School Board Campaigns Manager, Stand for Children
Years as a Camper: Only one summer as a camper - 2005; CILT/CIT - 2006-2007
Years as a Staff Member/Positions held:
2008-2013
2010: Butterfly Unit Leader
2011-2012: Head Female Counselor
2013: Programs Coordinator
Current Profession and Title/Years in role:
I am currently the School Board Campaigns Manager for Stand for Children. I have been there since February 2022. Before that, I worked in campaigns, non-profits and higher education.
Can you provide a brief overview of your job responsibilities?
My main responsibility is to establish and implement an initiative to increase voter turnout in school board elections across the county to elect public education champions.
Do you have any career advice for members of our Camp community?
Actually, Brown Bear gave me some really great advice one summer. I think I asked her something along the lines of, “BB, how do I know what I am supposed to do for the rest of my life?” And BB told me to throw any five-year plan I had out the window because you never know what opportunities will be around the corner.
That turned out to be good advice when several years later, I took a big risk and shifted from a career in higher education/non-profit work to political campaigns. Campaigns were not in any sort of five-year plan for me. I was scared to pack up the life, friends and community I had made in Philadelphia where I lived for several years to move to Iowa to work on a presidential campaign, but it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Also, always negotiate for a higher salary ;)
What do you believe have been some of your greatest personal and professional accomplishments?
Personal: I have hit my monthly running goal for 51 consecutive months - I can be very stubborn/persistent when I want to be!
Professional: I was promoted twice during my first campaign. Also, there can be a lot of losing in the campaign world, but I am proud to have been a staff member for two high-stakes campaign wins.
How do the values or skills you learned at Camp show up in your everyday work and/or personal life?
I am who I am today as a friend, professional, leader and overall person because of the values instilled in me during my time at Kanata. Even to this day, I talk about my time as a camp counselor during job interviews. Camp taught me everything from how to be a servant leader to how to have confidence in using my voice (thank you flagpole cheers). Respect is the value I center my life around. I believe that all the other YMCA character traits can be found under the umbrella of Respect.
Is there a person or a situation that had a huge influence on you while you were at Camp? How and why did they/it impact you?
Camp gave me lifelong friends, who I still turn to for support, love, advice and laughs. These folks continue to have a huge influence on my life.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t give in to Imposter Syndrome.
Favorite Camp meal: Mac and Cheese Triangles for sure
Favorite dining hall or flagpole song: This is so hard. Princess Pat, Rise and Shine (Noah’s Arkie song), and Show me the way to go home/Vista.
All-time favorite skit memory: I was quite opinionated when I was on Ad Staff during the voting for best skit. It is still my very strong opinion that the Butterfly Wikipedia skit from 2011 or maybe 2012 was robbed. Weirdest and best skit in the hundreds of Camp skits I saw throughout the years.
Devotion you best remember from Camp: As a trainee, star gazing was such a special experience.
What three words best describe you? Passionate, determined, & goofy
What profession other than your own would you like to try? I would love to be a cast member on Saturday Night Live.
