Archives for January 2018

Hi Everyone,

My name is Jordan Dodderer. I live in Los Angeles, CA and work as a professional dancer for television, film and music artists. I also travel often to instruct kids across the country. I am a senior political science major and intend on graduating this Spring! I would love to be more involved with my local government eventually, but for now, I am enjoying my career in the arts! One of my favorite quotes is “enjoy the process.” Oftentimes we are so focused on goals and results that we forget that life happens in between. I’m constantly reminding myself of this in any role that I find myself, leadership included.

I live with my boyfriend and two dogs. When we’re not traveling for work you can find us hiking local trails with the pups! My favorite travel destination is Barcelona. I love the culture and vibrancy of the city. Looking forward to learning with you all this semester!

Best,

Jordan

Hello Everyone,

My name is Maricruz Saucedo and I live in Los Angeles, California with my husband and two children.  I decided to go back to school when my son graduated High School.  I have an AA in Business Administration but wanted to finish my BA.  He is now a Junior at UCLA, thank goodness next semester is my last semester at Penn State!  My daughter is 13 and going on 30.  She is such a blessing and really is the glue keeps the family together and thriving.  She is a natural born leader and already involved in leading many philanthropic projects.

I currently help oversee Procurement Operations for a creative production company located in North Hollywood.  I worked for a major TV Network for over 16 years managing production, post-production and procurement operations.  About two years ago, I decided to take a sabbatical to be with my mother who is very ill.  After my sabbatical I went to work for the Catholic Archdiocese here in Los Angeles on a Global initiative.  That was a very special time in my life, as I was able to decompress from the hustle and bustle of the corporate life and focus on my spirit.  After nine months there, I took a position with the production company I am with now.

I was hired to create and implement new systems that will help streamline the procurement process and save the company money.  While there are many challenges, I am really excited about building the department from the ground up.  I hope to be with this company for a very long time and eventually move back to the non-profit sector where I can help manage operations for a center.

I have over 18 years of leadership experience in different areas like; manufacturing, television production, business operations and non-profit.  Outside of work and school, I love mentoring teenagers.  I have been a catechist and mentor to young inner-city teenagers for 15 years now.  This is truly one of my passions.  Prior to working with teens, I loved to paint and write poetry.   With this very busy schedule, however, most of my creative time goes to working with the youth.

I look forward to taking this class and wish all off you much luck!

Blessings,

Maricruz Saucedo

My name is Bryan Morse, currently  I am a Field Training Officer at CARE Ambulance Service and have been responsible for training and evaluating new EMTs as well as assisting with all aspects of training within the company. I am currently living in Temescal Valley, California. Recently I made the decision to switch gears from pursuing a career as a firefighter to working towards a degree in Security & Risk Analysis. As far as leadership experience, I served in the Marines for 8 years and got out as a Sergeant. I served as a Team Chief and Combat Marksmanship Trainer and was consistently responsible for the training and readiness of at least 4 other Marines. I listen to the Jocko Podcast whenever I get a chance, that thing is full of great leadership quotes, my favorite being : “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” I feel that one connects deeply with me, it’s easy for a poor leader to place blame for poor performance on his subordinates, whereas a good leader will take responsibility for them and strive to implement changes within the team in order to accomplish the task. No children, just the 4 legged kind currently. I enjoy traveling and try to do it as often as I can. 

Hi, My name is Bobbie Schulte and I am a Project Manager for Exelon. I’ve been in this position for almost 3 years now, and I absolutely love my job. I can honestly say that i learn something new everyday. My job is challenging, yet extremely rewarding. Within the next year, I would like to be a supervisor and in the next 5 i’m hoping to become a manager. There are a number of growth and development opportunities at my company and i intend to take full advantage of them. First step is finishing my degree. I have about 1.5 years left.

Ive lived in Maryland my entire adult life. And about a year ago, my husband and I bought our “forever” home. I couldnt imagine living anywhere else.

One of my favorite leadership quotes is by FDR. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.” The quote is special to me because so many of us live in constant fear. Fear does nothing but hold you back. People use fear as an excuse in order to “avoid” failing, but what people don’t realize if you dont at least give it a try your giving in and youve already failed before you even began. .

One of my newest hobbies is collecting National Monument and Park stamps. Ive always loved to hike and explore the outdoors, and whats cooler than doing something i love outside all while collecting stamps to ease my OCD mind. My NMP Passport book is a little over the top with how neat and orderly it is… but what can i say?!

This is a picture of me and my little (not so little) brother.

My name is Kimberley Davenport. I am located in Cleveland, Ohio. Currently, I have a position in Strategic Marketing. I have been in my current position for the past 3 years. Prior this I was in a leadership position for 3 years. I decided to take a step back from leadership, when my husband and I started our family. I have been married for almost 8 years now. I am the proud mother of a 2 year old son and a 3 year old fur baby. One of the most unique things about me is that I love DIY-ing. We purchased our home just over 3 years ago, and we have slowly put our stamp on it. The joke around here is that most people think the power tools in the house belong to my husband. They don’t – they actually belong to me. Don’t get me wrong my husband is pretty handy but as far as doing full blown DIY projects, – let’s just say he won’t be the one running to the Home Depot. I just love the instant gratification you get from doing something on your own. Also, the money savings are a big incentive to make me try to D-I-H (Do It Herself).

A long time ago, when I was struggling with work life balance, my mentor said to me – “No matter how tired you feel…get up, dress up, show up, and never give up.” I am not sure where they got it from but it has been my guiding principle.  So much so that I made a pillow for my guest chair in my office and decaled this quote on it. As a constant reminder. It just struck me that even on my worst day – when I am frustrated, or worried, or angry, or stressed – I still owe it to myself to do my very best. And if I do my very best, then that is all anyone can ask. And the undertone of this stays with me daily – faith, hope, and love. Without any of those things – I would not be me.

Now that I my life has settled down, I am ready to get back into leadership. I look forward to learning the global perspective of leadership. Our organization has grown tremendously the past few years, we have brick and mortar facilities in 3 foreign countries and many customers from other countries utilize our services. This has created a  tremendous shift in our international operations and being able to think with the inclusion of a global mindset will be powerful for me.

My Name is Robert and I currently live in Northern Virginia. After 8 successful years with the United States Marine Corps, I decided to transition out and enhance my Information Technology career. I got lucky enough to get a job with Amazon Web Services, in Herndon, right away; so I am definitely living the life! My goal is to grow within this amazing company and obtain all the technical knowledge necessary to be able to create my own web application one day and hopefully make a lot of money with it. I have lots of leadership experience, which I obtained while being a Sergeant of Marines. As a Sergeant of Marines, I was entrusted with the life, moral and discipline of more than 20 Marines whom were directly under my charge. I have been in multiple leadership classes that have helped me throughout the length of my career, but I can always say that I have much to learn. In my opinion, leadership is definitely a subject that we can always continue to learn and improve. I think my favorite leadership quote is “Leadership by Example”. There have been multiple times in which I have encountered leaders preaching about standards they couldn’t held themselves. In my opinion, a good leader is the one that leads from the front and sets the example for everyone else to follow. Now, I have a 3 year old son and I definitely want to set the example for him to follow; which is why, everyday, I work hard to always improve myself and my career. I know one day he will appreciate all the things I obtained with hard work andhe will want to do the same for his family. Nice to meet you all and good luck this semester!

My name is Natalia Paternina, I currently live in Midland, MI, but will be moving next week to Atlanta, GA for an internship. I’m originally from Colombia but moved to Michigan when I was younger, and later on to PA as a freshman in college. I’m 21 years old and a junior attending Penn State University Park, but I will be taking the semester off to complete an event marketing internship with Turner Broadcasting.

(Thats me on the right)

I decided I still want to graduate on time (May 2019), which is why I’m taking a few online classes through World Campus while I’m away for the semester. I’m a public relations and international relations double major, and in the future I hope I can get a job working in corporate communications or marketing communications.

As for leadership experience, I haven’t really had any formal work experience since I’m still a full time student, but I’ve been a part of a THON organization since I was a freshman. I’ve been able to participate in THON and attend twice, and became both social and homecoming chair in the past years, which gave me some leadership experience. As for my hobbies, I enjoy reading and watching TV and movies, as well as hanging out with my dog, Emma.

Hello everyone, my name is Derek and I am currently residing in San Diego, CA. I currently work full-time for a school district doing maintenance work for classrooms in need of repair. This is my senior year through Penn State’s World Campus program and I aspire to graduate this year in Communications. I hope to obtain employment in HR, and depending on my position, possibly go back to school for another degree. I have experience with leadership by having to take assertion, or have control over projects at my job. Additionally, I am the union representative at my site, so at times I have to delegate issues among coworkers. I don’t have a favorite leadership quote, so I am looking forward to reading my classmates’ post to learn some of their favorite quotes. I have a passion for hiking and enjoy being outdoors with good company. My determination in accomplishing goals can also be interpreted as stubbornness, for at times I do not know when to quit. For instance, I have hiked a 10,000 ft. mountain with little to know preparation because I only factored in the distance of the trail, not what the climb of elevation would do to my body. I managed to make it to the top, but ended up pretty beat up for almost 3 weeks. 

My name is Joellen Chappelle. I live in Montoursville, PA with my wonderful husband and our two fur babies. I’m an HR professional with over 15 years experience in all aspects of the HR function–from recruiting to training to policies and procedures. I have spent the last 11 years developing my leadership skills as an HR professional for a public school. I’m actively seeking other opportunities with the hopes of securing a position as an HR Director.

This is my final semester. I’m excited to graduate this spring.