Grace Williams
Economic & Community Development Manager
March Joint Powers Authority
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Grew up in a developing country and always had a passion for improving my community...
Spent my free time doing a lot of social justice work, and community service work in my community...
I received a scholarship to major in civil engineering at a major university...
Changed my major to urban planning and minored in civil engineering...
I moved to a different city where planning jobs were available....
I took risks to grow in my leadership skills, and joined the military to serve part time...
I took risks in my career development and continued to pursue higher education, every chance I got.
I took risks in being an economic developer and built relationships to grow my organization.
Education
High School
Career
Economic & Community Development Manager
I facilitate partnerships that will attract businesses and create jobs within my community.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Politics
Problem Solving
Day to Day
A great day for me would involve several meetings with our private partners, policymakers, community members, and educators where we are developing innovative ideas that can attract low-tech and hi-tech businesses to our region. I travel quite a bit to meet with potential business partners. I also do a lot of research on resources that we can use to develop career development solutions for our region.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Having a strong science and math background will give you a good foundation that will lead into understanding how projects (like a new mall or football stadium) affects the environment we live in. Join clubs that teach critical thinking skills like the math club, chess club, speech club. Team sports and student government will help you learn leadership and teamwork skills that critical to learning how to manage teams and projects. Use homework to learn how to complete projects on time.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Parents:
"You are not that smart."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
