In October of 2016, I hired Samantha Lowe. She had recently graduated from Morehead State University with a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology. She was, in fact, the only candidate that seemed very comfortable with the idea of some of our work- sexual health education, substance use prevention, suicide, adolescent risk behaviors and many other health needs.
Sam started as an executive assistant. Her tasks included creating binders for training events, organizing materials in the storage space, picking up materials at the local print shop, depositing checks, etc. Over the past eight years, Sam has exhibited such growth in the areas of organizational structure, operations, research and evaluation (a skill she initially gained with her degree), and measurement. As someone who really didn’t have many employees over the previous ten years, bringing Sam on (eventually) as a full-time employee was a big deal. I wanted to make sure she had full benefits and as time would tell, I wanted to do everything in my power to retain her! She easily navigated and created systems… the operations of me hiring her (401(k), employee manual, policies). Sam was elevated to Senior Manager of Operations and Measurement a few years ago and wanted to keep going/keep learning and took a certification program in Systems Change from Cornell University and the Waters Center.
About a year ago, Sam asked about the role of possibly being a Chief Operating Officer. We researched what that really meant for our business, what the qualifications would be, what the role would look like. Over the past year, I believe Sam has stepped into a Chief role. She is my sounding board at times regarding very important business-decisions, she runs the operations smoothly (and if they aren’t smooth, puts systems in place!), she manages the transition of roles of our Dove Self-Esteem Project Coordinator, and shows exemplary leadership around that shift. She’s a problem-solver and she pushes me to consider different angles and ways of addressing situations that arise.
Sam and I are both ESTJ’s and Geminis. Somehow, even being quite a bit alike, we run this business like a well-oiled machine, and I couldn’t do it without her! Congratulations on your new role as a Chief in Cairn Guidance starting July 1! It’s SO well-deserved!
-Jess
Congratulations Sam and Happy Borthday!