Jessica Heinz-Genco, MBA, CPPM

From my perspective, my success comes from a combination of resilience, intentional reinvention, and the people who saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself.

I didn’t come from an easy beginning, and I didn’t have the kind of mother many people credit for shaping them. Instead, I had to learn early how to navigate chaos, build my own stability, and develop the kind of grit that isn’t taught — it’s survived.

Professionally, that resilience turned into a strength: the ability to walk into complex, messy environments and create structure, alignment, and momentum where none existed. Leaders like Mark Wiese played an important role along the way — pushing me, challenging me, and giving me the kind of trust and authority that accelerates growth. Their belief in my capability helped refine my leadership and sharpen the way I drive transformation.

On the personal side, I’m grounded by friends like Ashley Crane and Alicia Love, who are constant reminders that strength doesn’t have to come from where you started — it can come from the family you build around you. Their support helped me stay centered, keep perspective, and continue breaking cycles with intention.

At the core, my success is rooted in choosing every day to lead differently — with clarity, courage, empathy, and the determination to build the future I once needed, both for my daughter and for the teams I support.

When life shifts, you shift faster.

Dont lose your voice or ever make yourself small

From my perspective, the biggest challenge in my field right now is the disconnect between ambition and operational reality — companies want accelerated close cycles, cleaner data, and cross-functional standardization, but they’re still working on siloed systems, manual workarounds, and inconsistent governance.

At the same time, that challenge is the opportunity. The organizations willing to invest in true enterprise alignment — standardized data models, clear accountability, modernized workflows, and a strong PMO structure — are the ones that will move from a Day-10 close to a Day-7 close, reduce rework, and finally get out of the “flying the plane while building it” cycle.

This intersection of transformation, governance, and operational execution is exactly where I thrive — translating chaos into clarity and turning disconnected processes into a unified, scalable operating model.

The values that are most important to me in both my work and personal life center around resilience, adaptability, and empowerment. Throughout my career journey—from transitioning from criminal justice to completing an MBA while balancing work, martial arts training, and pregnancy during the pandemic—I have learned the importance of perseverance and strategic thinking. I am deeply committed to gender equality in the workplace and empowering women to thrive, recognizing the value of both strategic and tactical mindsets in business.

On a personal level, I prioritize self-awareness and emotional growth, using my experiences to manage my personality traits and heal from past challenges, particularly as I raise my children. I also believe in giving back to my community, as seen through my involvement with a local cat welfare initiative in Gilbert, where I help care for and manage stray cats, including providing spaying, neutering, and temporary shelter during Arizona’s harsh summer months. These experiences reinforce my commitment to compassion, responsibility, and making a positive impact wherever I can.