Heather Perfetti

I truly attribute my success to the way I have supported others in their trajectories, rather than focusing solely on my own professional career. I have always valued professional development, support for advancement and opportunity, and finding ways to do that for those with whom I have worked, particularly for women. I know that sometimes having or finding a mentor or a leader to take particular interest in nurturing skills for women and helping get them in leadership roles can be difficult, and I think it has been difficult in higher education. Being a source of strength and opportunity for others and driving opportunities for women to help them advance in their careers is really something that I am most proud of. If I can model that, and if people could look to me and see that and be inspired by that, and not get frustrated by the challenges or barriers that women often see, I think that there is so much strength and opportunity in that.

The best career advice I ever received was, as I was looking at changing careers, to not think of my experience so rigidly and to see how it could apply in different ways, in different positions, and in ways that I could advance. I think the natural inclination, and perhaps more so for women than others, is to say, 'I don't have every specific qualification in that job description, so maybe that's not for me.' Once you look beyond that and see how your skill sets really apply in so many kinds of positions, it made me more comfortable at putting myself out there and applying for positions that maybe, even if I didn't get considered, I at least could process how my current skills and my career has positioned me for a lot of different work. The best advice is really trying to take a position, or take a future, and see yourself in that. Expand the ways that you think about your professional experience, your skills, your education, and have the confidence to see yourself where maybe you're not seeing it in a job description or an advertisement for a position. When I moved from being a trained attorney into higher education, it was incredibly brave a choice at the time. I had to think through the process of what I thought was ending one career and starting another, but in fact, it was really molding everything together in a way that I couldn't have even planned for even if I wanted to.

I would say to be open to opportunities and to find a mentor that will take particular interest in helping with opportunities. Network as much as possible and be flexible in terms of what opportunities we may think hold value. What I have found is it could be an invitation, even for me, to do something that I feel is outside of what I may have anticipated being asked to do, and some of those opportunities end up being the most influential in meeting the right people, having great connections, or ending up in a position of influence that feels less planned and more because I took advantage of an opportunity. I then landed within an environment that helped launch conversations with people I maybe would not have otherwise crossed paths with. I also think it's important to continue to advance your education and build upon existing expertise. Try to take advantage of those kinds of opportunities too, including through the many virtual opportunities to learn. There are so many ways to build upon existing expertise in a way that is professionally and personally fulfilling, but it can also position someone for that next part of their career.