Interviewed by: Dana Reynolds of The Holder Group

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Piscataway and am the oldest of five siblings. My husband and I of 34 years have one son who currently serves in the Navy. My family has been living in the Princeton area for the past 16 years. I enjoy cooking, entertaining, gardening and traveling.

How and when did you get your start in Facilities Management?

By accident, and with the great relationships I’ve formed has kept me in the industry for 30 + years. During my Senior year in High School, I was fortunate to participate in a work program at Colgate-Palmolive R&D. It was an excellent experience. The Program had me rotate through various

departments every 2 months or so. This allowed me to work in different capacities and learn about various roles and what goes on in an R&D environment.

I typed research reports for the Scientists, worked in the Technology Center, which was the on-site library, and the Corporate Data Center, to name a few. Participating in this program, led to a full-time position after graduating high school. I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of Colgate’s tuition refund program and was able to obtain an AAS in Business Administration from Middlesex County College and a BA in Psychology from Rutgers University. Colgate truly cared about helping employees advance their career, whether it was formal education, training, or mentoring.

While working and studying, I was able to move into a new position every 2 years or so until I became the Office Services Manager reporting to the Controller. In this role I was responsible for all aspects of mailroom, reprographics, furniture & fixtures, Company Store and Food Services. Reporting to the Controller gave me other opportunities to hone in on financials in other areas of Colgate’s business.

Eventually, I was moved to the Facilities Management/Engineering group which consisted of all degreed Engineers. Moving to this group added additional responsibilities such as space planning & design, contract management of hard and soft services, conference services, Telecommunications as well as leased space that housed a packaging facility. Learned all aspects of working in an R&D/regulated environment with GMP labs and Pilot Plants.

I became the Liaison for the site overseeing our single service provider for all non-core business. Here is where I learned my “engineering”, by shadowing and going to look and learn about all the building operations systems, etc.; from roof top to boiler house and beyond and attended all the weekly engineering meetings. Again, I was so fortunate to have such great mentors. Eventually they gave me an “honorary engineer” diploma. Just don’t put a wrench in my hand.

After Colgate I moved into the service provider side and was lead in transitioning Large International Accounts to IFM in the manufacturing and R&D environments. Although I was away from home M-F, I enjoyed working and meeting other FMs from all walks of life/countries. An entirely new experience and learning.

What does your role at the ABM entail?

I am the Strategic Account Manager on the Boeing account for ABM. I am the single point of contact, on a national scale, for the client and ABM staff regarding services and governance. I manage the financial performance, operational excellence, and client relationship of all accounts – including the development of new relationships in order to grow the business. I am also responsible for consistently developing and improving processes and systems to reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction while adhering to contract specifications and budgetary goals.

Who has been the biggest influence in your professional career and why?

Besides all the mentors I have had along the way; dear friend and co-worker of mine has been such an inspiration to me. She was incredible academic—with a BS in Chemistry went on to a MA Labor Relations and then a law degree while working full time. She encouraged me to continue my college education and get my degree no matter how long it took.

How long have you been involved with IFMA?

I’ve been involved with IFMA for a long time, getting my CFM in 1997 (currently maintaining) and SFP in 2014. I enjoy sharing experiences and learning from others. It’s always good to know that we share successes and challenges in the FM world and can get some very good ideas on working through the challenges.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your career?

Never ask anyone to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself. My job is to help the people who report to me be successful. Remove all the roadblocks for them and so they can do the best job possible. Colgate’s culture was that it was the responsibility of the Manager to make their team successful and help them advance their careers.

What do you offer that is unique in the industry?

I am good at listening and helping the client discover what they really need. Many times, they will tell you what they think they want, but that is not always what they need. I have learned that it is important to always have a Plan B in case Plan A doesn’t work or is not accepted.

What advice do you have for someone new coming into the industry?

Be open minded, learn all you can, find someone in your organization to have as a mentor, and set goals/objectives to get to where you want to be. Ask yourself, “what did I learn today”?