Her Story
About Vanessa
She is an accomplished operations manager and educator with over a decade of experience across logistics, education, retail, and youth development. Since 2014, she has served as a Manager at UPS, where she oversees operations, team performance, and service delivery. Her earlier career includes serving as a Teaching Professional at Kathleen Middle School in Kathleen, Florida, where she supported student learning and development, as a Sales Associate and Cashier at Marshalls Department Store in Winter Garden, Florida, where she handled front-end operations, customer service, and financial duties, and as a Youth Supervisor with Summer Youth Employment in Brooklyn, New York, where she led structured activities, sports programming, and mentorship for youth, including those with disabilities. Her career reflects a strong commitment to leadership, service, and supporting individuals and teams across diverse environments.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Vanessa
01What do you attribute your success to?
Ambition and drive has made me successful. I want to attribute it to my daughter, Sanaa. She... I had her when I was in college. My junior year, I got pregnant, and I had her June of my senior year. But I didn't take any time out from school. ... when she came, everything just became just a bit more serious. Like, okay, you gotta do this for her, you gotta set the bar for her.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Women need to be strong. I'm in an industry that at times, you can feel discouraged, or not as if you have as much power as you normally would feel in another field. My advice would be to always keep your head held high. Always. No matter what the occasion is, you are great. You are beautiful, you are strong, and you are more than capable of doing a job just as well or even better than a man. When you have a seat at the table, use your voice, you know, advocate for not only yourself, but the women who will also follow you in leadership and know that you belong there.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
God first. And then family second, and then money, power, respect in any order you want to put it.
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