Age: 38
Occupation: Executive Director – Pathways Adult Day Care Center/Pentacrest Inc.
What are your greatest professional achievements: My greatest professional achievements are leading a fundraising campaign and renovation/expansion project of Pathways five years ago. This project taught me many new skills and also a lot about perseverance. I have also had a part of leading many successful fundraising events over the past decade and gaining great knowledge of event planning and fundraising.
Who are your mentors: Dan Strellner (president, Abbe Inc.), Kathy Horan (vice president aging services, Abbe Inc.) and Willa Dickens (owner, Herteen and Stocker Jewelers).
Best advice you ever received: The best advice I have ever received was to continue challenging yourself. By putting myself in new, and sometimes uncomfortable, situations, I have been able to continue challenging myself to learn new skills and avoid complacency.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career: I wish I had all of the knowledge I have now. I didn’t realize earlier in my career how much I didn’t know about networking, management, business and so much more. I still have much to learn and experience in these areas, but my knowledge is light-years ahead of where I was when I started.
What’s something people should know about your generation in the workplace: My generation is able to balance work with personal life and also take an active role in volunteering in the community. The technology that exists today can help balance these different areas when used properly. I can leave my office to attend my kid’s activities and check email from my phone and login from home. There are pitfalls to having this technology, but the benefits for me far outweigh missing out on the important events in life.
