We continue our series of notes from the National Council members introducing themselves with a note from our National President, Nikki Yovanof!
Dear Sisters,
I’m very excited to help start out the next round on the National Awareness Campaign by introducing myself to you all! By now, you all know that I’m the new National President, but I’d like to share with you a little more about who I am and what I do.
I was born in Chicago, IL and grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. When I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut, so aerospace engineering seemed like the most logical path forward. I went to Penn State and got my B.S. in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Engineering Mechanics. Along the way, I heard about the start of an engineering sorority at PSU. After trashing a few of the first emails, one finally caught my attention and I was hooked after one meeting. The PSU-Lambda chapter was founded Spring 2002 and I am proud to have been a charter member, Standards Board member, Vice President, and President of the chapter.
After graduating at PSU, I moved to Huntington Beach, CA to work for The Boeing Company, where I had interned for 2 summers. Since moving to CA in 2004, I have been working in the Boeing Research & Technology organization as a stress analyst and now program manager. I went to the University of Southern California to get my M.S. in Systems Architecture & Engineering. I’m still an aerospace geek and think that I get to work on some of the coolest projects! I’ve also recently begun training to get my pilot certificate and hope to move forward, once I stay in the same city for longer than a week at a time! But I love to travel (I’m writing this from an airport, haha), for work, PSR, or for fun – so sign me up for any cool PSR trips! You should also know that growing up in Pittsburgh and going to Penn State, I am a huge football fan and supporter of the Steelers and Nittany Lions (there’s a great picture of me in a PSU magazine at the Rose Bowl last year where I’m the only one left cheering after we were getting destroyed...).
During my senior year at PSU, I was recruited by then VP of Programming Kellan (Jablonski) Ponikiewicz to get involved in the new Leadership Education And Programming (LEAP) activity she was working on. Since then, I have continued to be involved in PSR at the national level as Leadership Director, VP of Programming, and now President. My favorite part of the opportunities I’ve had with PSR has been spending time getting to know the actives and alumnae I’ve worked with in different areas. I have had a blast at every national meeting I’ve planned and attended, and every LEAP workshop I’ve presented. I hope that as president, I can continue to work with you all and continue to build a strong relationship between National Council and the actives and alumnae we volunteer for!
As president, I have a pretty cool position and a lot of responsibility. My role is to oversee the National Council and help guide the strategic direction of the organization. While keeping in mind the social aspects of our Sorority, we have to keep in mind that the size of PSR means that we also have to operate as a business with smooth execution and future direction. I think that I am most excited about this opportunity to shape our future, particularly through the 2010-2014 Strategic Plan. I see it as my role on National Council to help get rid of some of the roadblocks that the other officers, volunteers, and actives and alumnae have to getting their jobs done and getting the most out of PSR. In addition, I am also the spokeswoman of the sorority serve as a representative of our sisterhood. This means that I also interact with outside organizations like Triangle, SWE, and even our own PSR Foundation. As President, I also serve as the Ex-Officio to the Foundation and serve on their Board of Directors.
I am truly honored to be your 12th NC President! I look forward to working with you all to build great relationships, present a good image of PSR, and help lead us into the future. I am here if you have any questions, suggestions, or problems. As an analyst, I’m at a computer all the time and pretty easy to reach by e-mail!
In Sisterhood,
Nicolette Yovanof
National President – Phi Sigma Rho 12th National Council
(e) nicolette.p.yovanof@gmail.com
(aim) Starlette741
Also find me on: Facebook, gmail chat, and LinkedIn!
No comments:
Post a Comment