BreAnna Marie Robinson

I attribute much of my success to the people who have supported, challenged, and believed in me along the way. I was blessed to grow up surrounded by a loving family, supportive grandparents, and a hardworking mother who was an incredible role model. Whether I was facing a difficult season, trying something new, or even experiencing failure, I always had a strong support system to lean on and remind me that setbacks were not the end of the road.

I’ve also been fortunate to cross paths with incredible mentors throughout my career and life. Through different jobs and experiences, I’ve collected lessons, advice, and examples of leadership that have stayed with me. Each person taught me something different—not only about how to succeed, but about the kind of person and leader I wanted to become.

Ultimately, I think my success comes from a combination of a strong foundation, a willingness to learn, and the ability to take the lessons I’ve been given and make them my own.

The best career advice I’ve ever received came from Mark Field. He met me briefly in my career and very quickly saw something in me that, based on his own experience in the industry, he knew could take me far. He also recognized that as a young, ambitious woman working in an industry with a lot of people older than me, I was going to have to work even harder to earn respect and prove myself.

At the same time, he reminded me that I don’t have to dim my light to make other people feel comfortable. I’m not an intimidating person by nature, but I’ve learned that my drive, ambition, and the way I show up and excel can sometimes intimidate people who aren’t able or willing to keep up.

I’ve been reminded to keep doing my best and remember that I’m not in competition with anyone else. My only real competition is the person I was yesterday.

There will always be people who try to belittle you, question you, or make you feel like you’re shining too brightly. Mark’s advice helped me understand that I can’t let that change who I am or how I show up. Keep growing, keep doing the work, and keep shining!

First, understand that if you’re looking for the spotlight, the event industry may not always satisfy that. So much of what we do happens behind the scenes, and many of the things you accomplish may never receive public recognition or praise. You’re often working to make someone else’s vision come to life, make someone else look good, or create an experience that people will remember—and that requires being comfortable not always being the one in the spotlight.

Go into this industry with your pride aside and the right heart. Servant leadership is incredibly important. Don’t do this work for the publicity; do it because you want to make an impact. You want to elevate others, create meaningful experiences, and contribute something positive to your community.

I’d also encourage young women to become comfortable wearing a lot of different hats. The event industry requires you to manage multiple avenues at once, jump from task to task, adapt quickly, solve problems on the fly, and move seamlessly from one project to another. The ability to stay organized, flexible, and composed while juggling a lot of moving pieces will take you far.

And finally, don’t underestimate the value of doing the work well—even when nobody is watching. Your reputation, your relationships, and the impact you make behind the scenes will often become the foundation for future opportunities.

Specifically in my work with the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, I think we are standing at a really exciting—and pivotal—moment for our community. Oak Ridge is growing rapidly as a result of the expansion of the nuclear industry and the workforce that will come with it. We have an incredibly dedicated team at the City working to prepare for that growth, but with an incoming workforce comes a much broader set of needs: housing, childcare, workforce development, infrastructure, and ultimately, the resources and quality of life needed to support the people who will be moving into our community.

None of those challenges have an overnight fix or a simple solution. They require partnerships, collaboration, and a lot of honest conversations between businesses, government, nonprofits, community leaders, and residents. I think we are in a very strong position economically, but there is also a tremendous amount of pressure on all of us to pick up the pace and be strategic about how we prepare for what’s coming. We have a unique opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive.

There’s also a very real challenge that comes with working in the nonprofit world. We often have big ideas and a strong desire to do more for our communities, but we operate within tight budgets and rely heavily on sponsorships, partnerships, and the generosity of others to make those ideas possible. That can be challenging, but it also forces us to be creative, resourceful, and intentional about how we use the resources we have.

Ultimately, I see the challenges as opportunities to bring people to the table, think differently, and build partnerships that can have a lasting impact. Oak Ridge has an incredible opportunity in front of it, and I’m excited to be part of the work of making sure our community is ready not just for growth, but for sustainable, meaningful growth.

The values that are most important to me are community, integrity, collaboration, advocacy, and purpose. I believe strongly in being an active participant in the community you’re a part of—not simply existing within it, but finding ways to contribute, advocate for others, and leave things better than you found them.

I also value collaboration tremendously. I believe the greatest impact rarely comes from one person working alone. It comes from bringing people together, building relationships, sharing ideas, and finding common ground to accomplish something bigger than any one of us could do individually.

Passion is another important value for me. I want to genuinely care about the people, causes, and organizations I choose to support. When I commit to something, I want to give it my whole heart and show up with intention.

At the core of all of that is integrity and a desire to do things that extend beyond myself. I want my work and my involvement in my community to have a meaningful impact. I believe in working hard, showing up, doing what you say you’re going to do, and using whatever influence or opportunities you have to make a difference for others.