Falling Into Project Management (…By Accident)

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that you don’t have to carry the title “Project Manager” to actually be one.

From oil and gas with NALCO Champion to vendor management and event planning with Dr. Pepper, FTI Consulting, and the Department of Family and Protective Services — I’ve pretty much done everything short of launching a rocket. Every job I’ve had, I became the person. You know, the one everyone goes to when things fall apart, even having senior staff (and their executive assistants) reach out.

I was the unofficial epicenter of information — the fixer, planner, and last-minute miracle worker. Whether it was organizing a 250-person corporate holiday party, coordinating diversity events and initiatives, or stepping in to set up client meetings and ship marketing equipment for departments I didn’t even belong to — I did it all.

So here I am, years later, officially leaning into what I’ve been doing all along — Project Management. Turns out, being the “go-to” person for literally everything was my unofficial training ground all along. I may not have had the title before, but the skills, were always there and in abundance.