Q: How did you get your start working at Bell Leadership Institute?

A: After college, I moved to this area with my now husband, Erik, who was born and raised in Durham. Bell Leadership had an opening, and I started out helping with events and programs. The rest is history. It was just kind of meant to be. Since then, I have worked in every area of the company—surveys, open programs, on-sites, marketing, licensed programs and client services. It’s fun to have spent some time in all aspects of the company.

Q: What is your first memory of working at Bell Leadership?

A: I remember in my early days going for a “walk and talk” with Dr. Bell, walking down the streets around the office, and him bending down and picking up trash. And I know he still does this to this day, and what an inspiration it is and a role model to be walking with such an accomplished man and witnessing the love and the passion that he has for his community, that he's willing to pick up dirty trash on the side of the road. It was just so inspiring to see somebody that had that “no job too big or small” mentality.

Q: Can you tell us about changes and developments you have seen in your 25 years at Bell?

I reflect back on when I started; back then, Dr. Bell was the only lead trainer in our company. So, over the years to see the onboarding of other trainers and to see the team grow and be able to carry out the Bell mission has been really special. In 2005, we launched licensed programs, and we were able to reach more people. We were a small but mighty team and through licensed program work we were able to get Bell teachings into more companies and reach multiple levels within organizations to be able to spread this learning to others.

Then we had the pandemic, and it was inspiring to be able to see our team adapt and change. We are a very in-person company; we believe that the magic happens when we are together in a room face to face. That's how we build relationships and rapport with each other. That's how we collaborate. And so, to see us take an in-person company in that year and put it online and have people go, “Yeah, we can really do it!” It was really, really wonderful to see. We kept going. We kept our mission. And now we have a new delivery option. This gives us a way to connect with people that we normally otherwise might not be able to.

Q: What is your favorite Bell principle, and why?

A: It's hard to pick just one Bell principle. I love “You’re great and getting better.” We're all getting better; we all have room for improvement in our lives, personally and professionally. But I also really like, “You can't judge your past behavior by your current knowledge.” It's a special one to me. We say all the time that if people knew better, they’d behave differently, and that's where I feel like leadership development comes in, and we can help highlight ways for people to become more effective human beings at work and at home. Everyone's got lots of layers, and you have no idea what someone has gone through and their history and their upbringing. It’s learning to give grace when you see somebody at 8:00 am that might look a little upset, and being able to think, “I have no idea what their first three hours of the day looked like and what's going on at home. I’m going to be kind.” I think people are doing their best for who they are and their situation at the time, but I think our impact on people and what we can do to help them become more effective human beings is pretty incredible.

Q: Are there any specific moments that stand out to you over your tenure at Bell?

I really just remember all the fun. We know how to have fun here; it’s one of our principles—the more fun you're having at work, the harder you'll work and the more you'll enjoy your work. Adding humor into the workplace was always high up there on our list of things we did. It didn't matter if somebody was in a gorilla suit and was jumping out of a closet at you or somebody was hiding under your desk. But yeah, just fun. These early memories stand out as foundational parts of our company culture.

Q: What is it about your work at Bell Leadership that keeps you coming back year after year?

A: I say this a lot in interviews—it's the truth; I'm not trying to get people in the door—but, I haven't really woken up one day in 25 years and said, “I don't want to go to work today.” I mean, sure, if I’m sick or my kid is sick, but I really love what I do. I love the team we have here. To work at Bell, you have to be a fundamentally good person, you have to have a clean ego. It’s being surrounded by people who want to work hard, they want to do the right thing at the end of the day, they want to make a difference in people's lives, and I think that is pretty rare to see.

Q: Where do you see yourself and Bell Leadership in the next 25 years?

A: I hope I'm fortunate enough to be here continuing to contribute to our mission, helping our clients to recognize the impact that they have on their teams, communities, and families, and being able to continue to live out Dr. Bell's mission at Bell leadership. Dr. Bell would say we should never retire from contributing or giving back to the world, so I hope I'm here still doing that.