Robin Anderson – MassMEP Employee Highlights
Take a look behind the scene at MassMEP and you’ll find Robin Anderson. Robin’s title is Program Assistant and in that role, she provides support across the organization. “I was hired to support Kim Ingalls with surveys and survey reporting. Since then my job has expanded and I really support everyone in the organization. I support the project managers with SalesForce and reporting. I also do a little bit of invoicing so that means I work with the finance team. A big part of my job is grants administration where I work on several consortium grants. I’m also happy to do anything else that I’m asked to do.”
Robin continues, “I found my way to MEP through Steve Szydlowski, who was a project manager at the time. 4 years ago I was working part-time with a racing school that MassMEP partnered with for delivering Lean in the Fast Lane. We got to talking and he knew I was looking for something else to do in the one day free that I had. My hours in my real job had been cut down to 32 hours. He approached me because he knew I had good computer skills and he needed help with SalesForce. In the beginning, I came to work for MassMEP supporting Steve and Peter Russo with computer stuff. Then as I got to know Kim, she pulled me in that direction to help her with reporting when she discovered my computer skills. I was still part-time at MassMEP. Then I was laid off from my job at MIT where I had been for 25 years. I was a help desk consultant and they outsourced it. But I was laid off only for a week because I approached Kim and told her I‘d love to do this full time. That’s when I started full time with MassMEP. In total I’ve been at MassMEP for 4 years, 2 years part-time and now 2 years full time.”
Because Robin has a help desk background, she loves helping people in her job. “I don’t mind questions and don’t mind phone calls. I enjoy helping people navigate and do their jobs better. I like being able to provide some useful help for people. I love the people we work with too, so that makes it easy to help.”
When she’s on her own time, her #1 passion is her family. Robin, her 2 girls, and her husband enjoy getting together and doing things together. Robin adds, “My other passion is horses – I have always loved horses. I grew up with horses and grew up riding. My horse is in Missouri, and because of COVID, I have not even been riding once this year. I’ve really been struggling not to be out in the country and out on my horse. That is my happy place. Fingers crossed that six months out in 2021 I’ll be able to get to Missouri and trail ride with my friends.”
How well do you know Robin? Two of these statements are true and one is not. Can you guess which one?
1) I was captain of my basketball and cheerleading teams in high school.
2) I was on a NASCAR pit crew as a spotter.
3) I got to fulfill something on my bucket list a couple of years ago while on vacation when I went bungee jumping.