Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up in Sparwood, B.C., and moved to Lethbridge in 1995 to attend ULethbridge, always knowing that I was born to be an English major, but falling in love with business, management and human resources along the way. While completing my undergrad, I was fortunate to land the best part time job ever at B. Macabee’s Booksellers, where my love of literature, business and community blossomed, a love that I was able to carry forward into my role as Gift Shop Manager at the Galt Museum, and into my multiple roles at the ULethbridge Bookstore, including Custom Coursepack Coordinator, Trade Book Buyer, Course Materials Manager/Retail Analyst, and now, Bookstore Manager. Working on campus inspired me to pursue a Master's of Business Administration in Project Management, not because I wanted to manage a project, but because I wanted to learn how multiple stakeholders successfully work together towards a common goal. My interest in change management and organizational behaviour mirrors my interest in literature, all of which require listening, learning and seeing things through the perspectives and experiences of others.
How long have you been at ULethbridge, and what do you do here?
I started at the U of L in 2003 to cover a maternity leave position and have moved through a variety of positions, all under the Bookstore banner, into my current role as the Bookstore Operations Manager. My role is to lead one of the best teams on campus to continually evolve, change, innovate and improve services to support our students, our campus community, our Lethbridge community and beyond! This entails creating, developing and implementing budgets, business plans, marketing strategies, course materials delivery strategies and product lines that align with the University of Lethbridge Strategic Plan and enhance the experience of our clients and customers. If there is one constant in the campus store industry, it is change, and I am very proud to lead a group of humans who not only embrace change and the opportunities it brings but who have also become industry leaders through their involvement with national organizations like Campus Stores Canada.
What's the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is being able to engage with so many people for so many reasons! I get to meet parents and students when they are checking out university campuses for the first time, and follow their journey to convocation day! I get to hire and work with student staff, some of whom are working their first job ever, and I get to watch their skills and confidence grow each and every minute! I get to collaborate with other amazing teams and individuals on campus all the time! Where else can you chat with a poet, a political scientist, a neuroscientist, a musician and an IT systems specialist all in one afternoon? I get to share my love of children’s literature with the best Education Department in the world through book talks and tastings, and I get to spread the book joy even further by speaking at teachers’ conventions, conferences and professional development days. Campus retail gives my team and me a reason to engage and a reason for amazing humans to engage with us! And, if they don’t come to us, we will always find a way to go to them through our participation in festivals like Word on the Street, Pride in the Park, The Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation Christmas Tree Festival, and anywhere else we can connect the U of L and the community!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love to read, of course! I will read anything and everything, anywhere! I also love to spend time with my family and watch my young adult children (one of whom is now a ULethbridge student, YAY!) grow into themselves more and more each day. I have recently become obsessed with gardening, especially with finding flowers that the bees love and the deer don’t. And, if I’m not at home, you’ll probably find me in Waterton, my favourite place in the world, next to the water, reading a book, of course!