What did you do prior to The Parthenon Group?

Between Duke and Wharton, I played tennis professionally on the Women's Tennis Tour for about four years. I competed throughout the world 35 weeks a year and was fortunate enough to be able to play each year in the Grand Slams, as well as to play for Canada in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Why did you select The Parthenon Group?

I chose Parthenon for a number of reasons. I found the people to be much like my peers at Duke: extremely bright, but also very well-rounded and kind. They seemed to genuinely like the firm and each other (a perception that has proved to be true).

I liked Parthenon’s two-case model. I felt that it would put me in a position where I could learn the most the fastest about a variety of industries as well as a variety of problems. I liked the fact that not all Parthenon teams spend four days a week with their clients. I've spent much of my life traveling for tennis; I no longer wanted to be living in a hotel room. I like the concept of going to the client when we need to meet with them, but being able to do much of our analysis from the office.

Also, I did not want to work somewhere where I was just a cog in a very large machine - I didn't just want to be a number. I wanted to work somewhere where each individual felt like they were a part of the firm's success. I've found this to be true of Parthenon. We all work on our cases, but we also each have responsibilities outside of those cases where we contribute to the firm. Responsibilities range from being on the recruiting team for one of our undergrad or MBA target schools, to overseeing training programs, to planning our annual company meeting. I believe we all feel like we are a part of this firm's success.

Have you focused on a particular industry at Parthenon?

I am a member of our education practice. I spend all my time working on education projects (both domestically and internationally). I have enjoyed building a base of knowledge in one practice area. Within our education practice, I’ve advised clients on both for-profit and non-profit education ventures globally. These projects have spanned K-12, vocational, Higher Ed, ESL, publishing, test prep and education technology verticals. Key project focuses include due diligences, “blueprint” post-acquisition and ongoing implementation support, pricing, new market entry strategies, merger planning and customer behavior.

What can you tell us about the people and culture at The Parthenon Group?

Parthenon's motto is "Smart, Nice, Driven." I heard it throughout the recruiting process and it seemed to fit with those I met. Having been with the firm for four years, I've found it to be true. It's a really impressive group of smart, hard-working, well-rounded people.

What do you like about your home office’s location?

Boston is a very livable city. I love the outdoors and love to run. We live in Beacon Hill so we’re right beside the Charles River, where we run each morning. I‘ve then got a great walk, 15 or so minutes to work. I walk through the Common and drop my daughter off at day-care and then keep going. In the city, everything is so close – it’s easy to get around (and not having a commute gives me a lot more time, particularly in the morning, to spend with my family).