Age: 32
Occupation: Director, Washington Public Library
What’s the best advice you ever received: Do what you do best and delegate the rest.
What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments: Being named a Forty Under 40 is definitely up there with my greatest professional achievements so far. Otherwise, having our library staff earn the Washington chapter of the AAUW’s (American Association of University Women) Education Award last year was wonderful. I was also proud to be appointed by the governor to the Southeast Iowa STEM Board from 2012 to 2015.
What would most people be surprised to learn about you: I am a self-proclaimed name geek. If you have an interesting name I will probably ask you all about its origins, meaning and significance – this coming from a person whose name peaked 30 years before her birth.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career: I wish I had known that respectfully saying “no” right away if something is not going to work will save hours and hours of headache later.
How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life: I go home for lunch every day. I’m incredibly lucky to have a husband who was willing to put his career on hold to stay home with our kids, and I love to spend an hour in the middle of my day with them. It recharges my batteries for the rest of the day.
If you had $1 million to give, what causes would you support: If I had $1 million to give, I would offer support to public libraries, school libraries, domestic violence programs, empowerment programs for young girls, and safe water programs in third-world countries.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt: I’ve always thought it would be fun to moonlight as a lounge singer or comic book artist.
