Many people have recently asked what brought me into the career path I'm currently pursuing? In an effort to be transparent and maybe even inspire others who seem to have changed their careers multiple times, I'd like to share a little more about my trajectory thus far.
I graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada with a Bachelor of Arts & Business, concentrating on Cultural Management with Minors in French and Drama. My first job while at University was building a marketing strategy for an independent entrepreneur who figured out how to produce environmentally friendly coffee and tea filters and ship them all over the world. I figured out how to sell them as a hospitality bundle to restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. The owner, Ted, was my first mentor and taught me how to golf and let me practice ballet in the warehouse while I was competing for Team Canada.
An open mind when it comes to company culture was cultivated early on. I soon after made the jump into a much larger corporation called Research in Motion - you may know it by its Blackberry products. Product launches were organized, mascot costumes were worn at the National Pond Hockey Tournament honoring Walter Gretzky, and I learned the value of working with a team.
My work placements in Nonprofit Management took me backstage, on TV, planning festivals, and giving educational tours at City-owned Museums in Kingston, Ontario, and even onstage at the Sarasota Opera in Florida where I met my husband, Kyle.
Since living in NYC, I've had the privilege of working with some of the country's premier Performing Arts Organizations, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and TheaterworksUSA. It's a difficult career path, working for a nonprofit - long hours and little pay until you reach retirement and you haven't got the energy to attend all the events anymore - but a rewarding one. I am always seeking worthy causes to assist in grantwriting, prospect research, campaign development and management, event management, volunteer management, and fundraising strategies.
The work I'm currently pursuing is that of strategy, partnerships, business development, and growth of startups and small-to-medium sized companies. I love alternative ideas to company culture and aim to foster a sense of wellbeing in any workplace. Networking and relationship building have become a concrete part of my professional life. I love solving problems and working with teams to decipher clients' needs and communicate an intentional and adaptable plan of attack to hit and exceed goals.