Jobs Landed

With seven years as a professional web application developer, I am the point man for adopting emerging technologies for business use.  I have solid knowledge of PHP, MySQL, HTML5, FLEX and other standards, and the creative problem-solving skills from an artistic training. I hold an M.F.A. in Digital Imaging from Rochester Institute of Technology. In my copious spare time, I write apps for iPhone/iPad.

I love being an attorney because I have the chance to help people and communities. My main areas of practice are land use, municipal, and real estate with an emphasis on leasing and community associations. The southeast Michigan region and particularly Detroit are full of opportunity for economic development and innovative land use planning. Detroit is wide open for reinvention. It is a blank slate just waiting to be reshaped by creative, passionate people.

I have always been interested in community development and local government. As a law student, I was pulled toward municipal law because it is primarily where land use planning decisions are made. I was fortunate to find very talented and experienced mentors that helped me focus my job search and helped open doors for me in the local legal community. My firm is the perfect fit for my practice area interests.

The core function of my job is to drive vehicles on the test track and collect necessary data from the car for software engineers and calibration engineers.  I choose to work in this area because my focus of study is Control Theory and this job might give me opportunity to apply my knowledge in controls in the future. 

There was no doubt in my mind that I would open my business in South East Michigan I just really thought it was going to be a coffee shop.  As it turns out my true passion is floral design, fresh unique, modern floral design.  My job as owner of Sweet Pea is to meet with future brides and create a custom floral proposal for their big day.  After that I get elbow deep in buckets of blooms and boxes of blossoms and go into a floral trance that results in a collection of artful bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces etc.  I love delivering and setting up for weddings, I always feel caught up in the excited energy that surrounds a wedding and the happy anticipation of everyone else around.  My favorite thing about my job as lead designer is the creative outlet that this provides for my inner artist it is very satisfying to dream something up and then make it happen.  Flowers are the perfect medium for a Jesus freak like me too, I find so much truth and beauty in the natural and being surrounded by it day to day is completely inspires me.

I typically deal with people who are looking to secure loans and find that their credit scores are too low to qualify. A loan officer, real estate agent or insurer will tell a potential client that, while they would like to do business with them, it's not possible at this time and that if they were interested, there is someone who can help: me. The process of improving a credit score isn't hugely complicated, but it is daunting for the average person and can take some time. I make sure that the biggest score increase is achieved in the shortest time possible so that the client can then be eligible for the loan they wanted. When I do my job, everyone ends up winning.

City Year, Inc. unites young people from the ages of 17-24 of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world. As tutors, mentors and role models, these diverse young leaders help children stay in school and on track, and transform schools and communities across the United States, as well as through international affiliates in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England. Just as important, during their year of service corps members develop civic leadership skills they can use throughout a lifetime of community service.

I think I have one of the best jobs anyone can have; no two days are ever the same! As a Program Manager with City Year Detroit, I have the unique chance to see learning and development happen in just about every age group possible in just about every community in the Metro Detroit area. Our service provides a cherished experience for the youth we serve. Whether it's through seeing the light bulb go off when a student "gets it" through the tutoring done in their classrooms, the fun, yet educational activities in After School Programs at their schools or our Saturday-based Service Learning through our Young Heroes and City Heroes programs, the youth who participate in our programs are able to form a bond with someone who cares about their development and wants to see them be the best they can be. If that isn't enough, the transformative community service projects that are completed on alternate Fridays or on days like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, make an impact on the entire community.

City Year provides a great environment for people to learn and grow while serving others. Everyone who serves with us is here because they want to be the change they wish to see in the world. The options available for our Corps Members to feed their need to serve are endless. Regardless of where any of our Corps Members or staff come from, we are all fighting the same battle.

I started as a Social Media Intern and soon thereafter became a Social Media Analyst/Content Manager. This means I manage the social media and web content across various North American Bancard (NAB) websites, from the usual suspects of Facebook and Twitter to the company's blog. On a daily basis I create content to post and monitor what people are saying about our brand. The best part of my position is that it is a fun and challenging mix of content management, marketing and PR, and customer service (I get to do a little of everything and I get to work with various departments and outside vendors).  Just as the social media space is advancing and ever-changing, NAB has been growing and moving fast, especially in regards to the mobile payments movement. So despite my title, I'm not limited to just social media - I've been involved in the launch of Pay Anywhere, a mobile payments solution (PayAnywhere.com). It's been really exciting to be a part of new product, from initial market research production to the assisting in the coordination of PR efforts. My job and NAB definitely keeps me on my toes!

I left a good-paying, highly-secure job in the biotech industry to begin a career in Real Estate.  Why?  Because I loved the idea of running my own business and helping people make their home ownership dreams come to fruition.  As the daughter of entrepreneurs, this has been a dream of mine for years and with the Ann Arbor housing market beginning to rebound, it seemed like the perfect time.

With my years of contract negotiation experience and personable demeanor, I feel as though I was meant to be a Realtor®.  If you or someone you know is looking for a Realtor that you can not only rely on but also have an enjoyable experience with, I would love to hear from you.

I currently work as an HR Administrator specializing in Staffing for Netarx, LLC. In March of 2010, I started with the company as an HR intern and eventually  gained a full time position with the company after just a few months. As a company, Netarx is driven to continuously expand its growth and improve itself by setting new challenging goals every  quarter. Due to this corporate vision, employment opportunities have flourished in my tenure with the firm. Entry level positions in particular have been created that have given new hope for recent college graduates in the state. There is immense growth opportunities for every employee in the company; internship and apprenticeship programs have been created to promote from within.
 
This company has proven that the portrayal of Michigan as a dismal economic state is merely a perspective.  For young professionals that are seeking full-time opportunities with an excellent firm, Netarx has proven to me that authentic careers do exist and to leave Michigan to find them is a choice rather than a necessity. The best part of my job is that I am helping to recruit talented individuals in Michigan that will give the company strength from within and in addition keeping the talent pool alive in the state.

My job allows for me to work and meet an array of volunteers from across the Metro Detroit area. Thousands of volunteers walk through the doors of The Parade Company on a daily basis, eager to work and give a helping hand. My position in particular works specifically with 30+ volunteers who give guided tours around The Parade Company Studios year round. Guests who partake on these guided tours have the privilege to have a behind the scenes look at what it takes to create a float from idea to finished product, how to get involved with The Parade Company along with gaining knowledge about The Parade Company’s many events they put on yearly. I work side by side with the Director of Volunteers and Tour Services to book and coordinate all tours. While working at The Parade Company I have also had the chance to work on many special events.

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1996 I realized that my General Studies degree (even though it was a tremendously rewarding experience) was not extremely conducive to much in my future.  At the time I happened to be working part time at an iconic Ann Arbor wine retailer and I realized how wine, in all of its manifestations and tangents, incorporated the gamut of my studies--history, literature, anthropology, and religion, even philosophy.  However, the most rewarding of all my human experiences have always been related to savoring the fruits of this Earth and I thank my family for that (plus the great cuisine and bounty of my native Peru).  Therefore I could not pass the opportunity to engage in what I classified as my "Grad School" and inculcate myself with the knowledge of wine and food.  I realize now that it has become the brunt of my existence.  I cannot spend a day without cavorting over the pleasures of the palate and all of the social variety thereunder.  Briefly stated: I enjoy food and wine and its history and I have never been the same since I started this love affair.  I would love to share my passion for food and wine with you!

I work for Mobiata whose headquarters is in Nickels Arcade off of State Street.  We have a ton of fun and get to spend our time making amazing travel apps for mobile devices (iPhone/iPad, Android, Palm, and BlackBerry) which have been featured in Apple commercials, CNN, and other media outlets. Our main goal is for our applications to delight and help travelers by being visually stunning yet user friendly.  We also pay particular attention to customer feedback - good and bad.  We have a  fanatical philosophy in regards to customer feedback and respond to every customer who contacts us, whether via Facebook, Twitter, email, or other channels -- typically within an hour.  We feel this is a core part of our culture and everyone in our company -- the developers, QA, design, marketing, and of course, our support team -- appreciate and follow this mantra.  

For me, because I am responsible for QA, Support, and Project Management, I have a pretty wide swath of responsibilities in regards to our app development starting from the very beginning of the cycle through release.  At Mobiata, one of the really cool aspects about our company is that everyone has a say in our product design.  We all use our apps ("eat your own dog-food") and don't believe that the product manager should have all the power in the design of our applications.  Our QA and Support teams have an extremely important and vocal role in the product design process based on their own experiences and also because they make sure we are including new features and bug fixes that customers have requested or run into.  In my opinion, this is a big difference from how many other companies view QA and Support.

With my project manager hat on, one of the challenges I face is that we let our employees live and work wherever they want.  As a result, we have teams in San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Austin, and Boston.  However, everyone is extremely reliable and our communication is top-notch which makes project management much easier.  Our biggest challenge is that we can't hire engineers fast enough to help with our work load, which makes resource allocation and release timelines especially difficult.

Overall, I greatly appreciate and feel I am extremely lucky that I get to work every day with such a spectacularly talented team.  We have a ton of fun, have many similar interests, and are one big family.  We even go on trips (a group of us recently returned from snowboarding in Lake Tahoe) and play intramural sports such as soccer and kickball (yep, kickball).

Health care is very exciting right now with the new reform laws and initiatives.  While I've always worked in health care, I specificaly wanted to work on something that really benefited Michigan and the people of Michigan.  M-CEITA fits that perfectly. M-CEITA’s purpose is to help providers navigate the complex health IT (HIT) marketplace by providing guidance with selection, adoption and effective use of HIT – resulting in successful achievement of the Meaningful Use criteria and receipt of federal incentive payments.

The M-CEITA program is making a concerted effort to work with the Physician Organizations and Physician Hospital Organizations, Physician Associations, payers, hospitals, and health systems in Michigan to help educate and promote IT adoption in physician practices. These organizations have a high degree of influence on physician choices, and they have played a critical role in motivating and organizing the physician communities in adopting e-prescribe systems, patient registries, and other process / quality improvement initiatives.  Working through the Physician Organizations to either define or promote an IT adoption strategy for their affiliated physician communities is one of the best ways to reach the physician community and motivate IT adoption. At M-CEITA, I facilitate partnership development and business relationships with the physician organizations and physician hospital organizations in Michigan, helping to develop strategies that will promote HIT adoption in the individual physician practices.  

I facilitate the deployment of Lean Manufacturing principles to 17 driveline assembly/manufacturing plants in the North American region. I also educate and coach senior leadership and UAW/USW members on the tools and techniques of Lean Manufacturing and the elimination of waste within the manufacturing process, through structured training and Kaizen events.

In January of 2006, a left the field of engineering (where I was previously working as a transmission engineer) and took a job working with my father at his tax and financial planning firm. I soon realized that this was an excellent fit for my personality and talents.
 
Since then, I have become an advisory licensed financial advisor, as well as an Enrolled Agent with the IRS. I recently completed my Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation, and I now provide full service financial planning and tax preparation for a growing base of customers. While many of my clients are local, I also provide planning for several that have moved to other areas, as well as those that spend their winters elsewhere.
 
Capstone Tax & Financial is now jointly owned by me and my father, and we employ several staff members to provide for our clients in the best way possible. As the complexity of tax rules and regulations increase, it becomes mandatory to work with a financial advisor who intimately understands the impact of any financial decision. We continue to expand and focus our energies on deliberate and strategic growth.