Charlotte has been the backdrop to many of the major milestones in my adult life after moving here from Chapel Hill in 2010. During the last 13 years, the Charlotte skyline has been there in the background as I – bought my first home at 26, said goodbye to my mother when she passed away, changed careers, met my husband at OMB (and married him at Catawba Brewery), completed my MBA at Queens, bought our home in Huntersville and welcomed our two beautiful girls. I have formed amazing friendships and deepened my relationship with my sister, her children and my brother as we all call Charlotte home.
Charlotte has also been the catalyst to transform my career and align with my passion for connecting with people. In my professional life, I work as a talent program manager at Equitable. I have the pleasure of working with talented individuals across our organization in developing programs that aid in their professional growth and spark their motivation as they move throughout the employee lifecycle. I work with recent graduates exploring their career opportunities, experienced employees becoming new leaders, and all team members looking to accelerate their growth through activating our pillars of performance practices. I have had the pleasure of being on the Charlotte Alliance Young Professional Board for two years with a focus on our member engagement. I am energized every day that I am provided the opportunity to connect with incredibly talented people, create moments that matter, and fuel my passions.
As I near the end of my “young professional” career and hit my next milestone of turning 40, I often think about the parallels between the growth and transformation that Charlotte has gone through since 2010 and my own personal and professional growth in that same timeframe. All of the mistakes, milestones and relationships I have made in the last 13 years have transformed me from a young, single woman looking to jumpstart a career in a new city, to a working mother looking to set an example for other women (and my own girls) that despite challenges and roadblocks, you can be resilient and pave your own path. Much like Charlotte – I/we have a lot.
