How did your career start, and what has your work experience been?
I started my career back in 1996, working in the lab at our Hatfield, PA TSDF. I moved into customer service about a year and a half later and was in that role for 8.5 years. When my son went to kindergarten, I found a position with an environmental consultant and was able to work from home. The consultant’s #1 customer happened to be Clean Earth! I learned all about the soil side of the business and visited all the Clean Earth soil processing facilities to perform audits, work on permitting, and anything else they needed. Little did I know I’d eventually be a part of this amazing corporation. After 3 years of working for the consultant, I returned to Hatfield and became the Materials Manager. I also worked for some time in the soil approvals group at Clean Earth but ultimately returned to my hazardous waste roots as the Technical Pricing Manager and eventually the Manager of Pricing Strategy. I am now the Regional Materials Manager, supporting the North region.
Will you talk about your current role at Clean Earth?
In April of this year, I was promoted to Regional Materials Manager, which had been an aspiration of mine for many years. I had wonderful mentors who guided me to where I am today. I work with the facility Materials Managers to solve some of the tough waste streams we encounter while also working closely with our 3rd party partners. Due to my varied experience throughout the organization, I’m often called upon to assist in other areas of our business. What I thoroughly enjoy is helping others and working as a team. We have some of the most amazing team members here at Clean Earth, and I am proud to be here.
Are there any misconceptions people may have about your position?
The one misconception others may have about my position is that I have answers for everything. I frequently say that I am successful because of the other team members who know WAY more than me. I have a network of “phone-a-friends” and call upon them quite often to be my sounding board. I normally have a thought process to answer tough questions, but I will call upon some of the experts within our organization to make sure I’m going in the right direction. I certainly don’t know the answers to everything, but I can usually find the right individual who does know the answers. We have a lot of smart people here at Clean Earth!
Let’s talk about some of the highlights of your career. What has been the most rewarding or meaningful part of your work experience thus far?
I loved every position I’ve held here at Clean Earth, but I have to say that Customer Service was my favorite. It was “back in the day” when email wasn’t as widely used, so there were a lot more telephone conversations. The connections I made with our customers were amazing. At times, I felt like a counselor or best friend to our customers, but I enjoyed the conversations and was happy that I could make their day a little brighter. The commitment to providing great service to our customers certainly made my job a whole lot easier.
How do you enjoy your time outside of work?
I have one son who is now a college graduate. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play sports from the time he was 5 years old through his college experience. Now that he’s done with sports, I enjoy watching (well, sometimes enjoy) my professional teams – the Philadelphia Phillies and the Buffalo Bills. I also stay active by going to the gym regularly and taking 6 a.m. walks 3-4 times a week with my best friend…even in the winter! I aspire to be an avid reader like our own Jennifer McGraw, but I generally only read in the spring/summer while sitting on my swing in the backyard.
How do you empower other women in our industry? What advice do you want to share?
My best advice is to find your “people” who can help you with your career goals. In addition, get involved in a mentorship program. Our mentorship program has been nothing short of amazing. I have been a mentor for 4 individuals so far, and I think I learned as much (if not more) from the mentees as they learned from me. Networking is key.
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?
At the start of my career, I’d make sure that I realize the importance of persistence and continuous learning. These are the things that helped me immensely throughout my career in the waste industry. I’m proud of how far I’ve come. From knowing nothing about the waste industry to being a Regional Materials Manager, it took years of hard work, dedication, mentorship, and finding my people along the way.