know that not only because I participate in that effort in a variety of ways but also because I am a parent myself. I’ve seen my two kids thrive and have wonderful experiences at Camp Fire!