Her Story
About isabella
Isabella Thomas serves as an executive assistant at Ashford Hospitality in Dallas, Texas. In this capacity, she supports senior leadership on the asset management team, including the VP of Portfolio Strategy and the EVP of Head of Asset Management. Her responsibilities encompass managing complex executive calendars across multiple time zones, arranging domestic and international travel with detailed itineraries, preparing meeting agendas and presentations, handling expenses and reimbursements, and coordinating off-site conferences and client events. Thomas has held this position for six years, having begun while still completing her studies. She earned a degree in communications and business from Texas Christian University in 2023. Her professional strengths include exceptional organization and the ability to anticipate needs in high-profile settings, as demonstrated by her coordination of complex multi-day executive travel itineraries. Thomas attributes her disciplined approach to her work to values of integrity and preparation, and she remains committed to leveraging tools such as AI to enhance her support capabilities.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with isabella
01What do you attribute your success to?
My support system and my mindset, my own refusal to quit. I didn't get here alone. My family has been the foundation throughout my whole life. The people who believed in me before I had anything to show for it, my dad was actually a professional basketball player for 18 years. So you can imagine the determination that he instilled in me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Nobody is going to hand you your seat at the table. You have to build it, and then you sit down. Nobody is going to advocate for you harder than you're gonna advocate for yourself. So I stopped waiting for permission in my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Your value in yourself isn't in being invisible as an executive assistant. It's about bringing value to the table and becoming indispensable. You have to have confidence because you'll be in rooms with people who have more titles. But you're there for a reason and you deserve your seat as well, so it's important to speak up and use this role as a launch pad in your career.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The utilization of AI is looked at as a challenge but it's actually a huge opportunity. Those who lean into it aren't being replaced. They're actually becoming more valuable because you're able to do things a lot faster and give better support to your executive.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In work, it's discipline and integrity, like being dependable, so showing up prepared, protecting everyone's confidentiality. In my personal life, it's growth and authenticity. I want to be able to invest in myself whether it be fitness, space, family while also being selective about who is able to get access to my energy.
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