More Than You Know. Closer Than You Think.
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Meet Millicent Ruffin
Here at Southern Finger Lakes Living we love hearing all the stories from our new neighbors and residents of the area. We are always listening for interesting stories and voices that impact the community in positive ways and inspire us all to be not only better citizens in our community but also of the world.
In this newest feature, we didn’t just want to share a relocation story. We wanted to feature a woman who relocated to the area and whose voice, compassion, and insights are highlighting important topics that influence our communities, and our daily lives; make us pause, and educate and inspire us.
Millicent relocated to Corning, NY in 2001 with her then fiancé, and now husband, Boh Ruffin, both of whom were hired by Corning Incorporated. “We were really excited to be starting and, in my case, continuing, our careers at a premiere corporate research hub,” Millicent said. “I was honestly, quite apprehensive about small-town life. I had been living in central New Jersey for the previous 2 years, so it was a significant culture shift for me.” She added, “I think the biggest transition was access to large cities. Living in Plainsboro, NJ I had easy access to New York City and Philadelphia and the option of public transportation. So initially the move felt like a bit of a loss.” However, she soon realized that moving to the area in June turned out to be perfect timing and they spent the summer mountain biking, kayaking, and white-water rafting. “The access to outdoor activities that we love made the transition easier.”
Millicent started her career at Corning as a scientist and continued on the technical track for 20 years. As a program manager, she led teams to develop products and processes for several of Corning’s businesses. “Easily, my favorite role was leading the Corning Advanced Technology Center in Taipei, Taiwan.” Millicent recalls how at the time, the lab had only been open a few years, and the team was excited about helping customers and solving problems.
In 2020, Millicent moved into the Law Department and helped create the Office of Racial Equality and Social Unity (ORESU). From 2020 to 2023 she led the Community Affairs department for the office and at the end of 2023, Corning merged all philanthropic and economic development activity into one new department, Community Impact and Investment. Millicent was appointed senior director of that department in December 2023.
During her time as leader of ORESU, in early 2020, Millicent created a student group called Finger Lakes Youth Forum and they released a podcast called Amplify Voices. The students would meet and talk about equity-related topics that were relevant to them.
In 2021, Millicent started working with Sissy Siero, the Founder and CEO of Texas-based Siero Media, a creative agency that produces and delivers communications through storytelling via podcasts. At the time, Sissy had been working primarily as an internal messaging producer, creating various podcasts for Corning employees. “In 2022, several efforts were underway to advance diversity in education, including the importance of increasing the number of teachers of color in the classroom,” Millicent said.
Sissy added, “This show was predicated upon the urgent need for local young adults in the Corning area to find connection, to share and truly have a voice. So much of their lives had been turned upside down. Especially during the early days of the pandemic; disenfranchised, upset, and worried about the uncertainties of the world and their futures.”
“We decided the podcast was a great vehicle to share how companies can help schools and communities accomplish important social initiatives,” Millicent said. “We started working with students, then we focused on our education workstreams. In our most recent 2023 season, we expanded to tell stories that of course are aligned with our work at Corning but are also important for our listeners and our communities to hear.”
Although the podcast is no longer a student-led project, Millicent says that many of the goals remain the same even two years later. “The goal of the podcast, now Vital Voices, will always be to highlight voices in our communities that may not otherwise be heard.”
Sissy added, “They’re based on basic human equity and equality. Equal access to education and health services, healthy food sources, and financial resources.”
Millicent said that what has surprised her the most is how often listeners will reach out and share something that resonates with them. She added, “Sometimes it’s a, ‘I wish I knew…’ other times, it’s ‘I went through the same’ but always it ends with ‘thank you for making sure these stories get told.'”
The project is an impactful one, not just for the listeners, but for the hosts as well. “I’ve struggled so much with being an integral part of this storytelling,” Sissy said, “Struggled because I’m a white woman; raised middle class with all of the inherent privilege; how dare I tell these stories also.” But she added, “I’ve had to forgive myself for not being able to experientially understand what it means to be BIPOC in this county living that day-to-day. I identify as a member of the LGBTQ community and so have experienced struggles growing up and have faced at times humiliating prejudices. I tend to minimize that now because I’m so far from the scared young woman who was always different. Even while living through the worst of those times, I still enjoyed white privilege – let’s be honest.”
This vulnerability and honesty, however, is one of the reasons we love the podcast, and why we think it resonates so well with listeners. We had to wonder, in what other ways does the work impact the hosts, especially Millicent who works in the community where so many of these stories are focused, and in the company funding the project.
“Working on this podcast builds a stronger connection to both the company and the community,” Millicent said. “It requires a certain amount of vulnerability and as I have shared stories from my personal life on the podcast, it has been met with open arms. Even though we deal with difficult topics, we always manage to find and focus on the beauty in the work.” She added, “Doing this work has connected me to like-minded people working toward positive change, and it is very inspiring.”
“My love and respect for Millicent and this show runs very deep,” Sissy said. “I’ve grown as a person producing this project and co-hosting it with her, and I am so very grateful to have this opportunity.”
“I hope everyone finds something in the podcast that is for them,” Millicent said, “whether it is inspiration to explore a new area or tips on how to advocate for themselves and others. Ultimately, we’d like them to be so interested they call us up and say, ‘hey we’d like to partner with you on this!’”
When not delving into the tough, heart-wrenching topics and hard conversations, Millicent enjoys running and working out, a passion she shares with her boys. “When we are not at track meets with our boys, I spend my free time on my personal fitness goals. Julie Koski (a retired Corning Incorporated project manager) and I are long-time running buddies and we are either running through Houghton Plot in Corning or along one of the local trails, such as Catherine Valley Trail or Pine Creek Trail.” Her favorite race? “Wineglass Race Marathon, of course!” When not on the trail Millicent’s favorite way to decompress after work is with a bowl of garlic and rosemary popcorn at The Cellar.
Over the years, Millicent’s initial apprehension towards small-town living has faded. “I didn’t think we would make friends and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said. “When you live in a small town, you get to know people in a way that you don’t have the opportunity to in larger cities. I remember one evening my then-infant son was sick with an ear infection and by the time we finished at the pediatrician’s office, the pharmacy was closed. Karen Hogue, the owner of the pharmacy at the time, opened the shop, filled the prescription, and delivered it to my home. How’s that for community!”
Millicent recognizes that every community has its challenges and gems and that there is opportunity in both. “Communities can’t grow unless people with different perspectives are willing to share. Growth happens in the discourse, but only when we listen to one another with the intent to understand,” she said. And for those looking to build community, she advises, “Be willing to share a little of yourself. It may feel uncomfortable at first, especially when you are a minority, but that’s when you start to find commonalities.”
Thank you, Millicent, for sharing your story! Read more SoFLX stories to learn about life, work, and play in the Southern Finger Lakes.
