Her Story
About Pearl
I've been working in education since 1997, and the last 18 years have been specifically in higher education with a focus on accreditation. In my current role, I assist my director in managing and facilitating both programmatic and national reviews for approximately 23 administrative and programmatic fields that are accredited by their respective accrediting bodies. My day-to-day responsibilities are incredibly varied - they can include anything from handling the logistics of a site visit to editing and providing information for self-studies, or working with chairs and department heads on gathering necessary information and obtaining signatures to verify the validity of our self-studies. One of my most notable achievements was in 2018 or 2019 when we got through our review with no findings and didn't have to do any monitoring reports. But overall, what I'm most proud of is making sure the office runs smoothly and that our programs remain on schedule for their visits and maintain their accreditation statuses. I started my career in the late 1990s as a project assistant for the Institute of Global Environmental Strategy (IGES), an educationally-based company where I helped facilitate different projects in Earth Science and other science-related fields. I mainly worked on the NASA Student Involvement Program, which was a K-12 national competition in certain areas that led to submissions in different areas like Earth Science, Mars, and space missions. My supervisor has been a strong proponent for lifelong learning, and at her urging, I've been able to attend various conferences focused on administrative assistant and executive assistant support, which have enriched my skill set tremendously. I became project management certified in 2022, and I have several certifications in different areas. Through these conferences, I was introduced to AI and other software tools to help me do my job, some as early as 2019 or 2020, well before they became mainstream. Right now, I'm at a point in my life where I'm thinking about broadening my horizons by maybe starting an educational consulting company, and this recognition couldn't have come at a better time to help solidify my overall contributions and accomplishments with the contacts and people who know my work ethic and what I bring to the table.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Pearl
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents and the way I was raised growing up. My background and upbringing gave me the foundation I needed, and I've always had that tenacity to keep going, no matter what. That determination and the values instilled in me from childhood have been the driving forces behind everything I've accomplished.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that everyone is somebody and there's no work that is too menial. The job has to be done. I've learned to look at everything as having equal value, but also to learn to prioritize. This perspective has helped me approach every task with respect and understanding while still maintaining focus on what matters most.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering my field would be to set boundaries and goals, and then work towards them. Don't get discouraged along the way. It's important to know what you want to achieve and to stay focused on those objectives, even when things get challenging.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think we're at a changing of the guard stage. The landscape of education is changing, and a lot of what is changing is being guided more by political influence than by the field itself or the demands of the careers that are necessary to run our economy and our lifestyle. I think somewhere there has to be a middle ground - there needs to be a middle ground where yes, we need improvements, but sometimes reinventing the wheel is not always what's best. I think we need to have people at the table that will keep both areas in mind, the new and the old. We have to embrace them instead of fighting against them. We have to embrace them and do what is best for the overall person versus the wants and desires of a few.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are integrity, fairness, and overall humanity. These principles guide everything I do, both professionally and personally.
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