Hometown/home base: born in Philadelphia, but spent most of my childhood in West Chester, Pennsylvania (where our headquarters are located).
Years at Weston: 4.5 years.
Education: “I finished my undergrad degree at Duquesne University in Multiplatform Journalism, and then while working full-time continued my education by obtaining my MA in Communication from Villanova University.”
Current role and experience: “I currently work as Weston’s Small Business/Supplier Diversity Program Administrator. There are various aspects to my role, including administering our subcontracting plans for our federal contracts; ensuring compliance with Federal, State and Municipal regulations that apply to small business utilization; monitoring our progress with regards to small and diverse socioeconomic goal attainment; and calculating, verifying and executing our twice-yearly submittals of our Individual Subcontracting Reports for Weston’s federal prime contracts. I also facilitate opportunities for diverse small businesses to present and/or showcase their capabilities to our project teams, so these firms can be considered for future subcontracting needs – this is an aspect of my role which I really enjoy, as I get to meet a lot of incredible people and small/diverse business owners who have utmost passion for what they do.”
Work, the Weston way: “My role is fairly dynamic because I get to work with a lot of different Weston teams, as the Small Business/Supplier Diversity Program Office gets involved at multiple stages of our projects. We’re included on the “front end” with the proposal submission by writing Small Business Participation Plans and Small Business Subcontracting Plans, assisting with strategic sourcing and verifying subcontractors’ classifications and qualifications when necessary, and addressing various miscellaneous Supplier Diversity-related RFP requirements. Following notification of award, we’re then involved throughout the life of a particular contract by way of subcontracting plan administration, goal monitoring, and preparation of our required federal reports. It’s so interesting to see our federal contracts come to full circle.
Another aspect to my role is to serve as an advocate for small businesses across all socioeconomic categories, including Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Women-Owned Businesses, HubZone Small Businesses, and Veteran/Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, as well as state and locally-certified Minority/Women/Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. On the same level, I also find great joy in educating others about the important roles that our small business partners play while executing projects. Lately there has been much conversation on how diverse teams can positively impact work environments – I firmly believe the same can be said for our subcontractors with whom Weston works. Our small and diverse business partners, subcontractors, and suppliers are instrumental to Weston’s success, and I’m proud to be someone who can foster that aspect of our corporate culture.”
On the sharpening saw: “I’m someone who just loves to learn! When I encounter a challenge, I always am the type to “jump in the deep end” and immerse myself into whatever I can. This helps me gain experience with different tasks and enhance my knowledge in a new area, and simultaneously allows me the opportunity to work with different people across our various office groups.”
On diversity and inclusion and professional life: “I think we have a tendency to shy away from uncomfortable conversation topics; what we sometimes forget is that “discomfort” is an everyday reality for so many different, diverse people. There are countless marginalized groups that are subjected to constant scrutiny solely because of who they are – whether we’re talking about race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity marker. That scrutiny has been formed through the lens of harmful stereotypes that are still present so strongly today, and Weston has worked to create a beautiful workplace culture where everyone is welcome.
For many LGBTQIA+ people (including those of us who are bisexual and make up a significant portion of the community), there’s this overreaching reality that our mere existences make so many people uncomfortable. Even just talking about very real issues that are pertinent and life-affirming to LGBTQIA+ individuals can spur high emotions. Ultimately, some will be compelled to limit their being and authenticity solely for the sake of other peoples’ comfort. It doesn’t help that harmful stereotypes associated with people like me are still constantly being perpetuated in mainstream media.
When we’re talking about diversity, we’re not just talking about people’s perspectives; we’re talking about people’s lives. By having these conversations, however uncomfortable they make us feel, we’re illuminating the path to allow people to thrive by shedding light on areas that others may not even realize exist. And that is something that Weston does exceptionally well. I’m so lucky to work for a company in which I can bring my “full self” to work every single day with all my coworkers across our inter-office groups.”
On creating real change around diversity issues on a larger scale: “It’s so important to be visible and vocal, when it’s safe to do so – and here at Weston, we have a culture that allows for meaningful change to occur through these channels. Visibility is tangible and directly leads to the dismantling of stereotypes that feed into biases and bigotry. Visibility also allows you to educate those who are different from you, and then simultaneously empower others who may be similar to you.
Everyone’s experience is unique; but I’ve personally encountered the harsh reality that not every community, corporate or otherwise, is like Weston’s positive work culture. When you’re not “out” in a particular space, you may be constantly subjected to everything from microaggressions to blatantly homophobic/bi-phobic discourse that slips when the group assumes everyone else in the room is straight (a problem especially for bisexual people, who often still end up in opposite-gender romantic partnerships and present as heterosexual to others). You can learn to compartmentalize things, but that route eventually takes a dangerous turn. When you’re closeted in any way, life may become this constant cycle of policing yourself for the sake of others’ comfort at the expense of your mental health; this cycle can begin at a much younger age than some may realize. You learn to put up a wall between yourself and various, if not most, people in your life – sometimes, you even choose to not disclose your identity on formal job applications because you’re so fearful of how potential coworkers would react. You’re hiding away from every new person you meet until that individual is determined to be “safe,” so to speak. Ultimately, you’re forced to form friendships, connections, and professional relationships that are conditional in nature, knowing that some will always perceive you through a filter full of disheartening societal stereotypes should they ever see your true colors.
But as with anything, this cycle can be combated through those who are able to educate, vocalize, and be visible; in a way, these people are not only working to disrupt hurtful stereotypes and foster change, but also provide a voice for those who aren’t safe to do so themselves. I think as a society we’re getting better, but we still have a long way to go.”