Motivated. Authentic. Mindful.
Current Employer & Job Title: Alliance for Positive Health, Assistant Director of Program Services
Age: 33 | Hometown: Rochester, NY | Education: BA from SUNY Plattsburgh
A true team player Vanessa is all about the greater good. Working with community based organizations you have the most affect on the world around you. Leading with empathy and kindness it is souls like Vanessa’s that make the world a kinder place.
How does company culture impact you and what do you do to contribute to it?
Company culture can have both a positive and/or negative impact on your experience working somewhere. It was important for me to find a place of employment that had an overall positive company culture where I felt included, heard and valued. Over the years working at my agency, I have tried my best to be supportive, respectful, transparent, and what I believe is most important, own up to mistakes I may make along the way.
What strategies do you use to approach the day?
I try to always start my day with a plan. With this plan comes the understanding that my plan is not always going to be accomplished in the way I originally expected, and that’s ok!
What is something that no one would guess about you?
Many people often will ask how I got interested in the work I do. Back when I was in college, I had the opportunity to live abroad in Tanzania, East Africa while completing a seven-month internship. That internship allowed me to travel and live in a new Maasai village each week where we focused on bio-intensive agriculture, HIV/AIDS education and meeting community members. It challenged me in so many ways and had a profound impact on who I am to this day.
What important lesson have you learned in your career?
The moment you get comfortable in your work is when you need to challenge yourself in another way.
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