The Admin Spotlight: Behind the Front Desk

Ep. 8 Behind The Front Desk w/ Terri Mullan

With over 35 years of experience, primarily in the financial industry in New York City, Terri is the epitome of a professional executive administrator. She is currently the Executive Assistant for the Office of the CEOs at Two Sigma. During her over five years at Two Sigma, she has also supported multiple C-Suite executives, including the Chief Business Officer, Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Marketing/Communications Officer, and has onboarded other C-Suite executives. She has previously worked at BlackRock and Goldman Sachs among other top firms in NYC.

Ep. 7 Behind the Front Desk w/ Valerie Walker

Valerie Walker is an executive assistant with Black Rock in the iShares Marketing group, supporting the Chief Digital Officer in iShares Marketing and a Managing Director in Direct Investor in ETFs / iShares Marketing. Valerie believes being an administrative business partner is not for everyone as it requires incredible attention to detail and a high tolerance for the extremely volatile schedules of those we support.
Our guest today began her administrative career more than 20 years ago, specifically in the field of finance, hedge funds, mutual funds, REIT, private equity, and asset management. We are very excited to have Valerie Walker with us today and can’t wait for you to meet her.

Ep. 6 Behind the Front Desk w/ Kara Tanenbaum

Kara Tanenbaum is a Lead Executive Assistant at Honeywell, Inc,, supporting both the Global Vice President in Mergers and Acquisitions as well as the Global Chief of Legal Compliance.
Prior to joining Honeywell, Kara served several years as an Executive Assistant to the Founder and President of a facilities business and then as Chief of Staff to drive  the company’s Strategic Plan.
In her 20+ years as a C-suite Executive Assistant, Kara knows what it means to be a trusted business partner and being laser focused on the success of her Executives and teams.  Her experience has spanned many industries, including corporate, real estate, legal and non-profit.
As Kara is firmly passionate that collaboration over competition is crucial for Executive Assistants’ success. she offers and enjoys 1:1 coaching for the next generation of Executive Assistants to empower them as confident leaders in their role.
Kara resides in the “Queen City” of Charlotte, NC and is a doting dog mom to Ollie, her precious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, who has more Instagram followers than she does!
Connect with Kara via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karatanenbaum/

Ep. 5 Behind the Front Desk w/ Lash Brownlowe

LaSharen (Howell) Brownlowe is a seasoned Executive Assistant known for her exceptional organizational skills and dedication to providing outstanding executive support. With a career spanning over a decade, LaSharen has honed her expertise in managing complex calendars, coordinating international travel, and organizing high-stakes meetings and events. She currently excels in her role at Amazon Web Services in Arlington, VA, where she supports teams across multiple verticals within World Wide Public Sector and drives key deliverables to successful completion.
Prior to her current role, LaSharen demonstrated her adeptness at managing executive support functions at Deloitte, where she provided strategic assistance to senior executives and facilitated smooth operational workflows. Her previous roles at Deloitte LLC, Harris Teeter and Project Still I Rise, Inc. further showcase her versatility and ability to thrive in dynamic environments.
LaSharen’s technical proficiency spans MS Office, G-Suite, Concur Expense applications and various communication platforms, including Zoom and WebEX. She is skilled in handling confidential information with discretion and managing office services and supplies efficiently. 
In addition to her professional accomplishments, LaSharen is actively involved in community service, serving as an Executive Board Member for Homestretch, Inc., participating in Amazon’s community outreach initiatives such as using her skills and creativity to teach a summer STEM camp in conjunction with B.A.S.I.C.S International in Accra, Ghana; DC Capitol Pride Parade; Feed the World; Trees for Heroes - USO Mid-Atlantic and various other community give back initiatives. Her dedication to both her professional role and community involvement highlightsher commitment to excellence and service.
In her personal life LaSharen enjoys working peacefully in her garden, creating tasty meals for friends and family and satisfying her inner Anthropologist by frolicking around the world experiencing new cultures through food and dance.

BONUS: Valentines Day Special - Behind the Front Desk w/ Andy Denham

Master Sergeant Andrew C. Denham served in the Air Force from August 15, 1985, until his retirement August 31, 2010. He served in many different capacities and locations during his time in the Air Force, to include Security Specialist, Basic Military Training Instructor, Information Manager, Enlisted Aide, First Sergeant, and United States Honor Guard Ceremonial Guardsman. After retirement Andrew taught Air Force Junior ROTC at North Stafford High School in Stafford Virginia. After leaving teaching he as served as an executive assistant to the President of Wesley Theological Seminary, President of the White House Historical Association, and currently serves as the executive assistant to the Archivist of the United States at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C. 

Ep. 4 Behind the Front Desk w/ Kim Woellecke

Kim Woellecke
Senior EA to Shailaja Shankar, SVP Engineering
Cisco Security Business Group
 
Kim Woellecke is the senior executive assistant supporting the SVP of Engineering for Cisco's Security Business Group, Shailaja Shankar. With 30 years of experience as an administrative professional, Kim has acquired a strong reputation for her exceptional organization skills, ability to manage complex schedules, and proactive approach to problem-solving. Throughout her career, she has supported C-level executives in fast-paced corporate environments. 
 
Kim's expertise is grounded in her ability to build a strong partnership with her executive and her understanding of the business in which she supports. Known for her professional and friendly demeanor, Kim has built strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. She is committed to providing high-level support and ensuring smooth business operations.  Kim believes it is important to share the knowledge she has gained during her career.  She does this by providing leadership and mentoring to the administrative team in her organization and participating in training opportunities for the broader administrative community at Cisco.

Ep. 3 Behind the Front Desk w/ Deborah Green

Deborah Green champions building and nurturing authentic connections across teams. As the former principal executive assistant to NI’s president, she was responsible for leading NI’s administrative team and driving productivity that supports the company’s vision. She brings three decades of experience across organizational stewardship, event management, and community networking. A recipient of a 2023 Austin Business Journal Women in Business Award, Green is passionate about building strong, strategic business partnerships between executive leadership teams and the administrative community and creating meaningful development platforms to build expertise and efficiency.
Outside of working hours, Deborah embodies the values of being bold, kind connectors through her role as Founder of Administrative Professionals/Vendors Networking (APVN), which connects vendors and administrative professionals in the community. Above all else, Deborah is a proud mother.

Ep. 2 Behind the Front Desk w/ Ta’ice Mills

Ta’ice Mills is a diligent resourceful Senior Level Executive Assistant with 15+ years of experience inadministrative support, office operations and project management. She has proven expertise inoverseeing projects and business affairs of C-Suite Level management with a high level ofprofessionalism, confidentiality, attention to detail and time considerations.
Ta’ice began her Executive Assistant career in hospitality working for such companies as ChoiceHotels, MGM Resorts, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott. She was then recruited out into the tech spaceand was able to work at AWS, Splunk, and Microsoft. Now Ta’ice has ventured into the sports arena at the highest levels supporting the NFL’s President of the Washington Commanders.
She has a passion for mentoring and administrative collaboration with a specialty in salarynegotiations within the field. In short, she like many in our field, strive to make the impossible possible.

Ep. 1 Behind the Front Desk w/ Peggy Grande

Welcome to The Admin Spotlight: Behind the Front Desk, a podcast for executive administrators.  Our goal is to connect and inspire the admin community, highlighting the incredible contributions and unique experiences that define our field. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, this podcast is for you.
In our first episode, we sit down with Peggy Grande, the former executive assistant to Ronald Regan 1989-1999. She is an international keynote speaker, television and radio commentator, and a published opinion writer.
 
The Admin Spotlight: Behind the Front Desk is sponsored by VAST.  VAST is today’s executive assistant’s choice for productivity software, giving the EA the ability to supercharge their communication and workflow.
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