Jess started life at DWA in 2001 as a postconference coordinator. She collected program evaluations and sent them to a research firm to be tabulated. Then, she took the Excel spreadsheet the firm returned and “made it pretty.” From such humble beginnings, a dynamic and fulfilling career took shape. Jess’s career at DWA has taken her on a journey through a variety of departments and a progression of positions. She’s grown with the company, and that’s how she likes it.
“It’s always changing. The projects and work we’re doing now are completely different from when I started. We keep improving, evolving, and making things more efficient. Each one of us has to improve, evolve, and grow right along with the company and the industry. That is the challenge and when you successfully meet that challenge is when you get the most fulfillment from your work.”
Jess says she’s an “in-the-moment person.”
“I don’t think far into the future very often. I want to do the best I can in the role I’m in.” As one of two managers of Project Support Services, she wants to be a voice for the individuals in her department so “they will continue to grow within the company and be where they want to be on their career path.”
Jess was motivated to join the company by two friends who worked here. From Postconference Coordinator, she became a project coordinator, senior project coordinator, and then a project manager and team lead. For a time, she was an activity manager at CME Enterprise (CMEE). “When I came back from CMEE, even though I had been here before and knew all the roles, everything had changed. There was a learning curve. I needed to get up to speed on the new processes so I could guide others. I wanted to be a good manager and a good resource for individuals on my team.”
Throughout her career at DWA, she found that she enjoyed training new employees, and her advice to anyone who wants to work here is simple: “You’ve got to have passion and be proud of the work you’re doing. It really is a career. If you don’t look at it that way, you won’t be successful.”
Jess’s one word to describe DWA is “sincere.”
“Even though DWA has grown, it doesn’t have a big corporation feel. It has a home-grown quality. Deborah says she cares about her employees, and I really do believe that because she shows it. That sincerity trickles down. Deborah has surrounded herself and the company with people who are passionate, as well as compassionate. There are lots of role models here. At other places, you may have only one role model, but I can think of a number of people here that I respect and whose opinion I seek out. It makes you want to do a better job.”
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