Her Story
About Gwendolyn
I've been in the facilities and events industry for over 5 years now, and I just started a new role at Mission Lane, my current employer, in December. I was with GEICO for 6 years before that, doing a plethora of different leadership roles. This transition has been great - it's definitely the right move for career growth and having the opportunity to do something adjacent but new, which is always exciting. At Mission Lane, I'm the Countrywide Facilities and Events Manager, and it's a brand new position to the company, so I'm helping guide the roles and responsibilities. A typical day for me looks like balancing a multitude of conferences and gatherings, as well as overseeing the buildings themselves and managing the vendor relationships within the corporation for the facilities. Right now, my biggest opportunity or challenge is just being a one-woman machine in my new role, because it is a new role with a lot of responsibilities for one person. So my biggest opportunity is just prioritizing and staying organized in my day-to-day life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. What I love most about my career is making my peers happy. We're a remote institution most of the time, so I'm able to foster those in-person connections and bring a sense of belonging to them when they're able to connect in person from all across the United States and Canada and Mexico. That really fills my cup - to be able to make people happy, foster those connections, and just bring people together.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gwendolyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think just my work ethic has made me in this position that I am today. I think I'm extremely hardworking and always willing to be an impact player by taking on responsibilities that might not be directly for me, but being able to tackle things that people don't expect of me. All of that drives and strives from my work ethic and just knowing how hardworking I am.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best career advice I've ever received is not be afraid to do something new. That was something that just recently really resonated with me when I took on this new role with the company. I was with GEICO for 6 years right out of college, and it was a great experience, but I was really ready to spread my wings and fly for a developmental opportunity. Mission Lane came around, but the best career advice I really had with that move was not being afraid to do something new and not being afraid to take the risk and see it pay off.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say events are more common for women, but the facilities side is not as common for women nowadays. I think it's a growing industry. But I think the biggest advice I would have is not being afraid to ask for help. That's something that doesn't come naturally to a lot of people, and especially strong female leaders don't always want to ask for help from others, but not being afraid to be pointed in the right direction has been super helpful to me in my career, and I like to give that advice to other people.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest opportunity or challenge that I have right now is just being a one-woman machine in my new role, because it is a new role with a lot of responsibilities and roles for one person. So I think right now my biggest opportunity is just prioritizing and staying organized in my day-to-day life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say the values that are most important to me are a sense of belonging, both in my professional career as well as in my personal world. I would say a sense of loyalty for both professional and personal. And I would say overall, just adaptability is really important to me in my everyday life, personally and professionally.
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