I’m originally from Buffalo, NY (Go Bills!), and 13 years ago, I made the move to Chicago, IL. After graduating from the University of Buffalo, I continued to Roosevelt University to obtain my Masters of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. When I’m not diving into work that I love, I can be found doing one of three things: chasing a wild toddler, working out, or in the dirt trying my hardest to have a green thumb. 

I’ve spent the last 10 years working with professional internal communicators across the U.S., planning educational conferences on a variety of topics. These events were primarily focused on creating and maintaining exceptional employee experiences through improved communications. I had the opportunity to help the organization make its mark on the internal communications industry by forming a robust community where these professionals can continue to collaborate and learn from one another over the course of their career.

My biggest takeaway from a decade within my last role was the power that effective communications and storytelling can have to evoke feelings in an audience and create lasting behavior change. Regardless of the size of the organization I was working with, the revenue being brought in, or the industry, the topics, challenges, and barriers remained the same across them all. Employees had the desire to feel connected (with the organization's mission and one another), be informed, and be recognized. I believe this strategy holds true across the board for marketing and communications. Our audiences want to feel involved with the mission we're pursuing, be informed so they can make the best decisions, and have some sort of recognition or reward for taking the proposed action.

I believe my purpose is to utilize my communications skills and my passion for storytelling to make the world a better place for myself and others, but most importantly for my 2-year old son. Becoming a mother truly adjusted the way I look at things. I began to focus on my actions and how they impact not just my home, but my neighborhood, and society as a whole. Identifying my passion was made clear when I came across REACH Strategies. I knew that this was where I needed to be. 

Being able to align my career with the same ideologies I am trying to practice in my everyday life just makes sense. What I hope to be able to contribute to the organization is connecting with customers on their EV journey and helping to make the process easy to understand, fun, and exciting. Additionally, I want to help educate the masses in what EVs mean for them, their family, and their communities.

While it has only been a month since I’ve joined the team, I can’t express the excitement I approach each work day with. Being able to contribute to a field that is gaining rapid momentum fuels me to bring my best self forward each day. I think every professional, wherever you are in your career, should have the opportunity to feel that way about their work. I look forward to month two and beyond.