Introducing 2013 DC Fellow, Kelly Pierson

Name: Kelly Pierson
Hometown: Sylvania, OH
Previous Organization: Target Corporation
Current Organization: National 4-H Council

What inspired you to apply for ProInspire?

I discovered the ProInspire fellowship at a point when I was craving a way to incorporate my passion of making a social impact into my daily work. I had left my position at Target with the aim of transitioning into the social sector, and I could not have articulated a more ideal program than the ProInspire fellowship if I had tried! It’s cohort-based community and professional development model are exactly what I was hoping to find in my next opportunity.

Is this your first time in the non-profit sector? 

I have been volunteering in the non-profit sector since early high school and held more formal responsibilities with two such organizations while in college: I interned as a strategy consultant for female small business owners as part of Global Mamas in Ghana, Africa and I directed marketing and public relations for Feed Lucas County Children in my hometown of Toledo, Ohio. My role at National 4-H Council incorporates the best aspects of my prior non-profit experiences — including the visible impact on the population served and the infectious devotion of coworkers to the cause — but is also a more structured and larger organization than any I’ve been a part of before. I am working on the back-end side rather than in the field, but I appreciate the holistic view of the non-profit world that I am able to see in this position.

What is your typical day like?

I just started my fellowship this week, but thus far my job has centered on cross-functional collaboration with other teams, such as marketing and finance, within Council to achieve aggressive organizational goals and learn from one another’s experiences. I believe a typical day on the job will have me in somewhat of an internal consultant role, where I will be working to understand current practices with the goal of uncovering how we can refine processes to achieve efficiency and customer satisfaction from the retail component of 4-H.

What are your hobbies or extracurricular activities outside of work? 

Outside of work, I am an avid runner and fitness enthusiast. I am currently training for my fifth marathon, am a member of a Glow Kickball league, and am part of the Back on My Feet team, an organization that develops self-sufficiency in the D.C. homeless population through running programs. I also enjoy trying new brunch spots, picking up hobbies, and exploring all that our nation’s capital has to offer!

What is one thing professionally, you cannot live without? 

I find honest communication absolutely essential in a professional environment, especially in my relationships with my manager and teammates. I thrive in environments of structured and informal feedback, and I also truly appreciate when coworkers deliver on promises made, or explain what roadblocks prevented them from doing so so we can tackle them together.

Where have you lived, and where might you still want to live one day?

I have lived in Ohio; Indiana; Minneapolis, MN; Austin, TX; Cape Coast, Ghana; Fremantle, Australia, and now Washington, D.C! I have a strong desire to see the world, and I would love to live in San Francisco, Vancouver, or Brazil at some point in the future.

If your friends and/or enemies had to describe you in three words what would they be?

Adventurous, Compassionate, and Enterprising