Age: 36
Occupation: Program Officer, Four Oaks
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishment: I have been able to build an innovative service delivery model called Total Child that ensures children as young as 3 years-old will become successful adults.
Who are your local mentors: Anne Gruenewald, CEO of Four Oaks Children and Family Services; Kelli Malone, chief program officer of Four Oaks; and Jane Drapeaux, CEO of HACAP.
What’s the best advice you ever received: The best advice I ever received was that great leaders build other leaders.
What would most people be surprised to learn about you: People would be surprised that my favorite musician is Johnny Cash.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career: Early in my career, I wish that I understood that diversity truly creates greatness. There are so many things that can happen with varied amounts of both intelligences – both mental intelligence and social intelligence. That’s where I think diversity is important, because you really start to learn all of these different pieces of intelligence, and it’s those pieces that create great things.
How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life: I am still working on balance between work and a personal life. It can be unconventional. I leave work early to truly spend time with my family, but once the kids go to bed, it’s back to work to organize for the next day.
What’s something people should know about your generation in the workplace: My generation is all about progression and outcomes. We want to take our field to the next level while achieving and proving outcomes.
If you had $1 million to give, what causes would you support: I would support early childhood interventions. We need to help the community become stronger through building stronger kids and families.
