Where did you grow up and how has your background influenced you today?
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA! Aside from still being an avid Pittsburgh sports fan, I think being from Pittsburgh has helped me be more down to earth in my work life. Being from a small city, where people will truly walk you to your destination if you're lost, it has helped me go the extra mile in customer service, sales, and eventually delivery. It was ingrained in me at a young age to be kind and help others – so serving customers was a natural progression!
Did you receive a scholarship at GW? If yes, how did your scholarship help you succeed?
I received a scholarship my senior year, as I was the head manager of the Women's Basketball team. The lessons I learned on the basketball team remain with me today – being part of a team, showing up when it's tough, and learning to be productive while working on the road. It also helped me feel valued as part of the GW community, as I never expected to be recognized for the work I did with the basketball team.
Tell us about your current professional role and why it excites you.
I am a delivery manager for Salesforce, so I help implement multi-million dollar projects with some of our most prized customers. I am responsible for being a servant leader to the implementation team to ensure that our contractual obligations are met and that they have what they need to be successful.
I love being part of a team, and I especially love having the opportunity to be a utility player. On teams, someone may be out unexpectedly, or just need additional help – and I am excited at the opportunity to step in and help ensure we don't miss a beat. The people I work with are some of the brightest and most successful in the country, and I am stoked everyday that I get to work with, lead, and support them.
Was there a standout course, professor, or organization from your time as a student that inspired your career path?
There were many!
The women's basketball team – I spent most of my time with this group and truly learned what it meant to be a servant leader. Doing laundry at 3am, standing in for drills, and long trips in the middle of the week – all of those experiences have definitely helped me be successful in my role today.
Professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti – she taught me that the more connected you are, the more successful you likely will be. This is so true in the "real world," and even though I started off in sports and ended up in tech consulting, those lessons are still true today. Being willing to do the grunt work was definitely a part of this lesson as well!
What is a piece of advice you would offer to students seeking to pursue your field of work?
Know when to be patient and work hard, and when to fight for yourself. The first two promotions I was given, my boss called me into his office (I assumed to talk about hockey), and he told me what an amazing job I was doing and gave me a promotion. I expected to just keep my head down and keep supporting the team.
After three years at that same company, I started asking for raises and promotions. I educated myself on what value I was providing and what I was being paid and made sure to fight for myself – but only when I had enough ground to stand on (I got those promotions too). But I had to do the work, learn the system, and prove that I could be put in several different situations and still be successful.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the GW community?
I now work in downtown D.C. and my heart is happy every single day that I get to be so close to the campus. It has changed so much since I've been there, but goodness do I love that place with my whole heart!