Next City isn’t just a news website, we are a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire social, economic and environmental change in cities. Part of how we do that is by connecting our readers to urban changemakers and holding an annual Vanguard conference bringing together 40 top young urban leaders. In anticipation of Next City’s annual Vanguard conference in Reno this year, May 6-8, we’re pleased to be working with many talented locals to make the event a success. For the next several weeks, we’ll be introducing people from our great “on-the-ground supporters” in Nevada. Cecil McCumber will be performing at a conference event, and he’s the creator of the fantastic keepsake credentials that all Vanguards will get.

Name: Cecil McCumber

Current Occupation: Director of Marketing and Business Development at ACCESS Event Solutions lead singer/songwriter for The Pretty Unknown

Hometown: Reno

Current City: Reno

Twitter Tag: @cecilmccumber

I drink: Coffee

I am an: Extrovert

I get to work by: Car

The area I grew up in is: Suburbs

What was your first job? Working event setup/merchandise for one of Reno’s largest events: Hot August Nights. It was a summer job, and we’d rack up 60- or 70-hour weeks, for about two weeks. Definitely a challenge, but it gave me a good sense of urgency and work ethic.

What is your favorite city and why? New York. There’s something invigorating about so many people packed into such a centralized location. I always have energy when I’m there. Culturally, it has so much to offer — so much history next to the cutting edge of brand new. I’ve seen some fantastic shows at Barclays and Madison Square Garden, but I’m just as happy walking the streets with music in my ear.

What do you do when you are not working? Write and perform music with my band, The Pretty Unknown. Might as well be a second job, especially if one aspires to “do it right.” It’s amazing how much a band is a brand, as much as an artistic expression. Additionally, I write a blog called Chuck’s Lamp (my middle name is Charles) — in which I examine our experience and try to make some sense of it (falling short of course).

Did you always want to be in marketing? No. And that’s ok. After coming back from teaching English in Japan in my mid-20s, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I went back to school to get my MBA, and began gravitating toward marketing. The challenge of expressing a salient message about a worthwhile brand or product always seemed like more of a fun puzzle than work. I think it encourages career happiness when one focuses on finding a job or challenge that incorporates one’s skill sets and passions, and being less focused on the actual job itself. Enjoy what you do.

What do you like most about your current job? It’s a fast-paced but casual environment, where ACCESS Event Solutions works with the world’s biggest events, brands, sports teams and entertainers. As an entertainer myself, I enjoy getting to work for artists who I respect and sports teams for whom I root. Additionally, we’ve dived into software development, creating mobile apps that integrate with our passes to better manage live events — this is exciting and new and allows me to be very creative (working with our tech developers) to create solutions that haven’t been made before.

What is the coolest project you worked on? I helped design, deploy and document our RFID-enabled credential management system for a big EDM festival down in L.A. called HARD Summer 2014. Getting to be part of that — taking marketing photos on a stage, looking out at a crowd of 40,000 — was one of the most unique experiences in my life.

What are the hard parts about your job? ACCESS Event Solutions is a small company, so we all wear lots of hats. While it keeps life interesting, it’s difficult to make real progress on any one project sometimes, without major expenses to others. Additionally, we’re taking major strides toward implementing key management infrastructure tools that will help us grow our business more efficiently. However, implementing those tools for the first time requires a sharp learning curve. No complaints though — I’m learning every day!

What is the biggest challenge facing cities today? From how I see it, there’s difficulty in identifying measurable factors and indicators that truly lead to the creation of sustainable businesses, beneficial culture and the revitalization of key urban locations. Cities take big gambles on public projects and policy and give tax breaks to big businesses considering relocation, all in hopes that each decision will drive toward influencing those factors. However, politics and general disagreement about what’s “good” for a city can hamper progress in any one direction, and any progress often takes longer than the voters expect (or than their attention spans will allow). That said, a healthy, growing city is a wonderful thing, and I’ve seen some major improvements in Reno in the last 15 years, and I’m excited to better understand why, so that we can encourage more.

What makes a successful leader? Trust. A person’s word, and their ability to follow through on their promises is key to cultivating trust in others around a leader. Concurrently, balancing the confidence to make tough decisions with the humility to know when it may not be the leader’s decision to make, or even when to simply listen and communicate that no decision will be made at this time. Finally, showing one’s team that you care about them and value their contribution is tantamount. Being mid-level management, I try to remember that the appreciation I receive from above should be doubly displayed below. Being open to such improvement (and the struggles that go with it) helps remind one’s team that the leader is human too, and that’s an endearing quality.

What’s the best professional advice you have received? “If nothing else, hold on to your beliefs a little less.”

What do you look for when hiring someone? Humility balanced with confidence. Someone who sees the big picture but can dive into the details. Someone who has places to go, both career-wise and personally, and who sees the successful execution of their job as a key to getting there. Oh, and they should be qualified.

What career advice would you give an emerging urban leader? Pressing flesh is well and good, but be certain to cultivate authentic relationships as often as possible. It’s easy to be romanced by the status of a leadership position. Stay humble, care about people.