Her Story
About LeAnna
I started my career with a BFA in interior design and initially worked in design retail for family-owned kitchen and bath centers, where I served as a project assistant coordinating installations and working with designers. I then moved to a national design retail company where I led project coordination, conducted quality checks on custom orders, and partnered with fabricators and installers while establishing internal processes with designers and subcontractors across our Grosse Pointe store. When COVID happened, I transitioned into tech and joined Eventbrite in December 2020 as a support agent. I worked my way up to my current role as an operations program manager, where I specialize in customer operations with a focus on internal process management. I work cross-functionally with customer support teams, product engineering teams, legal, and risk to ensure internal readiness and communications. Process management is where my brain really works and innovates - it's what I love doing. I also serve as the global lead for Eventbrite's Black employee resource group called Black and Bright, where I organize career development series and events for Black History Month, Juneteenth, and UK Black History Month. I'm from Detroit, which has deeply influenced my appreciation for music and community, and I bring that same sense of authenticity and resilience to everything I do in my career.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with LeAnna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my internal belief that I deserve more than what I currently have. I just know there's more to the world than what I can sometimes experience, and maybe that's because of the growth of social media and being a millennial - I was able to grow up seeing that there are other places in the world doing different things that interest me. When I approach my career, I ask myself what do I love doing, and how can that take me to explore all these different places. That mindset drives me forward. Also, being a Black woman, I just have resilience and perseverance in my blood, so I'm just gonna keep going. I can't stop.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say find a corporate sponsor or ally - someone in the company that you work for at the C-suite level or directorship level to be your company mentor. They will really provide you with the best advice and guidance on how to get the most value out of your job and help you reach your goals. They're often the best allies, especially when you encounter roadblocks or when there's pushback that stalls a project. You can reach out to your corporate sponsor to either get advice on how to unblock it, or they can remove the blockage themselves using their power. My advice would be find a corporate sponsor the best way you can, because you don't want to die on a hill alone.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity is the most important value to me, first and foremost. I value it from a company, from the people that I work with, and even just from myself - showing up authentically is the best way that I not only have a positive impact on people around me, but that positive impact also translates to the customers that I serve. For a company to show up and allow and have a space for people to be their authentic selves, I think that's most important. Having worked for many different companies, whether small or corporate, being able to have that space allows for growth in all aspects of not just your career, but personally as well. Because I was able to be my authentic self and worked for a company that allowed me to be my authentic self, I was able to gain more confidence and more skills to be the best version of myself that I know I can be. That's one of the first and foremost values that I really hold and look forward to in all aspects of my life.
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