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Executive Director of B.I.G. (Bayou Industrial Group)
Tell me about your work:
What is the best part of your job? I love connecting with local business people. My education and most of my professional experience are in human resource management, so dealing with people is something I know well.
What is the hardest? Juggling all of my roles is probably the hardest. Bouncing back and forth from bookkeeping to event planning to administrative tasks to everything else can sometimes be tough.
Is there anything new on the horizon? B.I.G. has a lot of exciting things going on. We’re working very hard to make sure we’re serving our area business members in a way that is relevant and useful in today’s world. We’re currently planning a business networking event and fundraiser with live music to be held on Cinco de Mayo at Foundry on the Bayou where we will announce the B.I.G. Achiever Awards.
What’s one leadership skill you feel everyone must learn? In my opinion, communication is the most important skill for any leader. And it’s so important to remember that communication is not a one-way process. I think leaders could learn a lot if they just listened more.
Tell me about yourself:
As a child, what did you see yourself doing as a career? I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was young. I have always loved animals. Instead, I try to support a local non-profit dog rescue group, Hail Mary Rescue, and our local animal shelter as much as I can. Our family even fostered a dog recently and it was a wonderful experience.
What was your very first job? Since I was old enough to work, I have pretty much always had several jobs at a time. In high school I mostly waitressed and bartended. Fun fact: I met my husband at bartending school when I was 18.
What time do you wake up and how do you start your day? I wake up at about 5:30 each morning. I’m not really a morning person but I enjoy bringing 5 middle school boys to school each day. By the time I finish that always-interesting “bus route” I’m wide awake and smiling and ready to start my workday. Coffee with lots of sugar and creamer is also a must.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without? Chapstick. If you ever sit through a 30-minute meeting with me, you’ll probably see me reapply it at least 3 times.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Most of my free time is spent watching our 13-year-old son Cullen play baseball or basketball or following our 11-year-old Quinn to honor band concerts or 4-H events. I love spending time with my family, friends, and dogs.
Favorites/This or that:
Favorite food:
Anything, because I don’t cook. Luckily my husband Kenny is amazing at it. I think chicken fajitas with homemade guacamole or coconut shrimp with pina colada dipping sauce are my favorites.
Favorite vacation spot:
That’s a hard one. I love vacations, especially the unplanned kind. Sometimes we just get in the car not knowing our exact destination. We left home with no hotel reservations last year when we headed to Pigeon Forge and again recently for Mardi Gras break when we headed to Disney World. Those spur-of-the-moment trips are some of my favorites
How do you like your coffee?
With lots of sugar and liquid French vanilla creamer. And it has to be hot, no lukewarm coffee for me.
Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?
Chocolate for sure. Unless it’s Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, then I’ll take that. It falls in a whole separate category and outdoes all other vanillas.
