Windham to the NYSE

I am so grateful for my life and career and am inspired to share what has driven my success.?

Early this Fall I returned to Windham, Ohio, where it all began, to visit lifelong friends.? My front porch photo above (that’s me on the left with my sister and brother) shows the “Projects” where we lived for my first ten years.

Much of Windham was built to support workers in the Ravenna Arsenal during WWII, and after the War, it opened to returning GI’s and their families. ?Windham was packed with kids; most of us were poor but we didn’t know it!

We were encouraged to be our authentic selves- disciplined and determined, and to make our own decisions.?

From there I was excited to study business at Ohio State, with more people in my dorm than all of Windham!? There, Professor William Davidson, Head of Marketing, introduced me to the Art and Science of Business, alongside core tenets of success in work and life:

Stay Curious?????????

Keep Learning???????

Keep Teaching??????

Always Look to the Future

When I graduated, only 4% of my business class were women.? I accepted a job with Lord & Taylor in New York.? Two weeks into what I planned to be a year-long stint in NYC, I knew I was staying. The energy, creativity and diversity of the city captured me!??? ?

Soon after, I joined Bloomingdale’s management training program, focusing on home furnishings.? I began traveling to markets across Europe and Asia. Then Tiffany and Co. asked me to be VP of Sales.? I had zero jewelry experience, but realized I didn’t need to know everything to accept the challenge. ?I moved on to women’s apparel and omni-channel retail with public and private companies, always successfully driving value.

It also became clear that true leadership isn’t about yourself. ?You win or lose as a team!? A leader’s role is to create clarity, alignment and a shared commitment to the brand, business and culture. ??Every role is an opportunity to learn, teach and create value, and to articulate, advocate and influence others to reach our goals.

It all came together when our team took J. Jill public in 2017, having built a highly profitable $700M company despite four owners in six years.? Fewer than 5% of the CEO’s who took companies public in the prior ten years were women. I'm proud to have been one of them.

All of this is a long way from the Projects in Windham but built on the foundation I learned there.? Today I advise CEO’s and leaders not to be afraid to take on challenges.? You don’t have to know everything to make a change.? Honor what makes you tick. Understand what is driving value in your life and build from there.? Please share in the comments section key lessons that YOU learned on your journey from where you first started.

I look forward to sharing more of what I’ve learned, forever committed to Stay Curious, Keep Learning, Keep Teaching, and Always Look to the Future!

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