Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have had full support for my personal and professional goals. My earliest
childhood memories include one of my grandmother telling me that I could do anything I wanted to do with my life. Every time I received a promotion in the early years of my retail career, my grandmother would ask, “Are you president yet?” This type of consistent support—coming from a woman born in 1908—helped me form my opinions of myself, strengthened my confidence and drove my accomplishments.

Many people have helped me and inspired me in my career. My first retail company allowed me the opportunity to experience all the different disciplines within human resources, providing the foundation on which I operate today. I also was given the experience of a lifetime when I was asked to leave a high-level HR position to operate a $300 million business. The learning curve was steep, but my individual growth and development could not have been achieved any other way.

“The glass is always half full” has been my lifelong philosophy. I don’t know how to live my life or lead my teams in any other way. Give me an issue or a situation that needs a solution, and you’ve got my attention!

One common element in every job I’ve held is that I’ve helped people and companies manage change. From individual coaching to complex, large-scale organizational restructuring, dealing with and managing business change are at the heart of what I do. I am dedicated to helping people and companies get to that next level of competence or achieve that next goal.

Throughout my career I have learned some very important lessons that I would share with anyone entering the work force:

  • Keep your eye on the goal and honor the past. Although you may think that everything needs to be changed, remember that the decisions made prior to yours were relevant in a previous time.
  • Never compromise your personal integrity. It is the most important attribute you have.
  • A leader’s most important role is to be a change agent. It requires you to use all your leadership skills and allows for personal, professional and organizational growth.
  • There is no better way to coach your employees or the organization than by how you carry yourself. We are the ultimate models, and we must act accordingly.