From industry to stay-at-home father to non-profit leadership

After studying chemical engineering at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City, Joseph Ascalon had qualms about going to work for corporate giant Procter & Gamble in 1992. He had been a student activist, leading marches against the presence of US military bases in the Philippines. Working for a US multinational company was a pivot. But in the early 1990s, the Philippines was starting to strengthen its environmental laws. And as the company’s new pollution-control officer, Ascalon could help to keep its waste water out of Manila’s estuaries. There was a lot of work to be done.

Ascalon spent 17 years setting up environmental-management systems, which helped the organization to reduce its ecological impacts and increase efficiency, including by updating the company’s ageing soap and shampoo plant in Manila to bring it into compliance with environmental and pollution laws, and building a modern plant south of the city. However, when his wife, a product-packaging design manager for the multinational food company Nestlé, got a promotion in 2011 that would move the family to Switzerland, he didn’t think twice about resigning to become a stay-at-home father.

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After spending six years in Switzerland raising his two daughters, Ascalon went back to the Philippines with his family in 2016. Not wanting to return to the pressure, long office hours and punishing Manila commute that came with an industry job, and craving to connect more deeply with environmental advocacy in his country, he parlayed his industry skills into non-profit work. He volunteered to lead a non-profit group’s marine-science camps focused on mangrove and coral-reef conservation around Verde Island Passage, a high-biodiversity sea channel south of Luzon island. In 2017, he became the executive director of the SEA Institute-Verde Island Passage (SEA Institute-VIP) in Quezon City, a non-profit organization that uses science, education and advocacy to build a network of local community scientists. In 2021, he also became programme head for Bantay Kalikasan, a non-governmental organization that restored Manila’s La Mesa Watershed Reservation.

Now, Ascalon continues to balance family life with work life: in May, he took a step back from non-profit leadership to take care of his ageing parents. Ascalon consults on digital transformation for the ABS-CBN Foundation in Quezon City, which oversees the SEA Institute-VIP and Bantay Kalikasan. Ascalon tells Nature why prioritizing family responsibilities has helped his career to thrive in a personally meaningful direction.

What did you like about working in industry?

I loved working with the brightest people in their fields. My colleagues had the skills, experience and drive to succeed. That pushed my teams to achieve world-class results. Our environmental-management programme, for example, earned industry recognition for reducing emissions and hazards in our decades-old manufacturing facility. Our leaders led by example and knew how to coach and motivate. In the organization’s culture, individuals were trusted to do what was right for their customers and partners, so there was minimal bureaucracy. Because of this, I had a sense of fulfillment, as well as pride, in taking part in teamwork.

What was it like to leave your industry position to focus on your family?

My years as a stay-at-home father were the most fulfilling ones of my life. I got to spend quality time with my daughters during their formative years, and we formed bonds that would not have been possible if I had been pursuing a career. I worried about losing professional experience and getting left behind in terms of skills, industry practice and career advancement. But my perspective had shifted. My family was my new job and main responsibility.

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The most difficult task was getting the children out of the door to get to school on time. I had to learn new skills, such as baking, cooking and cleaning. I had developed time-management skills while working in industry, so juggling my daughters’ busy schedules made me feel right at home. I approached learning new tasks by doing research, reading, watching videos, experimenting, practicing and setting up systems that helped me to get things done.

It helped that I could share my experiences and swap household tips and shopping advice in Switzerland with other Filipino families and stay-at-home fathers. I’m happy that being a ‘house dad’ is now widely accepted, and even praised, in Filipino culture, which used to focus more on stereotypical ‘masculinity’ in men. I was the envy of most of my fellow dads.

What did you enjoy about being executive director at a conservation non-profit organization?

I loved enabling others to succeed. Seeing a fisher learning the connection between their livelihood and the need to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity was rewarding. Another highlight was youth leaders asking for copies of our workshop materials to teach younger kids about the importance of the marine food web. These were small but crucial steps to empowering communities to protect marine and coastal ecosystems around the Verde Island Passage.

When you took the director position at SEA Institute-VIP, which skills transferred well from your industry work?

When you’re in a corporate setting, you have to plan ahead. What funding, people and skills will you need five years from now? You’re also dealing with different stakeholders, from government officials to community members.

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So you prioritize tasks. You look for projects that have a chance of succeeding. You put in a bit of risk. Simply repeating goals that you know can be achieved won’t move the needle. You also have to develop a healthy acceptance of failure. Learn from it, and then move on to the next thing.

I brought this approach to my non-profit work. For example, when we launched a marine-science camp for families and young people, marketing and coordinating it drained our resources. So we pivoted to marketing the camps to schools and companies, simplifying planning and coordination. But we realized that this approach is less applicable when working with communities, so we had to find different ways to work with community partners.

What skills were you missing for environmental non-profit work?

It was a challenge to engage with government agencies, officials and institutions to gain their support for our programmes and activities. Although I had worked with regulatory bodies as an environmental officer in industry, navigating the politics and personalities at our several public partners required time, patience and people skills.

How did you address this gap?

I sought out mentors inside and outside non-profit circles, who had previous experience and success, observed how they worked with government partners and took their advice to heart. I learnt that it’s crucial to find common ground for collaboration, manage and defuse conflict and sometimes reassess objectives to be more realistic.

In the corporate setting, you could barrel through the decision-making process by taking risks as a leader. This same approach would be disastrous with government agencies and communities, because it would lead to mistrust in you and your foundation’s sincerity and goals.

Why have you chosen to work as a consultant now?

It’s not as exciting as being out in the field, but I needed to step back to take care of my mother. My wife and I at the age when we are taking care of our parents, instead of our adult children. As a consultant, I get the flexibility to decide when and where to work.

What do you do now in your consultant role?

The lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic prevented many non-profit organizations in the Philippines from reaching the people they were serving. Many aspects of our work had to stop. Now that we’re catching up, I’ve found that many of these groups haven’t shifted to digital tools and work processes. As a consultant, I am helping the ABS-CBN Foundation to reduce the time and effort spent by employees on routine and repetitive tasks. This will free up time to engage more with stakeholders. Organizations that fail to adapt to new working norms or to make use of digital tools and platforms will quickly find themselves at a disadvantage. I realized this work is essential to the survival of the foundation.