For the next two months, we will be highlighting a few of the amazing women of Simatree. Across a variety of roles, the goal of this series is to showcase the different skill sets critical to Simatree’s (and our clients!) success. Plus, it will give you a little insight into who these women are outside of work! Learn more about our sixth featured team member, Katie Lucas, below.
Katie is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and strategic consultant with over 17 years of experience leading complex projects across multiple client spaces and in business development roles. With an eye for data modeling and a love for organization, she has led diverse projects on behalf of federal and commercial clients. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Vermont, and lives with her husband and son in Maryland where she serves on the board of the Muddy Branch Alliance, a non-profit protecting the local watershed. In her spare time, you can find her skiing, camping, and chasing live music.
–
Q: Can you share a project that you’re particularly proud of?
A: I’ve led several projects that have encountered challenges or were within organizations undergoing difficult transitions which can drain or deflate a team. Anytime my team’s come out on the other end of these projects still feeling supported and inspired feels like a big success. In these situations, I prioritize wholly supporting the people on my team while still encouraging healthy growth and self-reflection. Simatree as a whole has a similar approach—cultivating a work environment where our team members truly care about solving problems, taking care of each other, and doing best by our clients on a daily basis. This balance poises us well for any challenges that lie ahead.
–
Q: How do you help foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within Simatree?
A: Some of the most helpful professional skills I’ve learned over the years have been the intangible ones that aren’t often found in a classroom. These are things I’ve lived as a team member, established through my own trials and errors, and observed and absorbed from those I respect over the years. I want to be more proactive about saying some of these things out loud—sharing knowledge and methods to cultivate these skills more proactively and explicitly. I envision toolkits and a forum for communication where we can share techniques and decision-making methods—including career management, work-life balance, professional development, client management, communication, setting expectations, etc. I want to put more words to the soft skills that we typically don’t give as much attention as hard skills.
–
Q: Where do you see Simatree headed in the next five years?
A: Our staff collectively excite me—I see so many different skills and people who don’t shy away from challenges. I see us expanding on all of these strengths as we grow as a team!
–
Q: What is your favorite part of the culture of Simatree?
A: Laughing and friendship. It truly brings moments of joy to my days that collectively change the tone of my workdays, which accumulates to the tone of my weeks, and eventually my work life.
