Putting People First:

An Interview with NPN’s Addam Garrett

 •  7 minute read

Two smiling men pose as a couple on the lip of a dock with a segmented dock door closed behind them. The man on the left side of the couple is dark skinned and wearing a black flat cap, a yellow button down shirt, black pants, and a well-worn denim jacket. The man on the right side of the couple is light skinned and wearing a tan flat cap, a lightly patterned, long-sleeve shirt, and faded denim jeans. The building and the dock door are painted a light blue. On the dock door in huge decorative letters are the words "One Time, in New Orleans." The words fill the full height of the dock door in four lines of alternating shades of purple.
Addam Garrett and spouse Eric Tremblay pose in front of a stenciled dock door in New Orleans.

Addam Garrett joined NPN in 2016 as Facilities Manager, and over the past eight eventful years—as NPN moved to a new location, hosted several Annual Conferences, and continued to grow as an organization—he developed a philosophy of work/life balance that emphasizes self-care and personal growth. Now, as NPN’s new Director of Operations, he’s creating a culture at NPN that “places people at the center of success.” In this candid interview with NPN’s Resource Development Manager Riley Yaxley, Addam talks about how he came to join the NPN team and some of his favorite moments from the past eight years.

An outdoor, enclosed patio space, with brick walls and a small table and two chairs in the background. In the foreground, a young Black man with a bald head and a dark, close cropped beard is smiling at the camera as he jumps into the air. He is wearing a buttoned shirt with alternating horizontal stripes of dark blue, white, light blue, and orange, and he's wearing aqua colored shorts and pink lace-up sneakers. Above and behind him is a canopy of leaves from the shade-providing trees scattered around the patio.
Addam Garrett.

Riley Yaxley:

How did you end up working for NPN? What were you doing before? What brought you to this organization?

Headshot of Riley Yaxley
Photo of Addam Garrett

Addam Garrett:

I ended up working at NPN through a longtime friend, [former NPN staff member] Steffani Clemons. We went to college together at the University of Alabama. Roll Tide! NPN was at the Arts Estuary and Steffani reached out letting me know they were looking for a Facilities Manager. I applied and interviewed with Steffani and [former Director of Operations] Steve Bailey and that was it. 

Before coming to NPN, I was working at Jacksonville State University as a programs specialist, planning courses for people to continue their education and producing their Annual Administrators Conference in Alabama. It was great to see that event grow over my time spent there. 

What made me decide to say yes when I received the offer…that is easy, because of the work that NPN was doing at the time. It gave me the opportunity to be more hands on and help individuals. It was something new, something fresh. Let’s be real, I never thought I would be living in New Orleans. I saw New Orleans as a place to have fun and lose control, but I have come to realize there’s so much life in our city. There’s so much art and culture here.

Riley Yaxley:

What are you most excited for in your new role?

Addam Garrett:

One of the things that intrigued me about taking on this role when it was presented to me was the opportunity to refresh what Operations is and how it functions within NPN.

As I’ve moved upward through NPN, Operations has changed a lot and I’ve always wanted our practices to be employee first, people first, and I want to continue that in this role. The people are the ones who make this organization great. And I want to expand that through departmental practices. I hope that people see how Operations helps them and helps the organization.

It’s been a month, so we’re reviewing a lot and looking at changes that we can make. I’m excited to figure out the additional training we can organize, and how we can improve our collaboration, uplifting the knowledge and experience we have on staff. When you put people first, that’s when you can establish good practices that help people thrive within the organization. I encourage new employees and existing staff to take care of themselves, enabling them to advocate for themselves, take time off, and not sacrifice their wellbeing.

Riley Yaxley:

How are you balancing family life and work? Do you have any advice for new parents in our Network?

Addam Garrett:

I’ll tell you when I figure that out! 😂 You just have to compartmentalize, making space for your family and work life. You have to put in boundaries and respect those boundaries.

I’m always questioning. Am I doing the right thing? Am I doing the right thing? I can acknowledge when I’ve fallen short. I’m one person doing multiple things. I need breaks from NPN. It’s difficult, but it’s rewarding. I love both families. I love being able to spend time with my husband and family which now includes us fostering. And I love the work the NPN does and the change that we make possible, and I hope that people on staff love their work.

My advice: love your kids, just don’t let them run you over! It’s so helpful to have affirmation from your family and your boss. And NPN has policies that help us enact that value.

A conference room with blank white walls. Five long blue tables are pushed together in a U shape to enable a small group of NPN staff members to hold a meeting. In the center of the photo, at the end of the U shape, a Black man with a bald head, closely cropped dark beard, and glasses gestures with both hands as he speaks to a Black woman with closely cropped hair and a colorful scarf seated to his left. On either side of the table, the other four attendees sit with opened laptops and listen attentively. Large windows behind the group let in natural light, revealing greenery outside. The mood is serious and collaborative, with everyone focused on the discussion.
From the left: Nick Hüster, Stephanie Atkins, Addam Garrett, Sage Crump, and Alec de León.

Riley Yaxley:

Tell me about one of your favorite memories from an NPN Annual Conference. What year? What city? What made that year so memorable?

Addam Garrett:

I’ve been to five conferences! I think one of my most impactful conferences was my first conference in Austin. I came to understand how important the work we do is and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the folks that make NPN special. One thing I am glad for is that we do not have the board meeting at the end of the conference. Side note, that’s when I was introduced to Gus’s Fried Chicken. IYKYK.

Two people pose smiling on either side of a poster for NPN's 2016 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX. On the left is a light skinned woman with shoulder length blonde hair. She is wearing a yellow shirt with sleeves pushed up just below the elbows, and a tied kerchief that's navy blue with elements of gold, green, and magenta. She has a large name tag hanging from a lanyard around her neck. On the right is a tall, dark skinned man with a bald head and closely cropped short beard. He is wearing glasses and a teal hoodie pullover with the numbers "1994" in white across the chest, and there are headphone wires extending up the front and disappearing into the neck opening of the pullover. The poster is white and teal, with a black and white image of the Austin skyline across the bottom third. The center of the poster is filled with a large yellow ribbon shape outlined in offset black lines, over which are the words "Annual Meeting Austin Texas December 1-5, 2016." Black versions of the logos for NPN and the former Visual Artists Network are placed above the ribbon shape.
Pictured: Olga Garay-English and Addam Garrett. Photo: Mimi Zarsky

Another memorable conference was probably San Francisco. Not only was the location special (Tenderloin anyone?); as a staff we had some of the best experiences and bonding during that time. If I recall correctly that is where the concept of the NPN Dance Off came about. It was most definitely a great time!

A Black woman with short black and gray hair that's shaved on the sides stands behind a podium. She is wearing black glasses and silver pendant style earrings, a black shirt, a silver necklace from which hangs a large purple stone, and a purple, light blue, and gold patterned jacket. She is smiling as she addresses the unseen audience. Hanging over the front of the podium is a large sign with hand-drawn lettering that reads "San Francisco" over a white, red, and blue mural of some of the city's most recognizable landmarks and imagery, including rows of narrow houses, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the San Francisco Bay. Overlaid across the bottom of the image is a white rectangle that displays black versions of the logos for NPN and the former Visual Artists Network, as well as the words "Annual Conference December 14-17, 2017."
Sharon Bridgforth speaks at the NPN Annual Conference in San Francisco, December 2017.

Riley Yaxley:

Are there any artists/performances that have really affected you and stuck with you over the years?

Addam Garrett:

It was in San Francisco when we had the Live and On Stage. There were some of the best performances I’ve seen. It was so impactful because it was so representative of what we do for national touring performances. We do good work here at NPN and I am glad to be a part of that and will be forever grateful I had the opportunity to do so.

Riley Yaxley:

What is one thing you’ve learned from working at NPN that you would’ve never expected you would learn?

Addam Garrett:

I’m such a talented individual. I don’t claim to be an artist, but I’m artistic with getting things done.

One thing that I’ve learned is to value who I am and what I bring to NPN. It is indescribable how the staff at NPN have uplifted and recognized my contributions over my time here. Their appreciation and acknowledgement has not been the case in previous positions. So that is a big Thank You to all my co-workers and to Steve Bailey, the former Operations Director.

I want nothing more than to expand my experience and create a workplace where people can be who they are all the time and people don’t have the pressure or fear that most jobs put on them.

About Addam Garrett

Director of Operations, NPN

Photo of Addam Garrett

Addam Garrett (he/him) became Director of Operations for the National Performance Network in 2024. Addam joined NPN in the summer of 2016 as Office Manager and has over 15 years of experience in education, program planning, and communications. He manages day-to-day organizational activities, which include assisting all departments to meet the needs of our constituents.

View Addam’s bio

About Riley Yaxley

Resource Development Manager, NPN

Headshot of Riley Yaxley

Riley Yaxley (she/her) is most frequently a dinner party host, a fishkeeper, a homebody, a beach rat, a wallflower, a professional email sender, a progeny of “Midwestern Nice,” a dance hobbyist, a flâneuse (if such a thing is possible), a glutton, an errant daughter who forgets to call her mom, a shameless navel gazer; and sometimes, she is also an essayist, editor, and nonprofit fundraiser.

View Riley’s bio