What do you do at Esprit de Merci?

With our clients, I start by asking questions, to discover and clarify objectives and resources. From there, I design, develop and deliver customized coaching programs and consulting services to organizations and individuals. I create and curate tools including workbooks, workshops, visual templates, follow up exercises, and other activities. I synthesize feedback, learning and insights to develop recommendations for next steps.

I lead our Esprit de Merci team, connect with others in the community and refine our strategy for the future.

What do you seek to support through your work at EdM?

It can be difficult to maintain a sense of ourselves as individuals in a crowd.

Over time, assimilation may appear to be an easy route to stability within an organization. Unfortunately, this can also stifle innovation and growth as we are not leveraging our full capacity. When we celebrate our unique strengths, gifts and perspectives, we have more of ourselves to give, ultimately elevating our collective impact. I am inspired and driven by the possibility that exists in the intersection of individuality with common purpose.

What other experiences and skills do you bring to your work with Esprit de Merci?

I founded Esprit de Merci in 2017, leveraging 24 years of experience in management and executive level roles in Finance and Human Resources, along with a lifetime of community involvement. Inspiration comes from opportunities to work with great leaders and teams.

My career began with Overnite Transportation in Richmond Virginia with progressive roles of increasing responsibility across finance, including annual and strategic planning and analysis, organizational restructuring initiatives including acquisition and initial public offering, and implementation of a new healthcare program for our employees.

I made a shift to human resources when UPS acquired Overnite in 2005. Over the next several years, I was responsible for building and leading the function for the new business unit, with a focus on integration of the former Overnite / Motor Cargo operations into what is now UPS Freight. I later served in HR executive leadership assignments with business units in Europe and Atlanta. While working at the UPS Corporate Office, I led key strategic global employee engagement and talent mobility initiatives. I served as Executive Sponsor for UPS Women's Leadership Development groups in Richmond and Atlanta.

Community has always been important to me, and after completing the UPS Community Internship Program in New York City in 2006, I came home with renewed commitment. My involvement with the United Way began in Richmond, where I served on the board and the Women's Leadership Council. I participated on the Women of Toqueville Cabinet for the United Way of Greater Atlanta, which included chairing and moderating our 2017 Leading a Life of Purpose event. I volunteered with Wellspring Living in a number of capacities and today I am a member of the Historic Jackson Ward Association in Richmond.

I earned my Bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech and completed my Master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Richmond. My education also includes completion of the Management Skills for International Business Programme with INSEAD, coaching certification (CPC) through iPEC, and certification in the Fundamentals of Working Visually.

What is your top CliftonStrengths™ strength, and how do you leverage that?

INPUT! I ask a lot of questions and enjoy collecting information that can lead to greater insight. I have always had natural curiosity to learn and know more. I believe this enables us to expand perspective and get a bigger picture and make connections in new ways — with context, our work can have broader and deeper impact. With Esprit de Merci, I have the privilege of working with so many interesting people across a number of sectors—I learn something new every day!

What and where do you most associate with your early years?

I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. We moved around a few times, but most of my school years were spent in a neighborhood called Garden City (4th-11th grade).

What was the first group or team you ever chose to join?

The Garden City softball team. My dad did the choosing the first time, and it was my choice to continue. I'd never been on a team prior to that, and I wasn't much for sports as my nose was usually in a book. This was a powerful experience for me, and I wrote more about this in an Esprit de Merci journal entry.

What's a hobby you enjoy today (and/or wish you had more time for)?

Designing and working on my new (old) home!