“This too shall pass… we’re going to get through this and learn from this- whether it’s good or bad- and it’s going to pass.”

Q: What does success mean to you?
A: For me, what success means is that I make a difference every day. What I mean by that is that I’m mentoring and coaching employees so they are furthering their careers so they can get promoted. And success is adding value to the bottom line.

Q: What advice would you give to women starting out in this industry?
A: Be patient. You are coming into an organization that is becoming more diversified. Take baby steps. And learn all you can learn.

Q: What is your biggest motivator?
A: Sharing personal experiences and my skill set with peers and subordinates

Q: What is your superpower?
A: Coaching and facilitating. On a daily basis I probably coach 13-14 people a day. I get energized because when you’re coaching people who want to learn and hear about your life experiences… coaching isn’t just about work. It’s important to teach people how to have a balance between work and their life. When that balance scale is tipped to one side your whole life gets turned upside down. If you are not happy at work, find something else to do, because you bring that negativity into your home life. Then, your home life ends up feeding on it because when you come home from work you focus on the negative and people need to focus on the positive in life

Q: Who influenced you growing up?
A: My nanny- my grandmother. She died at a very young age and she worked, and back in those days women didn’t have a full time career, they were supposed to stay home. She taught me that anything I set my mind on I could do. And when an obstacle came your way, turn it into an opportunity

Q: How have you seen women empowering other women in the work place/ How can you?
A: Empowerment goes with delegating to individuals. That’s key because for empowerment you want people to own things, so you have to learn how to delegate. Delegation is helping people become more empowered with their responsibilities. On a project I may be the leader but I am going to delegate a lot so people are empowered to learn and so they learn how to coach and mentor people also.

Q: What is your personal motto?
A: This too shall pass- we’re going to get over this situation/hurdle. We’re going to have our good times and our bad times but just remember this is a short period in time. And what’s going to happen is we’re going to get through this and learn from this- whether it’s good or bad- and it’s going to pass. And as you’re growing as a person and learning to manage, you have to look at people and say don’t bring me problems bring me solutions.