Ann Carruthers

I think my success is because I'm a leader. I don't look for excuses of why people treat me this way - I look for ways to navigate and strategize to be in the spaces where I know there may be opposition. I've gotten to places where I knew that I needed to have a certain level of influence so that people would hear me. I'm on six community boards - the Chamber, the workforce, Southerland Works, IUS, and obviously I'm elected on the school board. I'm able to navigate and strategize to know where I need to be in order to make the most influence, or have the most influence. I was told just two weeks ago that people know that when I show up in the room, things are gonna change. I'm not just in the room just to be in the room - I want to see change, I want to make change. I want people to understand a community in a broader aspect of every person that's on whatever social economic platform or place they're in. I want them to know that I'm representing all those individuals when I walk into a room. I also think my no-quit attitude and resilience have been the catalyst for my success. I've got strong roots in ethics and morals, and I believe my word is my bond.

The best career advice I received was just two weeks ago when I was told that people know that when you show up in the room, things are gonna change. That really resonated with me because I'm at the precipice of my career, and I don't feel like time is valuable enough to just be in the room just to be in the room. I want to see change, I want to make change. I want people to understand a community in that broader aspect of every person that's on whatever social economic platform or place they're in. I want people to see that, and I want them to know that I'm representing all those individuals when I walk into a room.

Just do it. Just be who you are. Let your words define your work, and don't compromise for anyone or overcompensate. I feel like sometimes young people feel like they've got to be a certain way. I mean, there are some things we have to conform to - we do it all the time with dress codes, like no tennis shoes in a restaurant. Those are things that we may have to do. But when it comes to who we are and our identity, because there's no you and no one can speak for you, so just don't overcompensate or compromise who you are. Don't let anyone outwork you.

One of the biggest challenges I really think is our prevention work. Prevention is something that you can't really see until it doesn't happen, right? So it's really undervalued. And I think this is where I'm also influential, because we're always doing things to prevent the next thing. Once you have a conversation with someone, they understand what not to do. The power of that goes not just from your conversation, but they take that to their family and other family members. So I think if we were to strengthen the conversations around maybe someone having a mentor, what not to do - everyone needs to hear some tips about life. Once we understand what we're doing is not right or not the norm, because sometimes people have an understanding of what they've seen before as being right, that's when real change happens.

The values most important to me are honesty, ethics, consistency, intentionality, faithfulness, and resilience. These principles guide everything I do, both professionally and personally. I believe my word is my bond, and I've got strong roots in ethics and morals. These values are what make me who I am.