Collectly Career Growth & Development

Describe your career journey so far. What skills and experiences have you acquired along the way that have helped you get to where you are now?

My career has been a mix of customer success, operations and strategy roles that gave me a holistic view of how businesses grow and scale. I started in customer-facing roles, which taught me the importance of empathy, active listening and building relationships rooted in trust. From there, I moved into operations and leadership positions where I learned how to balance customer advocacy with business needs. Along the way, I honed skills in process design, data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration. These experiences taught me that sustainable growth comes from building scalable systems while empowering people. The ability to navigate both the “human” and “operational” sides of business is what has propelled me into my current role as vice president of customer success and operations at Collectly.

What support did you receive from individuals or resources that helped you step into a leadership role?

Early on in my career, I expressed interest in leadership and got put into a leadership program by my company which propelled my learnings on what it truly means to be a leader. That program opened my eyes to the fact that leadership isn’t just about driving results — it’s about inspiring and developing others. It gave me practical tools for coaching, communicating and managing through change, which I still use today. Beyond formal programs, I had managers who were generous with feedback and pushed me to step into stretch roles even when I didn’t feel 100 percent ready. They helped me see potential in myself that I might have overlooked. Those experiences, paired with seeking out mentors and peers I could learn from, built my confidence and gave me a strong foundation to grow into bigger leadership roles.

How do you encourage other women on your team to become leaders themselves? Are there any stories you can share that showcase how you’ve done this?

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in my own career is how to advocate for myself and ask for what I want — whether that’s a new project, a promotion or more support. I try to pass that on by encouraging women on my team to get clear about their goals and voice them openly. When someone tells me they want to grow, I work with them to map out the skills and experiences they’ll need, then create opportunities for them to get there. 

For example, someone on our recruiting team mentioned she was interested in HR. I encouraged her to start SHRM training now so she’d be prepared for when we decide to open a formal HR role. Not only did this give her a clear action plan, but it also showed her that advocating for what she wanted could create future opportunities. Empowering others to take ownership of their development — and reminding them they’re allowed to ask for what they want — is one of the most rewarding parts of leadership for me.