Be my best
“I have and continue to receive wonderful advice from mentors! One example: to make sure I did the job assigned to me to the best of my ability, especially when things like inter-office politics, personality conflicts or other circumstances made the work very challenging. Good leaders pay attention to subordinates who prevail through turbulent times.”
Joyce Barr ’76, ’08
Retired Foreign Service Officer and Professor of Practice in Government & International Affairs, Virginia Tech,
PLU Regent
Find the right people
“So often in education or really, any human service, we chase people to attend meetings or workshops that we think will benefit them. And, when only a few or a handful show up, we see it as a failure. My mentor helped me reframe that whoever shows up is the right person for my personal and professional life. Not everyone can make everything on my timeline. And, that doesn’t mean you stop inviting people. It means you acknowledge that life is unique and complex for everyone; and you honor that for yourself and your family/friends.”
Eva Frey
Dean of Students
Surround yourself with wisdom
“Don’t work or make decisions in isolation.”
David Ward
Professor and Program Director of Marriage and Family Therapy
Your time is priceless
“When I assumed the role of provost, Steve Starkovich, who had served as provost for seven years prior, offered advice that I think about almost every day. As Steve explained, the job of provost entails endless decision making, often for situations with no precedent. His advice acknowledged how much we want to say yes to requests to support our valued colleagues. With that in mind, he advised that ‘Before you say yes, identify the conditions under which you’d say no’. I think of this advice not only for handling individual requests that come my way as provost, but also in my personal life. If I say yes to a request for a commitment of my time, under what conditions would I say no?”
Joanna Gregson
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Believe in yourself
“‘Never sell yourself short.’ I heard this from Cliff Rowe, a PLU journalism professor and adviser. Back in the early 1980s, when the newspaper business was still going gangbusters, the standard path for journalism graduates was to find a job at a podunk weekly newspaper to get some experience, move up after a while to a small daily newspaper, then a medium-sized daily and then a large daily. Of course, all of this meant moving around the state or the country chasing the next job to move up. I didn’t want to do that, and Cliff had so much faith in me, and convinced me of my abilities, that he advised me to go after the large daily right out of college. I got hired by The News Tribune.”
Dan Voelpel ’81
Executive Director of Communications at Tacoma Public Schools
Cross new thresholds
“‘When a door opens, go through it.’ I’ve always taken that advice. Seriously, you never know where it’s going to lead. My secretary always tells me ‘You don’t know when to say no.’ And it really is because of that advice I received many years ago.”
Salvador Mungia ’81
Attorney, Gordon Thomas Honeywell,
PLU Alumni Board President
Be fearless
“Trust my instincts, and don’t be afraid to take a few chances.”
Darren Hamby ’87, MBA ’92
Vice President, Total Rewards, BECU,
PLU Regent
Listen to yourself
“To be me. To uphold my own personal values, take to heart what my gut is telling me, and fail forward.”
Scott Squires ’88
Owner, Squires Development & Real Estate, Inc.,
PLU Regent
