Her Story
About Emily
I've been in community development and outreach for about four or five years now with the Economic Action Group. Before that I spent ten years doing copywriting on 1099 contracts, especially enjoying writing for addiction recovery and mental health centers. I have a degree in political science and technical writing which I made practical by building websites and writing for various publications. My typical day involves interviewing nonprofit leaders about funding, doing data collection and synthesis, and creating narratives on how philanthropic and public funding impacts the nonprofit ecosystem in the Mahoning Valley.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A colleague advised me not to pursue a master's degree because people appreciate experience and knowledge more than the degree itself. This advice helped me avoid overqualifying myself and focus on demonstrating my skills, which has opened doors in my role at the Economic Action Group.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just go with the flow because you never know where the nonprofit and community development field will take you. It's a rollercoaster with lots of turns and loops, but it will take you everywhere you allow it to and it's a very rewarding sector.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In the nonprofit field there aren't many obvious positives to look forward to right now, so it's about taking it day by day. One thing to look forward to is seeing the unwavering loyalty to communities and people willing to lead change even when public policy fails them, especially in places like the Rust Belt.
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