Tracy Mehu- Hammonds

I've had two key mentors who really shaped my success. Danielle Cox was a great mentor who motivated me to find confidence in what I bring to the table - my skills, my backgrounds. She helped me understand the importance of networking and connecting with others, and she considers herself a connector. Another mentor was Joel, my manager, whose word was 'never make assumptions.' He taught me to never assume that people just know and understand things. Always ask the question, always communicate to ensure you understand what's going on and what people are thinking. It's part of building that relationship, because sometimes we can assume things and then things fall in the cracks, and we never can build that connection and make sure we're all walking on that same path. So I never assume - I always make sure I clarify and try to get clarification. This has helped me throughout every part of my journey. From Danielle, I learned to be that connector, to network, speak with people, go out there, meet with people, because you learn so much of what's happening and what's going on. That can encourage you to do better for yourself, do better for what you're working towards, to learn more. I'm a constant learner, and that really helps. We learn a lot from others.

The best career advice I've received came from my manager Joel, who told me to never make assumptions. Never assume. Always ask the question. Never assume that people just know and people just understand. Always communicate and ask questions so that you can ensure you understand what's going on and what people are thinking. It's part of building that relationship, because sometimes we can assume things, we just assume that everybody knows, and therefore things fall in the cracks. We never can build that connection and make sure we're all walking on that same path. This advice has helped me throughout every part of my journey - to never assume, to always make sure I clarify and try to get clarification.

Always keep in mind what you value. Because your values actually will lead you to the choices that you make and where you go to your next step in your career. Always try to discover what's important to you, what you care about, and follow that. When you're working somewhere that you're not passionate about, that doesn't have meaning for you, you won't be able to show your best self in that role. Pick something where you can show your best self. And usually that comes from what you value the most. Your values can change over time, but that's okay. You do get closer to molding and becoming who you truly want to become, eventually.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are adapting to the rapid rise of AI, leveraging data and analytics effectively, and keeping pace with constant changes in digital marketing and product channels. At the same time, these shifts create significant opportunities to scale impact across industries and provide meaningful support to small businesses.

What's most important to me is continuous learning and having an impact on people. I've never stopped learning throughout my journey - I went to 8 schools in 3 states from kindergarten to high school, and even after graduating in the top 10 of my class, I kept going and taking additional courses. After Rutgers and L'Oreal, I took classes on motivational speaking, communication, and presentation because I wanted to do better in those areas. When I wanted to impact kids and motivate them, I went back to school for teaching certification. I've taken digital marketing courses, data analytics courses, and now I'm at Oxford where I got accepted to their executive diploma program in strategy and innovation. I realized I'm very good at strategy - I have this ability to take information, see where the gaps are, make connections, and come up with a plan to get things moving and executed. One of my professors says I'm a driver. So I went for the highest degree I could go for. I've learned that you never need to stop learning. It's great for the mind, spirit, and soul, but it's also great as you develop and evolve through your journey - to learn and become your best, reach your greatest potential. That's something I try to influence others with - to show people that you can reach your fullest potential. Identify what those things are, follow your passion, what you value. You'll go after it, work your best at it, and reach your potential in that area. What you value can change over time, but that's okay. You get closer to molding and becoming who you truly want to become. A lot of my decisions throughout my career have been about the customer and people and the impact my role will have on people. I focus on people, and that's what motivates me.