Alexis White
Alexis and I met through the Bonfire program, but it wasn’t until after the program, when we started talking about creating Build Up Bold over cocktails that I really got a chance to know her. While I learned a lot about her life right now, it wasn’t until we sat down for this profile, that I got a peek into her life, and how diverse her career has been before she officially became a ‘numbers’ person.
An Illinois native, Alexis grew up in Springfield, Illinois and initially thought her career would be in Computer Science or Law but pivoted to graduate with a major in Marketing. When I ask her if her choice was influenced by anyone in her family, she pauses for a minute and then rattles off all the different fields her family works in, none of which were remotely close to marketing.
When we think of marketing, usually we think of brands, campaigns and slogans, which is what she had in mind as well when she joined her first job as a marketing assistant. Well, many of us have been where she was: hired for a role that was actually something else (admin assistant). She worked there for a while and then went on to try different jobs; at one time she was juggling 3 paid and 2 volunteer roles. She went from Illinois to Texas, then came back to Springfield, IL, where she worked for the Secretary of State and then a hospital.
Knowing that a Master’s degree was key for career advancement, she went back to school to do an MBA, with the comfort of knowing that while the hospital would not hold her position, she would be eligible to reapply when she was done. That’s what she did, and she wasn’t selected for the position, part of which she attributes to her not being a yes person.
She was a graduate assistant, then a temp at Wells Fargo, and then started a role at the Office of Budget and Management for the State of Illinois in March 2013. This was just in time, as the temp agency laid off everyone. She worked for a couple of years, but could not see a clear path to growth. A colleague of hers mentioned a role opening up in the budget office for the City of Chicago. Curiously enough, they both interviewed and she got the job. She packed up and moved to Chicago, where she budgeted meticulously to manage the cost of living, a skill she says has built on, to budget for large organizations. At her role in the hospital, she was often working with numbers and data even if they weren’t budget-related.
A few years later, two senior executives, who she did not report to, recommended that she throw in her hat for her current position at the City Clerk’s office, where she is the Chief Administration and Finance Officer. In a matter of months, she went from having 0 direct reports to 12, in a new, exciting and challenging role.
Through her work and grit, many doors of opportunity opened for her in fellowship programs and on Boards. I ask her what drives her, and it boils down to family, friends, and faith along with what you put into life. She reflects on how she is a person who always writes down her goals, and earlier if she did not achieve them, she would be very hard on herself. Now she gives herself a little more grace, reminding herself of the line ‘delay is not denial’, and things happen on a different timeline for all of us.
We were talking about Build Up Bold, and she envisions it as a safe space, where women can be their authentic selves, be able to say I am struggling or I am tired, and be heard and helped, only if wanted. Sometimes we need to give each other the space to listen, which we don’t have at our workplaces or homes.
I ask her if she sees where life will take her from here (personal note: I personally always find it difficult to answer questions about 5, 10 year plans so I have reframed it for myself as a question about what future seems possible to a person right now). She knows that she wants to open doors for people of color who have recently graduated, the way they were opened for her. She is candid that having such opportunities sometimes means people realize the work they are not meant for, and that is okay. She wants people to remember to not get discouraged, sometimes you don’t get that first job as soon as your peers, and it is not the end of the world. There are alternate paths you can take to keep moving.
Towards the end we muse about the paths not taken; what if she had interned at Abbott Laboratories and gone into sales, where would she have been today. She knows that she wants to travel and see even more of the world, and if she could go back in time, she would get her undergrad self to go on a study trip outside the country. She does not worry about things she can’t control, she believes in saying yes to herself because there are enough other people who will say no, and wants everyone to remember that some days you can only keep going an hour at a time, and that is enough. If you want to learn more about her work, let me know and I will connect you.