Her Story
About Kelly
I've been in the administration field for over 30 years. I've been a supervisor of office administration for 6 going on 7 years at HNTB, an engineering and architecture firm, where I've worked for 13 years. My responsibilities include handling new office locations and moves, attending meetings on furniture and logistics, working with brokers and leadership to select spaces, and setting up furniture and IT which takes about a year. I supervise a staff of 8 administrators over 3 different locations. I have been in charge of the Mobility 21 client reception for 13 years, growing it from a small shared event to a highly attended successful function. I also manage our annual employee recognition event.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kelly
01What do you attribute your success to?
Being willing to take on additional responsibilities and letting people above me know that I am ready to take on more. I let people know what my ambitions were and they helped me get there by putting me in the right places.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I've been given great opportunities by people I work for, like Juan Uribe who put me in challenging projects that stretched me and gave me more exposure and leadership authority.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Always be positive, have a can-do attitude, and be a team player. With those three attributes you're going to be a success.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Managing workflow across a staff of 8 to 10 people when workloads ebb and flow. Finding projects for people when workloads slow down and spreading the work out when things ramp up so no one is drowning.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Treating people with respect and earning respect through my actions as a good leader. Having harmony on my team is very important. I hire people who have positive attitudes with good work ethic and are pleasant to be around because you can train skills but not inherent positive qualities.
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