What should your clients know about you from the start? What is your “superpower”?
I’d say my superpower is that I bring energy and positivity—or energetic positivity— and look at things in a positive, solutions-oriented way. I’m always thinking through what the client is trying to achieve and how we can help them get there.
Many people, when you come to them with a situation, say “The problem is…” I don’t ever start with that. Instead, I say, “What are we trying to accomplish?”
I believe positivity and collaboration go together. The client is bringing us in for a reason. We’re here to work with you, to listen to you, to bring forward our best assessment, our best advice, our recommendations, and in a collaborative way. By using a collaborative approach, we can get the best outcomes and achieve something that we previously never thought possible.
What is your motto, or a phrase that people associate with you?
For my entire career, I’ve used the word “teammate” instead of “staff.”
Many leaders want a culture of collaboration and a feeling of belonging in their organization. And being thoughtful about your actions, your words, can help foster a positive culture.
Instead of calling someone a staff member or an employee, calling them a “teammate” gets back to that culture you set when we’re working together. If you look at an orchestra, or a sports team, they’re obviously on the same team working in harmony and sometimes we have to reinforce the sense of teamwork with the words we use.
What other career paths have called to you?
I’ve always thought that if I didn’t go down the City Manager route, I could see myself being in mission-driven organizations like non-profit work where there’s a clear vision and goals. For example, I’d be interested in working at an organization like the American Heart Association or Donate Life America whose purposes are quite clear.
What inspires you about the public sector?
I’m inspired by the people. It’s my colleagues and teammates; it’s the people that are serving on commissions, boards, elected officials; and it’s the people in our communities, too. Truly that’s the motivating part—the talent, the dedication that people have for their work and communities.
I’m driven and inspired by the broad spectrum of public services and the people we get to work with on our engagements. And that’s the really cool thing about being a consultant, when you can step in and see that passion in an organization.
What made you want to affiliate with MRG?
For me, it’s the values that MRG holds. Their philosophy aligns with me both personally and professionally.
At MRG, we’re focused on relationships, we’re focused on partnerships, we’re focused on transformative outcomes, on co-creating with our clients, on making sure that the outcomes really are something that they can use. It’s the commitment to our profession, to local government or government in general, and to making positive impact.
The things that MRG has achieved are very much what I want to do, and I’m happy to be aligned with this team.