“I remember my own journey. Early in my career I was asked to my professional path with a group of Ford Foundation Fellows. The organizers at the National Academy of Sciences wanted me to share my “nontraditional” path. You see, instead of going into the tenure track after graduate school, I opted to apply my new knowledge to communities on the ground. I wanted to connect my passion to my professional path. I remember being apprehensive, thinking that they would probably see my decision as odd. To my surprise, I was inundated with questions, my session ran longer than all the others, and I could hardly eat lunch because so many fellows wanted to know more and to share their stories to get my input.” That experience began my commitment to helping people connect their passion to their professional path. I learned over the years that just as I think and re-think and sound professional ideas out with the one or two people in my small trusted circle, so do others. I learned too, that over the years I became that person for so many of my colleagues and peers, students, people who reach out to me at conferences after one of my talks, or my cohort mates in the various leadership programs I participated in. Strategic Transitions allows me to continue mentor and amplify the professional paths of many more.”