I am here for you

I think local government employees are the backbone of our communities. I have worked in three different local governments and love the people and the mission of public service. I also recognize the challenges.

Human resource professionals are my kind of folks because they want to help and they are fascinated by people. Most of my career I served as a volunteer manager. Basically human resources, but without the pay and benefits. Leading volunteers taught me all about people, their motivations, communication styles, how to plan for turnover, and more.

As a leading edge Millennial I entered the workforce at the moment that baby boomers began to retire. As I have watched my baby boomer colleagues plan their retirement, I have seen the struggles they face in preparing to leave a career that really mattered to them. They worry about leaving the department unprepared. They put off retirement, or they begin to disconnect with the work as they shift their focus to taking care of ailing parents or grandkids.

My peers are looking for meaningful work, but usually seeking it out at startups or nonprofits instead of considering a career in government. I have ideas for how to educate millennials about the opportunities in public service and how to bring out the best that local government has to offer to make it a great place to work.

Are you facing challenges with getting staff to communicate with one another, share knowledge, or build strong working relationships? I am fascinated by these challenges and would love to chat.

I’m passionate about this enough that I spent my nights and weekends studying how people relate to one another at work and how we can increase knowledge sharing and build strong workplace relationships. For my trouble I was granted a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University’s School of Public Policy.

After grad school I wanted to see the country close up and try helping in many different ways. My husband and I took an epic road trip in which we volunteered in a different community every week. We wrote about our adventures and realized the importance of being rooted in a place and giving back. Now we live in Flagstaff, Arizona. I volunteer at the community theater, local history museum, Toastmasters, with mountain biking groups, and was recently appointed to a City commission.