What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job and why?
The most rewarding aspect of my job is the easiest to answer: I get to work with and meet incredible people who are looking to make their little corner of the world better, stronger, and more innovative. I feel lucky to be able to learn from and build alongside so many brilliant people in our community. Another aspect of this job that I love is that no day is ever the same — although COVID has changed that a bit — which can also sometimes be the biggest challenge. There is always more work to do, more people to meet, more ideas to generate and grow, and more problems to solve, so knowing when to call it a day can sometimes be tricky.
Who do you look up to or admire in business and why?
If he was still here with us, the answer would undoubtedly be my father because he built an insurance agency in Eau Claire and I got to tag along on many of his house calls, where he truly taught me what it means to build relationships and the importance of that in business.
Locally here in Madison, I have come to deeply admire Kim Sponem, CEO and president of Summit Credit Union and our immediate past chair at the chamber. She seems to have mastered the ability to walk the very narrow path that women — particularly those in business — have to walk: she is both strong and kind, confident and empathetic, smart and thoughtful. She is also the perfect example of why representation matters. Summit’s services and programming that give women tools to take control of their own finances directly reflect the experiences of the person at the top. It is inspiring to watch people like Kim use their considerable talents to help others.
What has been the high point of your career so far?
Isn’t this it? In all seriousness, I feel like I am currently at the high point of my career. Working in an organization that is rising to the occasion to address not only the new landscape created by the pandemic but also diversity, equity, and inclusion has been an honor. Couple that with the ability to tap into all the skills that I have learned throughout my career to build, launch, and execute new programs and support existing programs to help our members, our businesses, our community, and our economy — if that isn’t a high point, I don’t know what is.
Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Embrace not knowing where you are going. I have never been the kind of person who has a five-year or 10-year plan. Success to me looks like someone who has learned more, grown more, and helped more from year to year. But when I was in my 20s, I thought that meant that I was doing it wrong, although I didn’t know what “it” was. Looking back and realizing that every job I had gave me a chance to develop new skills and learn from new people, I would tell myself to focus on that instead of the map.
What would you say are the best things about living and working in Dane County?
It’s probably a cop out if I say “everything,” huh? I always joke that Madison is a small town parading as a big city and I think that’s why I love it so much. It has all of the things I love about big cities — amazing restaurants, access to the arts, beautiful views, rooftop bars, and innovative thinkers — but with the charm and pace of a much smaller city. In my job, I see that building relationships and building trust are valued here. I also love the access to the outdoors. I love walking my dog, a 9-year-old dachshund named Oskar, around Brittingham Bay, doing the Lake Loop on my bike, or heading to Devil’s Lake or Gibraltar Rock for a hike. Madison also has such a big heart, with so many people and organizations wanting to do good things for other people.
Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
I feel like the title “jack-of-all-trades, master of none” is really more my style, so there isn’t one thing that stands out. I asked my best friend what my answer to this question should be and her response was, “You have very pretty handwriting — like a font.” I do love to write cards and thank-you notes, which I find to be such meaningful gestures, and a lot of people that I send thank-you notes to often comment on my handwriting, so I guess I’ll go with that.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Give me a good murder mystery, true crime, or psychological thriller book, podcast, or audiobook and I’ll be a happy camper. My favorite author for that genre is Tana French and I have absolutely inhaled every book she has ever written, several times finishing them in a day or two. Also: dessert. I never go out to dinner without at least looking at the dessert menu — and a majority of the time I get one!
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