In October 2011, I took a leap of faith leaving some amazing friends and the fast pace of New York City to come back to my sweet hometown of Chicago. I achieved wonderful things in my career, coordinating conferences for 150-2,500 people, special events, outings, and managing a state of the art conference center for Goldman Sachs. In seven years, I traveled across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East with an amazing team and now it was time for a new adventure.

I’m thrilled to be back home with my family and friends. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being around for family parties, hanging out with my brother and sister, and enjoying the city.

One of the greatest blessings that has come out of this new chapter is the chance to work at Opportunity International. I joined Opportunity in January and was so excited to marry my passion of planning events with the ability to make a difference in the lives of people in the communities where Opportunity works. I first heard about the organization because of its partnership with Goldman’s 10,000 Women Initiative. I had met Opportunity staff at several of the conferences and trainings around that program and so I was familiar with the good work they do.

Now, I’ve been with Opportunity for almost eight months and I can say it has been one of the most challenging and rewarding times in my life. My colleagues have shared amazing client stories, I’ve had the chance to meet some of our international staff whose stories of transformation are inspiring, and I’m working with yet another fantastic team. In our efforts to spread the word about Opportunity, I’ve worked with our fundraising team on some fantastic events, bringing new and existing supporters together with our international experts and staff. My favorite was a pre-summer event in Washington, D.C. that brought together Governors, Young Ambassadors, and new supporters to meet Esther Mark, a branch manager from Arusha,Tanzania, who shared stories about the women staff whom she mentors. I was moved by the ways she’s impacting them and offering guidance that in turn helps to transform the lives our clients.

I’m excited to begin my new position as director of Donor Experience, leading the Board of Governors, and bringing together my event-planning skills and my love of building relationships. I’m looking forward to engaging our Governors in our work in new and unique ways. The Governor program has been in place for 25 years and I’m honored to work with these dedicated, talented and energetic supporters. I look forward to meeting many of you at The Opportunity Summit in October!