
May 2021 | ISE Magazine 65
helped out in ways they probably never expected. Seeing
people willing to do anything to help others really helped
me cope through the pandemic.
What have you learned from
your IISE leadership roles?
IISE is a safe environment to build nontechnical skills such
as leadership, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution and
communication. I have learned about strategy and brand
development as well, areas uncommon for ISEs. I’ve also
attempted to learn patience, but that hasn’t made as much
progress as I’d like. One of my favorite learnings is how to
network and build a community of professional colleagues
who are also friends. Having a strong network has been
especially helpful when considering job transitions, as I’ve
found it’s all about who you know, not what you know.
Every job in my career has come to me through my
network.
Why did you decide to seek
the president’s position?
When I was encouraged to run for president, I had a flurry
of emotions. I was flattered, excited about the opportunity
to make a difference, and a little scared thinking about lead-
ing such an incredible organization through such a chal-
lenging time. The pandemic has hit many businesses hard,
including IISE, and serving during a time of transformation
and change will be incredibly important, engaging and fun.
What better way to give back to the profession I love!
What are some of the challenges faced
by the ISE profession?
There’s an old saying that there are no challenges, only
opportunities. We cannot control what happens to us, but
we can control how we react. ISEs have never had as much
opportunity to make a difference in this world than they
have right now. The pandemic has uncovered countless
roles of ISEs who were often silent heroes lurking in the
background. Almost every facet of ISEs’ body of knowl-
edge has contributed to enduring the pandemic. The spot-
light on supply chain professionals is an example; there is
a lot more to procuring necessary supplies than people
realized before the pandemic. As nurses were on the news
wearing trash bags as PPE and sharing the lack of N95
respirators, supply chain professionals solved the complex
problem. Our biggest challenge remains recognizing and
promoting the impact of ISEs and broadly conveying ISEs’
contributions. This is one of the pillars of IISE’s strategic
plan: Strengthen. Specifically, we need to communicate
the value ISEs brought during the pandemic and help oth-
ers connect the dots on how to use our skills to continue
to make this world better going forward.
How is the Institute positioned
to be a leader in this era?
IISE is the only international professional organization sup-
porting ISEs. With a mission of serving those who solve the
complex and critical problems of the world, I can think of
no better position for IISE to be in than to serve ISEs sup-
porting response to a pandemic!
Who has most inspired you
on your career journey?
I learn something from almost everyone I meet. It would be
impossible to name one person who inspires me most. Mis-
ter Rogers was quoted as saying, “When I was a boy and I
would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to
me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who
are helping.’” I am most inspired by the helpers, whether it
be someone helping a person injured in a car crash to simple
acts of kindness.
– Interview by Keith Albertson
ISEs have never had as much opportunity
to make a difference in this world than they
have right now. The pandemic has uncovered
countless roles of ISEs who were often silent
heroes lurking in the background.
Our biggest challenge remains recognizing
and promoting the impact of ISEs and
broadly conveying ISEs’ contributions.
This is one of the pillars of IISE’s strategic
plan: Strengthen. Specifically, we need to
communicate the value ISEs brought during
the pandemic and help others connect the
dots on how to use our skills to continue to
make this world better going forward.