“The meetings provided an opportunity for self-examination and ways to navigate my professional goals and challenges in a different way,” says the School of Social Work human resources director.
The UMBrella Coaching Program was a great experience, and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Each month, we were given a topic with corresponding materials to review before meeting with our group. We discussed the topics with our coach and other areas of interest such as challenges we face as professional women. The meetings provided an opportunity for self-examination and ways to navigate my professional goals and challenges in a different way.
One of the best aspects was connecting with my group. They are phenomenal women who were supportive and encouraging during our meeting discussions. My coach, Vanessa Carroll, is amazing! She imparted so many great insights and challenged me in areas where she could see I needed a gentle nudge to move forward in my goals. Vanessa was just the coach I needed to help me change my perspective and move forward in exploring what I want as a professional and how to achieve it.
Kimber M. Lee, MBA, is the director of human resources for the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
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The UMBrella Group works to support the success of women and those who identify as women at UMB by building community and helping them achieve their personal and professional goals, enhancing their leadership skills, and championing women at all levels of the organization. Learn more at umaryland.edu/umbrella/.