Heidi Deininger
Today, I had a chance to ask some questions of a unique and dynamic member of our community. Her name is Heidi Deininger.
Heidi grew up on the island of Oahu. Her parents moved to Hawaii from the States, but her father was originally from the Philippines, and her mother was of German/Czech descent. She found out later in life that there is also Polynesian and East Indian blood in her family. For those of you who haven’t been to Hawaii, it is a state that has attracted immigrants from, in no particular order, China, Japan, the Philippines, South America, and the continental US, in addition to many other countries. And, of course, there is an indigenous Hawaiian population, who were there first.
Her father was a Doctor at the time he and his wife arrived in Hawaii. He saw the huge pineapple farms and the many people who toiled in them. Most came from the Philippines. This was the main reason he decided to live in Hawaii and serve the Filipino community by providing medical services. Her mother taught at the University of Hawaii and also helped the immigrant population by teaching English.
Heidi grew up in a very rural part of Oahu amidst a polyglot (multilingual) society. On Oahu, she went to school with the locals. She learned how to get along with people from many different races. In that environment, it was ok to ask someone about their heritage and nationality in conversation. All people were accepted as part of the population. She eventually graduated from the University of Hawaii, majoring in organizational communication and exercise physiology.
When she graduated college, Heidi went to work in a gym/fitness club. She started as a volunteer, working eight hours a week. She became a personal trainer, and by the time she left, she was managing three gyms for the company.
It was during this time that Heidi met her future husband, Jeff Deininger, who grew up in Evansville. Jeff came to Hawaii after graduating from UW Whitewater. He was hired at the gym where Heidi worked, and they eventually became a couple and got married. They had a son and a daughter on Oahu, but of course, they visited Evansville at least annually to see Jeff’s parents, and during those visits, Heidi acquired friends here as well.
By 2001, they were both ready to move to the Continental US. Heidi’s Mother had passed away, her Dad had remarried, and her two siblings moved away. So, this was an opportunity for Jeff and Heidi to start a new life together, live close to Jeff’s parents, and raise their children in the Midwest. The schools and the strong family ties in the Midwest also appealed to Heidi. At the time, their son was a fifth grader and their daughter a kindergartner.
When I asked Heidi whether she felt welcome in the community, she said she really didn’t think about it because she already had family here and a job with the YMCA. We also talked about her children’s acceptance in Evansville schools. She shared that both kids did fine, but her daughter had some challenges over time.
Heidi obtained employment as a health and fitness director in the YMCA of North Rock County (Janesville); then, she moved on to YMCA in Madison as Executive Director. While there, she participated in a multicultural executive development program. She also submitted a proposal to United Way to hire the first YMCA Multicultural Outreach Director in Dane County.
During her early career in Wisconsin, she learned that when trying to build relationships with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) families quickly, initially, they had greater trust for people from their own race. As a result, she believed that more leaders of different races needed to be hired. She worked to strengthen ties with the Boys and Girls Club and the Multicultural Catholic Center; to encourage outreach to the BIPOC community.
Her next job was as the Executive Director at a YMCA in Palatine, Il. After working for three years for the YMCA of Metro Chicago, she wanted a change of perspective and looked for a new role in a different organization. Her subsequent career years were spent with the Girl Scouts of SE Wisconsin. Working with the Girl Scouts as Chief Operations Officer, she led programs in the inner city. While working for the Girl Scouts, she became more aware of the treatment of women as a minority and the tremendous lack of gender pay equity. Working with the Girl Scouts gave her the opportunity to promote programs that empowered women by helping them develop and succeed. But after several years, the 1-1/2 hour commute each way and attending her children’s activities at School, travel became too much of a drain, and Heidi began looking for a job closer to home. All these moves in her career were what she believed needed to be done for a woman of color to get a high-level leadership role in an organization in the Midwest.
Heidi is now the Executive Director of the YWCA in Janesville. Her organization has a 24-hour hotline, a domestic shelter, and transitional apartments. Their programs also include immigrant outreach, racial justice, and ten outreach childcare sites in Janesville and Milton. She is also very interested in racial equity and cultural education.
Heidi joined a group in Evansville called Becoming Better Neighbors, which is where we met. She joined because she wanted to find people different than herself, especially from the white majority population, who were interested in talking about diversity and equity. To share that it’s ok to ask each other questions. She believes if you push yourself a little bit, after a while, you feel better and more comfortable talking about race.
Heidi is a woman with energy, intelligence, strong beliefs, and a good work ethic. She is what we used to call “a go getter.” Evansville is a better place because she is here.
