Questions and Answers:
Tell us a bit about you and your role at McGraw Hill.
I am a District Sales Manager at McGraw Hill in our Higher Education division. I am based in Houston, Texas, but also cover southern Louisiana and Mississippi. I have the pleasure of leading a team of eight very talented Learning Technology Representatives (LTRs) who work alongside two Learning Specialists, an Enterprise Account Manager, and an ALEKS Math Specialist on a day-to-day basis.
What I love most about my position is recruiting, training, and developing talent for our organization as well as building a collaborative culture that fosters growth.
What does a typical workday look like for you, and how has your work changed due to COVID-19?
A typical workday for me pre-COVID would have been spent working on a college campus with one of my LTRs, peppered with analyzing sales data, conference calls, and one-on-one meetings. We would see as many professors as possible, uncover needs, and find the best solution to improve student outcomes.
Post-COVID, I take a day that I would normally have spent on campus with an LTR to work virtually with them. That could include anything from strategizing around opportunities, personally reaching out to customers, or helping them analyze reports to see areas of upside.
How has McGraw Hill helped you in your professional development over your 20-year career here?
McGraw Hill invests in their employees' futures and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities they have offered me over the years. I have had the honor to work with and learn from some truly talented people through our internship opportunities (marketing & editorial), our Stretch Forward mentoring program, the District Manager Leadership Council, the Women’s Leadership Initiative, Employee Engagement task forces, and the National Sales Meeting planning committee…just to name a few.
One of the fabulous things about this company is that if you work hard, have a track record of success, and have innovative ideas—senior leaders are willing to listen to any proposal you may have. An example of this is when I approached our National Sales Manager six years ago with an idea to redesign several of the southeastern districts to make them run more efficiently and in a way that made more sense geographically. I was also ready to lead my own team and thought Houston/Louisiana would be the perfect fit. I was given that chance and many more before and after that. I can honestly say that McGraw Hill has played a key role in my development not only professionally, but personally, as well.