Finding the "why" behind the work.
That curiosity is what led me to project management. My first professional role was leading Employee Health & Wellness programs at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, and I kept asking the same question: why does this work matter to the organization investing in it? What was the business "why" behind what we did? That question led me to an MBA, where I discovered project management as a profession with its own body of knowledge and its own community.
I joined the PMI Monterey Bay Chapter in 2016, looking for exactly that: a network, mentors, and people who could show me what it meant to do this work well. Years later, a nudge from a chapter leader brought me onto the board, first as VP of Membership and later as President. Helping others find the connection I had been looking for became one of the most rewarding parts of my career.
Since then, project management has taken me through federal environmental remediation and into healthcare operations, where I now lead risk management and performance improvement projects for a Medicare Advantage health plan. Every project taught me the same thing. The documentation mattered AND the relationships mattered more.