I am humbled by the degree to which leaders of the firm make others their top priority, and I have learned more than I could have imagined in my time here.
Meaningful work
Before joining McKinsey, I was a founding teacher at a public, tuition-free, charter middle school and the executive director of Teach For America, both in Atlanta. My background bridges learning and development with business, an interest that deepened throughout my graduate studies.
Coming out of business school I wanted two things. First, I wanted work that was meaningful and built on my teaching and not-for-profit management experience. I wanted my job to be something I would feel good about—not just at the end of a day but at the end of a life. Second, I wanted growth. I wanted to hone the skills I had and fill in the gaps between them in an environment that would push and support me. It was a tall order, but I got the sense McKinsey could fulfill it, and I was right.
To me, work is meaningful if it addresses issues important to me or if it makes a real difference for people in whose success I’m personally invested. My time at McKinsey has been filled with these experiences. Some of my work has been in the social sector directly, such as developing a charter school-growth strategy, supporting an urban-school superintendent transition, or managing a large-scale not-for-profit governance and culture transformation. I've been delighted by the impact that can be achieved by teaming McKinsey’s experience and approach with clients who tackle society’s greatest challenges day in and day out.
I’ve spent a significant amount of my time working in the private sector across industries, including hotels and construction materials. Besides the learning, the work matters to me because of the incredible client relationships I have developed. Our job is not simply to solve tricky problems. We are there to understand our clients’ needs and help them succeed.
Diversity, equity & inclusion
I colead McKinsey's LGBTQ+ network, known as Equal at McKinsey, and The Alliance, a cross-industry global network of LGBTQ+ senior executives. Since 2018, The Alliance has built connections among LGBTQ+ leaders in business, academia, and the social and public sectors. I’m on the faculty of McKinsey’s Change Leaders Forum and Talent Leaders Forum, which I helped establish. I lead the firm’s LGBTQ+ Executive Transitions Master Class in the United States. I was named to the National Diversity Council’s Power 50 list in 2020, and the 2019 and 2020 OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists, supported by Yahoo Finance.
Personal and professional growth
I heard the word “mentorship” during the recruiting process, but I had no sense of what McKinsey really meant by it. I am humbled by the degree to which incredible leaders within the firm make others their top priority. I have learned more than I could have imagined in my time here, in large part due to a set of partners and peers across McKinsey’s Southern US locations who have committed themselves to helping me succeed. Not only are people ready to give good advice whenever I seek it, but there are individuals who consider my development as a leader of the firm part of their job. Whether it’s helping me think about where to invest my energy at work, or proactively checking in to make sure I’m not neglecting life and relationships outside of work, McKinsey people quickly became my people—and I have grown tremendously in my time here.
Education
Harvard Business School
MBA
Dartmouth College
BA
