Title: Business Development Coordinator
Firm: Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Education: Southern Connecticut State University
Where did you grow up? Tolland, Conn.
What was your first job? Working on a farm when I was 15. I was tasked with feeding rotten apples to the sheep. The land was beautiful and the sheep were pretty friendly, but the work definitely hardened my resolve to go to college!
What would you be doing if you weren't in your current job? Teaching Anglo-Irish studies to a handful of attentive grad students; writing and researching arcane aspects of baseball history; painting and sculpting. Time-travel, once the technology’s there.
What is currently on your iPod? My playlists are generally kind of divided into two categories: techno/trance/electronica for when I’m writing or editing, and new wave, pre-1979 disco and mid-1970s funk to keep me positive and help me re-live my glory days while slogging away on the treadmill.
Where is your favorite place to go to relax? The beach, especially in the fall and winter.
What is your favorite TV show? Favorite movie? TV Show: either “Leave it to Beaver” or “Rescue Me.” Movie: John Huston’s “The Dead.”
What is your favorite cuisine? Italian
If you were stranded on a desert island, who or what would you want to have with you? For selfish reasons I would say my kids, but that wouldn’t be fair to them — they need to be out experiencing life where there are other people. Therefore I’ll say a lot of books. And my guitar. Also a grand piano, if that’s feasible. A bunch of art supplies.
Who are the most important people in your life? My children and my parents and my sibs. And my friends. And my mentors. (OK, I’ll stop now.)
What is the first thing you read in the morning? My emails, Facebook, the news.
How did you get into legal marketing? In 1999 I was hired as a temporary consultant by the former Day, Berry & Howard (now Day Pitney) in Hartford, Conn., to populate and manage the content for their new website. A month later they offered me the Marketing Manager job on a full-time, salaried basis. I gladly accepted.
What is the best thing about your job? Being surrounded by bright, interesting people and learning something new every day. (I guess that’s two things.)
What advice would you offer a new entrant to the world of legal marketing? Find out early who your allies are, both in the administrative departments you need to deal with on a regular basis, as well as among the attorneys. Learn the preferred communications styles of your internal customers and honor them faithfully. Be entrepreneurial. Work diligently every day to earn trust and build credibility. Return emails and phone calls on time. Take responsibility. Meet your deadlines. Don’t make excuses. Get involved with LMA!