Answer: After more than 20 years in higher education teaching English as a Second Language and directing the intensive English program at Wright State University, I was looking for a career change, and it so happened that the Welcome Dayton coordinator position was available. I had done some work with the Welcome Dayton program over the years and thought the position would be a good fit.
The program was being transitioned to a new department within the city and undergoing slight reorganization. Welcome Dayton started in 2011 and the opportunity (and possibly also challenge) to be part of a restart, of sorts, in a new space and taking it further appealed to me.
Q: Who are a couple of people you think of as your professional board of directors (the folks you go to for advice and support)?
A: A group of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) professionals I worked with for most of my career at Wright State University. Many of us went to graduate school together and spent years building an amazing intensive English program and teaching together daily. Even though we now have different careers, and some have retired, these women are still my go-to people because we have such long and strong history together.
I value their honesty when I ask for advice and that they always make me think critically.
Q: What is advice you have for women growing their careers?
A: Career growth takes time and persistence, and it is important to be strategic about it. Seek out ways to improve yourself, develop new skills, take on leadership opportunities, engage in professional development, consider how you network and look for mentors who can help you navigate challenges. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to try something new.
Switching professional fields, in my case leaving higher education to work in city government, was initially a worry of mine because I had been in higher education my entire professional life and felt hesitant about working in a different environment. Today, I am very happy I made the change because it is allowing me to grow further. A whole new world, literally, has opened up through the role I have now held for almost three years.
Q: When you were a child, what career did you hope to have?
A: I wanted to be a foreign correspondent, travel the world and write about people and places. In a sense, I feel that I have had a chance to do that, leaving Sweden to move to the U.S. and through my work teaching ESL to international students and now working with Dayton’s immigrant and refugee population. I have been fortunate to meet and get to know people from across the globe, right here in Dayton.
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