Tahara King
Tahara King is a seasoned administrative professional with over 15 years of experience providing high-level support to executives, senior leadership, and cross-functional teams. In recent years, she has discovered that her true passion lies in serving others—helping people succeed and enabling leaders to focus on their strategic priorities. Tahara approaches her work with a proactive mindset: she supports calendars, attends meetings to understand team dynamics, and is not a “no” person, but a “let me look into that for you” problem solver. Her dedication to facilitating success for others defines her professional journey.
Currently, Tahara serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO and COO at Elevate Digital in Cornelius, North Carolina, bringing her extensive experience in executive support, event coordination, project management, and team engagement to a hybrid work environment. At LPL Financial, she specialized in event facilitation—planning layouts, managing catering and AV, and personally ensuring food was served and replenished for attendees. Over the course of one year, she facilitated 22 weeks of events, often working 12-hour days for four days straight, ensuring associates were supported and could perform their roles successfully. Her hands-on approach and attention to detail have made her an invaluable contributor to every team she supports.
Tahara holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Accounting from NorthWest Arkansas Community College and is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) through the Scrum Alliance. Skilled in Microsoft Office, budgeting, event planning, and executive support, she combines technical proficiency with adaptability, reliability, and a servant-leadership mindset. She is committed to being the rock that leaders can depend on, always striving to create the conditions for their success and viewing her role as a mission to empower others, rather than grow herself.
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Excel Essential Training (Office 365/Microsoft 365)
• Dale Carnegie Imersion Course - Certificate of Achievement
• NorthWest Arkansas Community College - BS, Accounting
• Dale Carnegie Highest Achiever Award
• Kohl's Regional Recognition for Best Juniors Department
• LPL Financial CEO Recognition in Town Halls
• LPL Financial Event Facilitation Awards
• Feeding Charlotte Food Donation Program
• Habitat for Humanity with Lowe's Corporate
What do you attribute your success to?
I think experience has shaped my life more than anything - being able to touch people's lives or have others touch mine. I can't say I'd be where I am if it hadn't been for the jobs I've had and experiences I've had. I grew up being a person that change was difficult for - I was very structured, very policy-driven, by-the-books kind of girl, and when you work for companies where change is so big, learning to adapt was the hardest thing. Learning that with Walmart helped shape me. But I would say that being a poker dealer probably shaped my career the most. As a young lady, I didn't feel that I had good relationships with people - I felt very direct, spoke exactly how I felt, I was very brash. When I got the opportunity to learn to become a poker dealer, I thought, how can this help me become a people person? That's why I chose poker, because you're forced to be at a table with 9 people, and accept their personalities, and learn to work through the dysfunction you will have in a poker table to make it successful. That was the biggest turning point in my life, because it helped me to become a people person. Chris Blythe from Kohl's also had a significant impact - he helped me see how good I could be at the things I did, without realizing that that's just who I was. If I could look back and think on anybody who's ever touched my career the most, it was him.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would ask, how much of your time do you want to dedicate to help the leaders you support to be successful? Because it's about what you have to, in a way, sacrifice. When I worked for LPL, even though I was an hourly associate, if they ever needed anything, they could call me anytime. I had meetings with bosses at, like, 9 o'clock at night, because their calendars were so full during the day that I sacrificed part of my personal life for that, and it didn't bother me, because that's who I was, and that's what I dreamed and lived for. I think COVID hurt a lot of the world, and in a way helped, because a lot of people then realized how much disassociation there was between work-life balance. But at the same time, it stopped them from being successful in ways that they could strive to be, because the personal life does begin to take precedence. I would ask them what it's going to take for them to want to make sure that they're putting themselves first in their career.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I've realized in the last couple of years that I'm more of a servant to the people - I love to help others. As long as everybody around me was taken care of, I was happy. When I had to put in my notice at LPL, the amount of people who were just like, you are going to be missed - it meant so much to me to be seen like that, and it felt so humbling. That's when I realized that I wanted to be a servant for the people. I'm not here to grow me, I'm here to make sure that the leaders I support are successful. That's my journey. The recognition I received at LPL was so valuable for me - I was thanked every day by people who I took the time to make sure that they got fed and taken care of, and whatever their needs were, they were met. I was recognized by the CEO in town halls and won awards, but just the people thanking me was what meant the most. I'm never about recognition personally - that's why I like being an admin. We're behind the scenes. Our recognition comes within ourselves. I love that I am recognized, but it's not something I seek out. What drives me is being able to help others.