Current title & company: Philanthropic Engagement Manager, Providence Public Library
Brief description of who you are professionally with concise accomplishments:
Professionally, I have yet to decide who I really am! The things I know for sure are how much I love (and need) to engage with people on a meaningful and consistent basis. Desk job or no desk job, the specifics of what fulfills me seem to shift with the wind these days, but I do ultimately feel the need to serve a greater purpose with my 40 hour work week. Right out of undergrad, I became a Cruise Director for a luxury cruise line. You may be saying, “Annie, that doesn’t sound very ‘grand design’ of you” and, while you’re technically right, I will push back. I was placed on ships primarily in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, a bucket list vacation for nearly all of my cruisers. I was working in a truly sacred place, on a very small ship, with very few passengers, connecting them with indigenous leaders and local ecologists and naturalists and historians and artists and restaurants – I bore witness to the real life dreams of so many people. Sharing in these journeys with so many people allowed me to really begin this life with a profound sense of gratitude. Many of the people who took this cruise had saved their entire working lives to do this with their loved ones. I met folks from all walks of life from all over the world. I listened a lot. When the COVID-19 pandemic really hit the states, I was out of work and wondering what my purpose could be if I couldn’t contribute when the world shut down. I realized that nonprofits almost definitely needed people with my skills, and I very quickly found myself fundraising for a healthcare organization in Rhode Island.
Ultimately, I am not working at the Providence Public Library as their Philanthropic Engagement Manager, working to build a sustainable future for our absolutely critical programs and services. I designed my first ever annual appeal this year, and more than doubled the revenue from last year’s appeal, so I am feeling excited and incredibly hopeful for what the next year has in store
Why did I join TWT and what are you hoping to achieve?
Joining Tomorrow’s Women Today felt like a no brainer when it was brought to my attention by my Coach at the time, Kara Lund. Being new to Rhode Island at the time (I moved here in May of 2021) I was looking to meet more women in the workforce. I have spent much of my professional history reporting to and surrounded by men, so to be able to intentionally seek guidance and encouragement from non-male sources has been deeply gratifying and inspiring. My hope is that I am able to keep getting out of my own way enough to fully dive into these opportunities, and that I can surround myself with powerful people who continue to inspire me to bring my best self to every situation.
One of my most proud professional moments and what are you most looking forward to professionally the next five years:
This may have been the hardest question to answer. There are so many moments I have been fiercely proud of (setting still-standing records for guest satisfaction and rebooking rates on the cruise ships, doubling fundraising revenue for an appeal with no design experience, planning weddings, etc.) I think the thing I am most proud of is that I have never given up. There have been so many moments the last few years that I have questioned what I am capable of, what I am deserving of, and in those moments it was so hard to see what I see now. What I see now is that I am not defined by my output at work, I am not defined by my title or my pay, I am defined by how much of my human self I am willing to bring every day, especially the days I feel like I have nothing left to bring. I have been most proud of my willingness to find and know myself, because I know I will never be better at anything than I will be at living my life out loud.
What do I do in my “free” time?
I spend my free time with my friends and family as much as possible. From there, what we do matters less to me, and I just get to recharge in their company. In the warm weather, I love to swim and hike as often as I can. In the colder weather, I tend to do more reading and puzzles and sometimes I dabble in various arts (recently I’ve been getting into glass blowing and some copper wire/floral sculpture work). But no matter the time of year, there will be music playing.
Most importantly, I do a lot of “phone-free-24s” and work to be intentional in staying connected with myself. As an extrovert who has the coolest group of friends on the planet and a job I love that never stops, it’s sometimes really hard to pull away for a bit and slow down.
3 core values: Curiosity, integrity, compassion
Fun fact: I am trained in classical and opera vocal styles.