Her Story
About Wendy
After spending 20 years in the corporate world, I made the transition to nonprofit work four years ago because I was tired of working hard to help one man get rich and wanted to work to help many people instead. Now I oversee crisis services, where we have crisis navigators that meet with people in the community who are in a crisis, which can mean different things to different people. We have resources and money to help them, or we know who in the community has resources and money to help them, and we do a warm handoff, a referral, to get them the assistance they need. One of my proudest achievements has been obtaining a grant that allows us to help people with move-in money, especially those living in their cars or living in the woods but working full-time who can't save up enough money because living that way is expensive. The political landscape constantly changes funding, so we're constantly having to regroup and figure out a different plan of attack, but the opportunity is that there are a lot of people that want to help, you just have to show them how and lead them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Wendy
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to find something that you love to do, because then you'll never work a day and you'll enjoy your day. This advice really resonates with me, especially after making the transition from corporate to nonprofit work. When you're doing something you're passionate about, it doesn't feel like work at all.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to women entering this industry is to not be nice. It's important to be kind, but it's not important to be nice. You don't want to let people walk all over you or misunderstand your intentions. You want to set boundaries and stand up for yourself, but you should always be kind. I say this because in the beginning I was too nice, and I was overlooked and run over. I do fault myself for not standing up taller. There are ways that you can be kind and professional and just mean business at the same time.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges in my field right now are the constantly changing conditions. The political landscape changes so many things, and funding comes and goes. It feels like daily, we're constantly having to regroup and attack things a different way, because this person lost this funding, or this happened, or this new law over here, or whatever's going on in the community. We have to regroup and figure out a different plan of attack. But the opportunities are that there are a lot of people that want to help, you just have to show them how. You just have to lead them.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is to keep the same values in my professional life that I have in my personal life. You wouldn't lie to someone in your personal life, so don't lie to them in your professional life. Keep the same values. My core value is to treat other people as equal, even people who don't look like me, come from where I come from, or act like me. Treat them as equals.
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