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Teri Capparelli, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County, has built a multifaceted career that spans the fashion and nonprofit sectors. Starting in the fashion industry at the young age of 17, Teri honed her skills in retail before moving into wholesale. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to open and successfully manage two stores in Manhattan. For 15 years, she frequently traveled to Paris, a city that holds cherished memories, including trips with her eldest daughter, who later became a French teacher. Teri’s commitment to her family prompted a shift in her career focus, allowing her to be more involved in her children’s lives and various community activities.
In 2020, amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Teri faced another pivotal moment when her husband fell ill. She chose to leave her position at Lord & Taylor to care for him, embracing the opportunity to spend quality time with her family. It was during this period that she was introduced to Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County. Despite initial nerves about venturing into a new field, Teri’s dedication and work ethic quickly became evident. She started as the ReStore Director, where her ability to inspire and manage volunteers shone through, leading to her promotion as Executive Director within months.
Under Teri’s leadership, Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County has flourished. Her strategic vision and collaborative approach have been instrumental in expanding the organization’s impact. Teri’s unique background in fashion and retail, combined with her passion for community service, has enabled her to foster a supportive, family-like environment among staff and volunteers. Her commitment to providing a hand up rather than a handout continues to drive the organization’s mission, making a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve.
Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County is dedicated to building strength, stability, and independence for hardworking families through homeownership. Partnering with volunteers and relying on donated funds and materials, Habitat Bergen constructs and rehabilitates affordable homes, which are sold to low-income families at no profit with no-interest loans. Committed to eliminating poverty housing and homelessness, Habitat Bergen works in unison with its global affiliates, fostering a people-to-people partnership that transcends race, nationality, religion, and socioeconomic status.
Laura Siclari: Welcome to the Women’s Roundtable podcast, powered by the Think Factory, where we learn how women think big and grow their business. My name is Laura Siclari, a partner with Outside General Counsel Solutions, and I’m the host of today’s episode. I am so thrilled to have with me today an incredible leader from the Habitat for Humanity world who has made it her mission and life’s work to help people in need and to, in particular, help them achieve home ownership. She’s the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County. Please welcome to the show, Teri, Teri Capparelli.
Teri Capparelli: Thank you, Laura. It is a pleasure to be here. Very excited.
Laura Siclari: That’s wonderful. Now, Teri, the leadoff question I have to ask you really ties into the conversation you and I had recently, which is, please tell me about your identity as a woman, a leader and a professional, because you have some specific thoughts on that, don’t you?
Teri Capparelli: Yes. I usually like to introduce myself as being a wife and mother, a grandmother. And I am so proud and humbled to be the executive director here at Habitat for Humanity, Bergen County. I do mention those things in that order because I feel as though women can achieve all their goals as long as we shoot for the stars. And I think if you’re happy in your home life and you’re happy with how you and your spouse, partner, best friend interact, then it’s going to just trickle down into family life and then also into my professional career.
Laura Siclari: It’s wonderful. And I love how you identify the priority order for you and how you think that it ultimately benefits all areas of your life. I know that you mentioned the last time we spoke, you know, as a grandmother. Now, you said it’s like seeing life come full circle. And I think that’s wonderful to be able to experience that while also having amazing, you know, career growth at the same time. So speaking about your career, tell me about your career trajectory and how you got here today, because I know you didn’t always start out in the nonprofit world. So tell me about how we got here.
Teri Capparelli: So I’ve been in the fashion industry since I was 17 years of age, and that was many, many, many years ago. And from there, I worked in retail for several years. Then I went to the wholesale end of the industry and then I decided that I would like to attempt to have to 1 to 2 stores in Manhattan, because at that time I was living in Manhattan and I was very fortunate that I started my my. So ownership of my store in Manhattan. And then I was fortunate enough I opened a second store. I was able to travel to Paris 1 to 3 times a month for 15 years, which was quite exciting, exhausting but exciting. And the fact that I was able to travel overseas, I had my kids, at least from, say, in New York, so that if I wanted to bring them with me, I could. And one of my greatest joys and memories was my eldest daughter, who is now 43, going to Paris with me and singing the masses, which if she listens to this, I probably did not say correctly, but to a cab driver and just the overwhelming pride I felt was was certainly worth all the challenges that she particularly went through. And she is a French teacher today. So I was in that industry for a long time and then I stopped that business because my children were getting older and I felt that there was a greater need for me to be more involved in their lives. So I didn’t over things with school and sports and coaching. So that was just wonderful, great memories again. And then I, my husband got sick and I was at that time working for Lord and Taylor and I just decided that I needed to stop working because he was in the hospital. Then he was sent home and then sent back into the hospital two weeks later. And that was right at the start of COVID and. You know, we we just had to be very, very cautious. He has an immune deficiency. So I decided I was going to be there full time. I had the best summer ever with kids and grandkids and going to the beach. And then somebody approached me and said that they were looking for a restore director for Habitat for Humanity, Bergen County. So it’s almost 60 years of age. I went on a job interview quite nervous because this was a whole new learning experience for me and I was hired. We all joke about it to this day because anybody who knows me, I get dressed up every day and wear high heels every day. So I called my daughters and said, Role reversal, I need to borrow clothes from you. And I literally don’t think I had sneakers. And because I was in the retail world, that was six days a week for me. So I started my career here. One of the most joyous experiences, because we rely so heavily on our are volunteers. And the volunteers here are just the most incredible, dedicated group of individuals. I’ve been blessed to have in my life. And three months later, they made me director of the Restore. And then a few months after that, they asked me to be Executive Director here at Habitat for another great challenge. But, you know, every day is a learning experience. And when you believe in what you do and you’re passionate about what you do, I feel that. The failure rate is quite low because for me to. We exposed to, again, the volunteers. We had a small staff. And what had happened was I asked the board, our board, if I could. You know, run the restore still and be an executive director. I think they know I’m not the controlling type and I always give people enough rope that they can succeed. And hopefully that’s my first choice for them. But we did that for two years. We weren’t going to do this in perpetuity, but by doing that, we were able to grow the staff and that has helped in our growth path. And truly, we’re like family here. We spend more time with each other than we do with our own family. So it’s been an amazing journey, but a great journey. And we are also helping people who just need a hand up, not a handout, in their living situation.
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