What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
Safety and Risk Services
What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
Executive Assistant and Incident Management Team (IMT) Planning Chief
What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
I’ve had an interesting and eclectic career path that has magically led me into safety. I’m a professional dancer and educator, and my first real job was teaching dance at Spotlight Dance Center in Orlando, Florida. I was on faculty at that studio for 10 years, and the owners remain close mentors to this day. I’ve had a successful professional dance career working for companies like Walt Disney World, Nickelodeon Hotel, and Royal Caribbean International. I’ve also worked in the janitorial franchise industry and spent 2-3 years working for a major Orlando law firm. My husband and I moved to Oregon in 2014 so I could pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Dance at UO, and it was then I entered the wine industry working for Noble Estate Vineyard and Winery on weekends while in school. After I received my MFA in 2017, I expanded into the Eugene/Springfield community teaching dance and choreographing at Eugene Ballet Academy, flex Studio, and the Academy of Arts and Academics High School (A3). In 2017, I also joined the UO School of Music and Dance as a Pro Tempore faculty member teaching Hip Hop until June 2019.
In 2018, I applied to be an office specialist in Safety and Risk Services (SRS), and the rest is history. SRS quickly became a reliable and exciting career, mostly because of the people that make up the division. I’ve found that my “dance superpowers” that I acquired through a lifetime of dance training have shown up for me in my safety career. I’m currently exploring “dance superpowers” through my most recent project, Dance Uncorked Podcast, hoping to reframe how young dancers can market themselves inside and outside a dance career.
While my career path has been anything but streamlined, it feels like it was meant to be, and I ended up exactly where I was supposed to.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
At first glance, I look a lot younger than I am. That has both served me and presented challenges in all of the different industries that I’ve worked. I’ve worked really hard to pave the path that I want or to convince people to take me seriously, despite my appearance. I have a youthful personality, and I’ve learned to be bold in order to achieve my goals professionally and academically.
How has working at UO enabled your professional goals and interests?
In general, working in a higher education environment provides opportunities for growth that are unique. You are surrounded by people who’ve dedicated their lives to research and education, students who are seeking knowledge and planning for their first professional leap, and work beside people who have interesting stories to tell. I find that building relationships and networking is the key to growing and reaching goals. And what better place to do that than UO?
What do you like about your current position?
No day is the same. We are involved in so many response-related activities, incidents, and events on campus that you never really know what to expect. Through this work, I’ve been able to cultivate relationships with people that I wouldn’t normally work with (thanks COVID-19), develop relationships with state, county, and city partners, and I get to experience UO from “backstage.” I enjoy learning, and this work teaches me something new on regular basis. One day I’m doing normal scheduling work, and the next day I’m wrapped up in safety and security efforts for large events like UO football games or the Olympic Trials. It’s hard work that takes a lot of time, dedication, and adaptability; but it's exciting and rewarding.
Please share some insight into what your job involves.
My job is unique in that it’s tied to the Incident Management Team (IMT). The UO's All-Hazard Incident Management Team (IMT) is a group of trained individuals from across campus tasked with managing the logistical, fiscal, planning, operational, safety, and campus issues related to all incidents/emergencies, including infections, disease outbreaks, and pandemics. We mirror the national ICS structure, and I’ve acquired my Planning Section Chief Certification. In this role, I maintain documentation throughout an incident, request resources if needed, work with the Incident Commander to keep objectives updated, and run a schedule of meetings throughout an operational period. I also assist with monitoring an incident or event, and organize any documentation collected for archival purposes. Our team has been pulled in a lot of different directions this year – more than any other year I’ve been with SRS. We’ve assisted in the response to technical or power outages, 4J reunification, ice and snow storms, union strike planning and response, and demonstrations or protests. I’m proud of the people I work with and our team is tiny, but mighty. While I love the work I do, I’m here because of the people I get to do it with.
What advice do you have for someone thinking of applying to the UO?
Throw some spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.
Share a little about yourself personally:
- Family
- I’ve been married to my husband and best friend, Anthony, for 11 years and we have two beloved cats: Lucille (12) and George Michael (8).
- I’ve been married to my husband and best friend, Anthony, for 11 years and we have two beloved cats: Lucille (12) and George Michael (8).
- Favorite food
- Classic Cheetos
- Classic Cheetos
- Best movie you’ve seen
- The Goonies
- The Goonies
- If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
- Thriller Album by Michael Jackson
- Classic Cheetos
- Earthquake Bag
- Thriller Album by Michael Jackson
- How do you want to be remembered?
- As a good human being.
- As a good human being.
- If you could have the answer to any question, what would it be?
- To be, or not to be?
Photo credit: Jay Eads
(May 2024)