Age: 38
Occupation: Senior Public Relations Specialist, Rockwell Collins
What’s the best advice you ever received?
“Shave your goatee if you want to get a job in TV news” from a news director at a TV station I interned at in college.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I wish I would have been more open to suggestion than I was early in career. Instead, I was defensive at times as a way to not damage my pride when all that people were trying to do was to help me.
How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life?
When I’m home, I try my best to not check work e-mail on my phone. Once you start checking, you can easily get drawn away from people that matter most.
If you had $1 million to give, what causes would you support?
JDRF is close to my heart having served on the Eastern Iowa Chapter board for many years. Also, Las Hope Animal Rescue where I help foster dogs, but for a majority of the money, I’d work to find a well-deserving non-profit that typically is ignored.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I have a strong interest in program management and leading a team that develops a product or solution that greatly satisfies a customer.
What do you want to accomplish by the time you are 50?
I’m very much a present thinker, so getting specific about the future is tough for me, but I do know I would find great satisfaction in leading people to unlock their full potential and achieve even greater success in their jobs.
