If there are two words that best describe Noely Sanchez Velez’s recipe for her success, they are strength, and family. Born and raised in the small town of Caguas in the central eastern region of Puerto Rico, from an early age Noely adopted a ‘take charge’ attitude.
“As the only girl in the household, and being a Latina woman, I think it’s our culture, we’re seen as the caretakers. It’s like, we are relied on to get things done, and we do,” Noely says. Indeed, that trait would come to define her.
Growing up in her town, Noely forged lifelong bonds with family and friends, and attended private school where she learned to read, write and speak English. So, it was a bit of a surprise when, at 12 years old, Noely and her two brothers were moved by their mom to Hartford, CT. Recently separated from her children’s father, Noely’s mom came to the U.S. in search of new opportunities and chose Hartford because her brother served there as a city firefighter. For Noely, coming to the big city meant becoming keenly observant of her surroundings and learning to overcome challenges to fit in.
As a teenager, it was not always easy, and at times she found it difficult figuring out where she belonged. Fortunately, her friends and grandfather in Puerto Rico wrote often, and she would write back sharing new experiences, like her first snowstorm. The letters served as encouragement and as a lifeline to her beloved island home and family. Summers meant return trips to Caguas to see relatives and her dad. She credits her father, an artist who had attended the Kodak School of Photography in Rochester, for keeping an eye on her from afar: “There’s no doubt that I inherited his business acumen and ethics. He made sure that I took my studies and work seriously. And that if I wanted something, he would say, ‘you must work for it. That’s what builds character and responsibility.’”
Possessing an entrepreneurial drive like that of her parents, Noely pursued a business degree at Manchester Community College, studied organizational leadership at The American Women’s College at Bay Path University, and received a certificate in project management from Post University. But it was the classified ad she answered over 25 years ago for a part-time administrative role at CPA working at Hartford Community Court that would forever change her life.
During her 25-year career, Noley has risen through the ranks and taken on leadership roles like overseeing IT and incorporating better technology, championing the Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (BEDI) roll out, and ensuring the agency is modernized throughout its many worksites. Her expertise was especially critical during the pandemic.
“I’m appreciative for the people at CPA who offered me the responsibilities and opportunities to make a difference both professionally and personally. I guess they saw in me that I didn’t want to be stagnant, that I had to keep busy. I think, as a result, they really allowed me to better serve the organization, participants, programs and our staff.”
Noely credits mentors like Beth Hines and Maureen Price-Boreland, CPA’s former executive director, whose life experiences paralleled her own: “I worked with Maureen for 18 years, and saw her rise through the ranks, attend law school at night, and raise her son. Like me, she’s from the Caribbean. When she became a judge, she married my husband Julio and me.”
“She and Beth instilled in me a passion for service and giving back. Through them, I have learned greater compassion and to see through the lens of others, especially when working with participants who have been marginalized and experience trauma.”
A member of the executive team, Noely is also responsible for capturing CPA’s data that measures the outcomes achieved by our participants. And as part of the CTData Collaborative, she works with the state and nonprofits on how best to interpret and use data meaningfully.
Looking back at her 25 years at CPA she is mindful that while the time went by quickly, her work and its impact on so many lives served has been most rewarding. A published author, she dedicated a chapter in the book Live Your Optimal Life to her five-year-old nephew, Mateo, who passed away from a medical episode: “I wrote in ‘Tomorrow is not Promised’ that, “We are here for only a little bit of time, whether that is in life or in your career, so take every day as a blessing and use it as a way of helping somebody else.”
When not working at CPA, Noely and her husband, Julio, run JCV Freelance Photography and a plant business, Something to Root About, which began as a hobby that has now blossomed into a sustainable business. Additionally, the couple volunteer with Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) for National Adoption Day as photographers, and DCF’s Heart Gallery of America, capturing in photography the individuality and dignity of children living in foster care. A board member of Roberts Foundation for the Arts, Noely is the recipient of the 2020 ‘100 Women of Color Award’ for her work in the Hartford community.