Meet The Team: Joey Albin
Get to know Joey better with our little Q&A, below, and check out his bio on our Who We Are page.
What is one seemingly small thing that brings you joy?
I have two cats, a red tabby named Woody and a tortie point Thai named Glinda. They’re both very cute, but Glinda really lays in on thick because she happens to have a white, vaguely heart-shaped patch right over her actual heart. My wife and I often say she is one of the Care Bear Cousins. Sometimes, I’ll see her sitting there looking at me with her chest puffed out and that silly little heart patch brings me immense joy.
What is your favorite part of each day?
I like the mornings before work. I enjoy having a cup of coffee and talking to my wife (and usually comparing our scores in the day’s Estimatle). The cats are usually floating around somewhere in between still asleep and completely hyper. I try to allow myself enough time in the morning to not be rushed and enjoy each morning.
Who inspires you?
This is a tough one because I think I probably have a few different ones depending on the context. Lately, I’ve been very inspired by my niece Amelia, who will be turning 10 soon. She’s had a rough couple of years with some medical issues, including being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. But she has displayed such an indefatigable spirit and has handled everything so well, and I am immensely proud of her and find such inspiration in her. I’m also very inspired by my spouse, Julie. I think she’s the smartest, kindest person and I’m so inspired by the care and expertise she shows in everything she’s involved with. Finally, in a more specific sense, I would say the musician Tony Levin. I’m a musician, and Levin is one of my favorites. He’s played in such a wide range of contexts, including with some of my other favorite musicians, and not only is he a consummate professional, he’s also known as one of the nicest and most collaborative people you could work with.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t know if this is the best piece I’ve ever received, but I can think of a really great piece of advice I received and frequently come back to. In 2022, I started in a new position as a contracted taxonomist and research assistant working on international labor research projects (these projects specifically researched and combatted exploitive labor issues such as forced labor, child labor, and trafficked labor). In addition to having to learn a lot about this complex and difficult subject area, I also had to learn a lot about being a contractor. I had recurring check-in meetings with a senior consultant in my company and in one of these meetings, I had some questions about what I should be working on and when and how much and priorities, and in general, was a bit freaked out. Micha gave me a very useful bit of advice, which was “Make sure you’ve tidied up your own shop before you volunteer to sweep the streets outside.” I try to always be aware of my specific responsibilities and how the intersect and interlock with those of the people I work with and make sure that at any given point, and especially before I start worrying about everyone else, everything on my end is taken care of and in good shape.
What is one thing that you have recently learned or changed your mind about?
My wife and I share a car for practical and environmental reasons, and this occasionally causes some logistical headaches. My wife wanted to buy a little moped to help ease the vehicle demand a bit, and I was initially skeptical. But I did some research into the issue and finally came around to the idea a bit, and we ended up buying a Genuine Buddy 50 moped. And you know, I love this little bike! It’s very fun to ride, and it actually has really helped with the car sharing issues. The 90 mpg is also nice, given current gas prices!
What does success look like for you in your role at AFF?
I think for me, it’s all about our mission and focus areas, and then making sure I do my specific part to the fullest of my abilities. For any given thing I’m working on, I want to always be able to directly tie it back to our mission. Beyond that, I see my role as Grants Manager as one that if done successfully, frees up the people I’m working with (including my AFF coworkers as well as our partners) to do their best work. The absolute best part of my job is getting to work with incredible people who are doing incredible things in our community, and it’s my job to use our systems and processes to not only set them up for success, but also to tell their stories. Sometimes I think about my job as being like the people on the curling team with the brooms who run out ahead of the rock!
What is your top-used gif?
I don’t know who is truly in the lead, but there’s a good chance it’s either a Dr. Steve Brule or a Tommy Wiseau, or maybe a Hank Hill.
