What roles have you had throughout your time at Berkeley?
I’ve had a lot of different roles in different job fields and working in different areas on campus - both in the academic and administrative arenas. I began my career as a Senior Clerk Typist A which led to being a receptionist which led to being an intake advisor. As my career advanced I became the Director of an Undergraduate Major and then a Director of an Academic Center in the residence halls. I leveraged my advising experience to move in to a Senior Policy Analyst and Assistant Dean role before transitioning to the IT realm as a Business Analyst. That lead to my last job which was a Chief of Staff and Director of Organizational Strategy for IT. After many years I left IT for HR. My current position is as a Senior Organizational Strategist for Central Human Resources focusing on Employee Experience and Engagement.
You’ve been involved with a staff org, and have even started BPAWG! Did that involvement contribute to your growth, and if so how?
Creating BPAWG, the first recognized Community of Practice at Berkeley, was an incredibly rewarding experience. It contributed immensely to my growth professionally and personally as it allowed me to learn so much about the entire organization while at the same time greatly expanding my network. Soon after I was consulting other colleagues on how to start their own staff orgs and that was very gratifying as well. Chairing an organization like BPAWG also gave me access to campus leadership at all levels, which became helpful in growing my career as well.
What factors do you think helped you switch positions successfully within Berkeley?
Creating BPAWG gave me a level of visibility across campus that I did not have in my job at the time. Having a platform like that widened my network considerably. Being mentored, and mentoring, helped me as well. I found that people asked me to contribute to campus-wide efforts and projects which organically created new opportunities for me that I would never have thought of without such experiences. I think one of the biggest factors, however, is showing up and doing the work.
What do you do to keep growing as a professional?
I read. A lot. I start with the New York Times daily to keep current on worlds events. I subscribe to the the Berkeleyan, the Daily Cal, Berkeleyside and the SF Chronicle for local information. I always have some business book I am reading, and if I get tired of that genre then I like to read biographies. I also regularly read the Chronicle of Higher Ed and Gartner resources to keep me connected and learning about Higher Ed and my field in particular.
Additionally I volunteer to help colleagues in other efforts that provide stretch assignments for me or help grow my knowledge in general.
What was the most motivating thing someone told you on your career journey that you think would help others?
I am not sure what the most motivating thing I’ve been told is, because I have had the great fortune to have so many caring and supportive advisers throughout my career. But I do remember a time when I was on a large project that was not going very well and I was concerned about how it would impact me if it failed. A good friend at the time coached me “Your project may fail, but you won’t.” It really helped me view the work in a completely different manner. I learned that not every effort succeeds, but there is always something good that comes out of the work to be reused later and, additionally, it is a learning experience for me that will make me more effective on the next project.
Any final words of wisdom to staff looking to grow their careers at UC Berkeley?
I think I’ll leave you with something I learned in a lecture that deeply impressed me when I first heard it: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” I think it is really important to surround yourself with positive, smart and caring people who are also honest with you and can give good feedback. We all need cheerleaders and we also need (gentle) critics as well.
If you’d like to advance your career with today’s methods read about the corporate lattice model- here
Know someone (including yourself!) who has changed jobs at Berkeley? E-mail us at wisdomcafe@berkeley.edu to be featured.
