Tiffany Starr

I attribute my success to adaptability, continuous learning, and a team-first mindset. I value collaboration deeply and take pride in contributing to group achievements rather than seeking individual recognition. My ability to evolve from a communications background into a more technical grant management role highlights my willingness to step outside of my comfort zone and grow. I've learned to be fluid and problem-solve, especially when facing challenges like funding cuts or administration changes. I believe that trust and transparency are essential for building strong teams and maintaining effective partnerships, and these values have helped me create lasting relationships everywhere I've worked.

The best career advice I've received is to be clear about your goals and not get discouraged if your ideas are not immediately accepted. I've learned that timing and leadership changes can create new opportunities, and persistence is key. Just because one administration or supervisor doesn't prioritize your vision doesn't mean the next one won't be on board. Sometimes people come in and they're very welcoming to new ideas and want those fresh outlooks. So if there's something you're truly passionate about and you think it will work, don't back down. Don't be afraid to pitch it again to the next administration, because what doesn't work for one leadership team might be exactly what another one is looking for.

I would tell young women entering this industry to create your own vision and don't be afraid to speak up. Be clear about what you want to accomplish and set out to create your own goals, because not everybody is always going to be on board with what you want to do or what your vision is. But don't let that discourage you. If there's something you're truly passionate about and you think it will work, don't back down and don't be afraid to pitch it again when circumstances change. Step outside of your comfort zone and share your ideas, even in environments where decisions may be uncertain or evolving. Sometimes people come in and they're very welcoming to new ideas and want those fresh outlooks, so remain confident and persistent. Just because something doesn't work for one administration doesn't mean it won't for another one.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are funding limitations and administrative changes. With the current administration, some of our programs have had funding cuts, which makes it challenging for us to remain fully staffed and maintain our outreach efforts. When funding is uncertain, we often find that when somebody leaves, we all pick up pieces of that role to keep things moving, but positions don't get refilled. We've had to cut back on traveling to conferences, which impacts our ability to get the word out about our programs. We're also facing an upcoming administration change since this is an election year in Ohio, which means we'll have to re-present and re-educate new leadership on our programs. However, I see real opportunity in these transitions. A new administration gives us the ability to be creative and think outside of the box. We can create new programs or funding opportunities, find other creative ways to get the word out, and get money into communities. New leadership often brings fresh perspectives and can be very welcoming to new ideas, which allows for innovation and more creative approaches to funding and community support.

Trust, transparency, and accountability are the values most important to me in both my work and personal life. I believe that when you can trust the people you work with, it creates a strong foundation for success. Working for the state can be very challenging as far as transparency goes, because sometimes there's only so much we can say at certain times until we have the green light for things to go public. But I've found that finding a way to communicate that barrier to people, even when you can't be fully transparent, can go a long way. That's how you build trust - by trying to be as transparent as possible with people. I think these values create a lot of camaraderie, and I've always had great teams that I've worked with. I've made lasting relationships everywhere I've worked based on these morals. It's about taking care of each other as a team - I take care of you, you take care of me, and we thrive together.