5 Things You Didn’t Know About…

What you didn’t know about….
Jackie Gunby, Product & Operations Support and Virginia Young, J.D., HR Compliance Director, have recently joined the CEA Team.

Jackie Gunby, Products & Operations Support, CEA

1. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

It’s actually a quote I had on my desk for years: “Solve it quickly, solve it right or wrong. If you solve it wrong, it will come back and slap you in the face, and then you can solve it right. Lying dead in the water and doing nothing is a comfortable alternative because it is without risk, but it is an absolutely fatal way to manage a business.”  --Thomas John Watson, Sr. (February 17, 1874 - June 19, 1956) President of International Business Machines (IBM)

2. What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their career?

Always advocate for yourself!  Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance, guidance, professional development, raises and bonuses. Sometimes people who are new to the workforce are reluctant to ask for help or raises and if you don’t talk to your supervisors, managers and executives they don’t always know what you need, or what your goals are.

3. What's something that most people don’t know about you?

I’m a huge animal behavior geek, body language, predator vs. prey behavior, how animals (in particular, domesticated animals) communicate with each other, other species and humans. And there’s a bathtub at the bottom of a foothill lake with my name on it from the 1970’s.

4. When you’re not weren’t working at CEA, what are you be doing?

More volunteering!  I’ve been working with therapy animals for more than 25 years, and visiting with my own dogs in different types of facilities. My favorite populations are juvenile detention and locked-down mental health facilities.  There are both underserved populations that benefit from a fun learning experience or pleasant diversion and a warm animal to touch and hug for support.

5. What's one thing on your bucket list?

Petra! I’m hugely interested in antiquity, archeology, paleo-anything. I’d also like to participate in an archeological dig of some type!

 

Virginia Young, HR Compliance Director, CEA

1. How long have you been with CEA?

Just over three months.

2. What has been your favorite project at CEA so far?

Talking to CEA members on the HR Support Line.

3. Where did you grow up?

I was a Navy kid, so I lived many places before attending high school in San Francisco, while living on Yerba Buena Island. I have spent most of my adult life in Northern California.

4. What was your favorite class in college?

The most interesting class I took in my major (economics) was Law and Economics, which used economic theory to analyze legal rules and enforcement. The most enjoyable class I took was Fine Arts in Paris during my junior year in Paris. Our instructor, a lovely woman named Olive, took our small group of 10 students on personally guided docent tours every Thursday morning, followed by lunch of course. I loved every minute, even the final project of leading the class on our own docent-led tour.

5. What's your favorite quote, motto, or words you live by?

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