Taking a moment to reflect and say Thanks!

About 16 months ago, I decided to leave Nationwide Insurance - this company had been my home for almost 10 years - and that was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make.

I started there as an intern, during my junior year in college. I met some really wonderful people - people that taught me, welcomed me into their circles, and invested and support my career.

Throughout those 10 years, I worked in many different roles... and was fortunate to meet some really amazing people. It would be impossible to list them all, but today as I reflect over the last year, I realize and am thankful for the key influences that have built me into the professional that I am today.

• Starting out as a developer I had the opportunity to learn from two of the best out there - Mr. Guy Royse and Mr. Chris Judd - I'm thankful for Guy's judgment free and patient style and for working with me on my first web service (AutoPrefill); and I'm thankful for Chris's candid and objective style, and for taking the time to help me re-engineer my first Shared Component code base (A2A) - back then I knew very little about Java development and they both made a significant impact in my life - teaching me, taking the time to listen to me and my questions and giving me the tools that I needed to find my answers.These were invaluable moments in my career that built an important foundation that supports me till today. And for that I am Thankful!!
• As an architect in the SOA team, I had the pleasure and opportunity to work closely with some of the best I've met: Tiffany Meyers - a mentor, a friend and a role model for passion, drive and ability to design an elegant and cost effective solution; Hemanth Kolla, an amazing architect and technical leader that taught me the importance of designing solutions that are easily maintainable and reusable; And for that I am Thankful!!
• And when I was ready to become a manager, Jenn Mayberry took a chance on me - she gave me my first manager job, and taught me that being a manager is a different thing than being a leader - and being a leader is more than just telling people what to do, is being there for them, and wearing whatever hat needed - the confidant hat, the therapist hat, the motivator hat, the protector hat, and many more. Jenn allowed me to learn, and she was there for me (and still is) every step of the way. And for that I am Thankful!!

Many others, over the 10 years at Nationwide, made a significant impact in my life. I was very fortunate to have had several mentors that help me learn about myself and learn techniques to continuously improve. I am very Thankful for the opportunities I had and the friends I met at Nationwide - and I miss them all!!
But today I can see that leaving Nationwide was the right decision for me. I needed to see more - see more of the IT industry, see more of Columbus and see more of the world. And over the past year I have had the chance to explore a lot - and I know this is just the beginning of much more to come.

I had the opportunity to work with some great people at Cardinal Solutions, including my great friend Kelly Fricky - who introduced my team (Concierge) back at Nationwide to Agile in a way I will never forget - her passion open their minds and set the tone for our transformation. And for that I am Thankful!!

At Cardinal I got to learn what it meant to be a consultant and the challenges and exciting opportunities that come with it.  Met more great people at Huntington Bank, where I had the opportunity to coach Agile and lead a SOA Program - wow... two of my favorite things!!!! And for that I am Thankful!!

During my stay at Huntington, I met my buddy, friend, partner in crime, connector and voice-of-the-wise John Jolley. John has been a great friend, and has helped me see the world with different eyes - he has brought lots of other people into my life, and he continues to be a great supporter and the tough-but-fair adviser I need in my career. And for that I am Thankful!!

And of course, I'm extremely thankful for my current client engagement - I've always said I wanted to find an opportunity where I could bring my experience and skills into a role that serves as a liaison between my current home (USA) and my always-home (Brazil) - and that's exactly what I am getting to do these days!!! And for that I am Thankful!!

All throughout the years... when first starting in college, and barely speaking English... when overwhelmed with Abstract Algebra homework... when driving to downtown Columbus for the first time, on my first day of internship and getting lost .... when having to make a decision to leave a comfortable career to take a risk into the unknown... one person has always been there for me - helping me become the individual I am, teaching me about leadership with few words and lots of action, and believing in me, even when I could not believe in myself.... I'm very much thankful for my husband Travis, for being my best friend, best mentor, an exemplary leader and the funniest supporter I could ever ask for!!

The days, as they go by can seem hard and often times we forget to say thanks... I know I do. So today I went a little overboard... but I needed to, because I know I didn't get here alone. So Thank You all that have helped me, supported me, hated on me (that helps sometimes too - believe it or not) and been there for me... And thank You Lord, for my health, my family, my friends and my puppy Amigo!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving....