Age: 35
Occupation: Community Manager/ Business Development, Sculpt
Greatest professional achievements: Exceeding $1 million in annual sales for MedLearn, including the creation of a new product for laboratory clients.
Who are your mentors: Patrick Gavin (CEO, Consumer Media Network), Kate Moreland (director of collaboration and community relations, Iowa City Area Development Group) and Eric Pottebaum (vice president of operations, Towne Health)
What would most people be surprised to learn about you: My first job out of college was launching a new Twizzler candy product for The Hershey Company. It included driving a PT Cruiser, shrunk-wrapped to look like the candy package, through 17 states for four months, getting 1 million media hits.
How do you ensure a balance between work and your personal life: Patience, kindness and understanding. I am patient with others and myself (most days.) I prioritize kindness as you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. I understand that we cannot do it all; but what we can do, we should do well. Even if that means frozen pizza for dinner. Oh yes, and coffee.
What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career: Difficult situations are the ones we learn the most from, pay close attention. And high heels are not worth the pain.
What’s something people should know about your generation in the workplace: Our generation appreciates the need for a healthy work/life balance, with an emphasis on creating a workplace culture that allows more flexibility and personal growth. This includes everything from office dress code and agile work environments, to effective leaders who inspire, rather than solely manage.
If you had $1 million to give, what causes would you support: People Against Distracted Driving (PADD) for their work in the prevention of distracted driving, through public awareness and education. More than 25 percent of all car crashes are caused by distracted drivers making every single one of them avoidable.
