Her Story
About Diane
I started in the hospitality culinary field about 24 years ago because I was a single mom looking for a job that would allow me to be with my kids when they were in school. I began working in schools so I could work the times that they were in school, and it just kind of blossomed from there. I worked in elementary education, then moved into collegiate hospitality, then healthcare, and now I'm working in hotel bed and breakfast as a chef and house manager for a local bed and breakfast. What I'm most proud of is the fact that I have managed to work across kind of the same field but different environments, and I've grown into leadership roles in every single one that I've worked in without having to go through the ranks. I've started someplace new and immediately gone into leadership roles, adapted very quickly, and been able to mentor other people in those fields. My experience working with the Department of Agriculture and the Health Department taught me a lot about rules and regulations, which led me into roles like safety ambassador and champion, where I was responsible for making sure that everybody was following all the rules and regulations. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I was able to work with them and learn everything along the way.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Diane
01What do you attribute your success to?
I am just motivated to make my family happy and proud. I've always just been a single mom for a long time, so I've worked hard to just make sure that they were taken care of and make sure that I could provide. That's been my motivation through the years, and then after a while, it was like, I was pretty proud of myself too.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Make sure you take every opportunity that comes your way, even if it's something you don't think that may be for you. Please give it a try, because you never know. It may be something that you like. It may be something that you never expected, but give it your all, and you'll never regret, even if it's not something that's your path. I encourage young women to always seek out every single opportunity.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is just learning to be flexible. Everything changes so much in hospitality, so you have to learn to change with the times. The newest and most upcoming thing changes every day, whether it's style or what is popular, you have to adapt to appease the overall population.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is most important to me. I want to make sure that I am very straightforward and honest with what not only I am telling to somebody, but what I'm providing and what I'm giving them. I don't want to promise somebody something and then not show up for it. That's the biggest thing. If you're gonna show up, make sure you show out.
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