The most important thing we build is relationships. Our services and products work as well as they do because they’re critically supported by the human touch: close listening, empathy, and accessibility. Our presence is lasting and attentive, and our systems-focused, multi-level engagement connects assessments, coaching, and tools to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
To achieve our work with partners, we need a strong, cohesive internal culture. Enter our OCEO team! OCEO, or Office of the CEO, is made up of four fantastic individuals who champion our internal culture and communication. They create opportunities for ANetters to build relationships with each other and ensure we are able to develop our collaboration skills organization-wide. Our OCEO team helps create the internal structure so we can create and execute our aligned assessments, coaching, and tools across the nation.
The members of our OCEO team are passionate about educational equity and strong internal culture. Made up of many former educators, this team keeps the train on the track for the entire organization. They share their “why” for working at ANet, why educational equity is important, how their team contributes to ANet’s mission, and some of their favorite team moments in our latest Meet A Team!
What’s your why?
“My background is in Speech-Language Pathology, however, I did not work in that field for very long because I realized pretty quickly that it was not a good fit for me. My role at ANet allows me to work for an organization that is striving to do what I had hoped to do as a clinician but in a position that fits who I am. I've had the opportunity to be an Operations Associate on a couple different teams at ANet. In both roles I have been proud to support our team in working towards our organization's goals, and I love that I have also been able to work in a way that supports my happiness and balance in my life.”
-Nicole
“The people! I love the people I get to support and work with every day. They keep me logging in every morning. We see each other as people with lives first above all else.”
-Beth
In your own words, why do you believe educational equity is important?
“Educational equity is essential because it ensures that all students gain fair access to quality instruction within student-centered classroom communities and are equipped with effective tools and resources that can allow them to achieve academic success.”
-Myiedra
“Because all students deserve an excellent education and the opportunities that can provide.”
-Madeline
How do you and your team's work impact ANet's mission?
“We lead internal org-wide culture and communications and support ANet leadership to develop and lead our strategy.”
-Madeline
"Our team has a unique role of shining a light on the great work occurring throughout the organization to support ANet's mission. We create events and spaces for stories of progress and learning to be shared from different team members, and we provide opportunities for everyone to reflect on where we've been, where we're going, and our individual roles on that journey. We set up opportunities for folks to be reminded of our mission and why it is so important we keep striving to reach our personal and organization-wide goals each year.”
-Nicole
Describe one of your favorite memories or observations of your team:
“Having been on contract for several years, I had a unique perspective on the team and org events as I assisted with events from the outside, but never actually experienced them. This past offsite was a game changer for feeling firm in my role and position within my team and org. We worked together to make a memorable event come to life and it was such a rewarding experience. ”
-Beth
“One of my favorite memories of our team is when we organized Offsite 2023 in Chicago. It was our first project together as a new team, and it reinforced our commitment to listening, remaining people-matter oriented, and leveraging our strengths to plan, organize, build a positive culture, offer support, and celebrate our teammates.”
-Myiedra