Melissa Desravines

I really have to credit my strong support system, because when you have that, you can really do anything. I've had so many mentors throughout my career, including Sean Outler, who was one of the few who looked like me in those positions and helped guide us, opening the door for others to follow. She was a big inspiration for me in wanting to pursue other opportunities within corporate retail. I also learned from my husband, who navigated the consulting space and excelled in it, and who really encouraged me to find my own footing and to embrace my power. He has been very instrumental in that. Just watching him really inspired me. I've also had consistent support from my family, and mentors like Cassandra Pindar, Fred Davey, and so many others who helped me within my early career that allowed me to get to where I am today. Beyond that, I really leaned into my strengths and saw where there were needs in the organizations in which I belonged, and I tailored my skill set, or grew my skill set, to meet those needs.

You really have to embrace where you are and what you bring to the table, because everyone is different and everyone has a different skill set. But you really have to lean into what it is that makes you different and see how you can benefit the organization in which you belong using your skill set and your talents, and leveraging that to help that organization propel. That's the ultimate goal, I believe, right? Everyone wants to be seen as a contributor, as a player, a key player. I didn't deliberately come in and say I'm going to do X, Y, and Z, but I really leaned into my strengths and saw where there were needs in the organizations in which I belonged, and I tailored my skill set, or I grew my skill set, to meet those needs.

For me, it's all about community and being present. Serving and giving back to the community will never go away, that will always be a part of my fabric and my being. Given where we are in this world today, we really want to cherish those around us, and we don't want to wait for anything to happen, so we really are living in the present. We really are making sure that those who mean something to us, that we're expressing that, and we're able to do that not necessarily by giving gifts, but just by being present. Presence is the gift. As a family, we've always made sure to expose our kids to the arts and various levels of education, which helped them develop into their being through their youth development process. We really want to take advantage of what's available for us and spend time with extended family and friends.