Prosper's Whiz Kids, 2005
From December 2004
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“Every nonprofit I have ever worked for has been horribly managed,” she says. “It’s the nature of the beast. But I have never had a chance to actually change that until now.”
That chance has not come without sacrifice. Married and the mother of a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, Lewis still regularly puts in minimum 60-hour weeks while also working on her master’s of arts degree in nonprofit management from the University of Phoenix. Her age is also something of a sore spot for her, as she says she has faced some resistance from some staff and even a few STC board members apprehensive about turning over the reins to someone so young.
“People tend to discriminate against age, young and old,” she says.
Jill Ceresola can relate to Lewis’ situation. The 24-year-old University of the Pacific graduate has been making waves of her own over the past three years as a fast-rising account executive for Sacramento public-relations firm Lucy and Company. Starting out as an intern, Ceresola rapidly developed into one of Lucy’s major executives, managing more than a dozen accounts totaling around $500,000 in worth. Many of those clients are regional government water agencies and special districts staffed by “old guard” fellows who don’t always welcome direction from someone young enough to be their daughter.
“I think it is a really hard pill for some people to swallow when they see this young woman coming in to be responsible for their public outreach,” says Ceresola. “A lot of effort goes into earning their respect and proving myself.”
She apparently has proved herself well enough because she was recently tabbed to be her alma mater’s new media coordinator. In this new venture, Ceresola will be responsible not only for coordinating all of the university’s media dealings but also for helping to develop a media campaign designed to raise UOP’s national profile. As such, she will often be expected to be the school’s spokesperson, a task rarely assigned to someone so youthful and so new in the position. Ceresola says challenges such as this one are what drive her to be successful.
“For me, it’s about empowerment,” she says. “I get very excited about a job when I am handed the ball and given a chance to run with it, without a lot of micromanagement.”
Jim Brennan, Ceresola’s new boss at UOP, says age was never a factor when considering her. “Jill is not the typical 24-year-old,” Brennan says. “She is very poised and very bright, and her skills are just far beyond the vast majority of her peers.”
Kim Cipriano Prior, vice president of corporate business and public relations for Lyon Real Estate, has also shown she knows how to move the ball downfield when given the chance. At barely 31, the hard-driving Prior is the youngest member of the Lyon senior management team, handling the lion’s share of the company’s advertising, marketing, Internet business and corporate business development while managing a staff that fluctuates between four and nine people. It is a task-set that is equally draining and rewarding, but one she relishes.
Continued...
That chance has not come without sacrifice. Married and the mother of a 6-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son, Lewis still regularly puts in minimum 60-hour weeks while also working on her master’s of arts degree in nonprofit management from the University of Phoenix. Her age is also something of a sore spot for her, as she says she has faced some resistance from some staff and even a few STC board members apprehensive about turning over the reins to someone so young.
“People tend to discriminate against age, young and old,” she says.
Jill Ceresola can relate to Lewis’ situation. The 24-year-old University of the Pacific graduate has been making waves of her own over the past three years as a fast-rising account executive for Sacramento public-relations firm Lucy and Company. Starting out as an intern, Ceresola rapidly developed into one of Lucy’s major executives, managing more than a dozen accounts totaling around $500,000 in worth. Many of those clients are regional government water agencies and special districts staffed by “old guard” fellows who don’t always welcome direction from someone young enough to be their daughter.
“I think it is a really hard pill for some people to swallow when they see this young woman coming in to be responsible for their public outreach,” says Ceresola. “A lot of effort goes into earning their respect and proving myself.”
She apparently has proved herself well enough because she was recently tabbed to be her alma mater’s new media coordinator. In this new venture, Ceresola will be responsible not only for coordinating all of the university’s media dealings but also for helping to develop a media campaign designed to raise UOP’s national profile. As such, she will often be expected to be the school’s spokesperson, a task rarely assigned to someone so youthful and so new in the position. Ceresola says challenges such as this one are what drive her to be successful.
“For me, it’s about empowerment,” she says. “I get very excited about a job when I am handed the ball and given a chance to run with it, without a lot of micromanagement.”
Jim Brennan, Ceresola’s new boss at UOP, says age was never a factor when considering her. “Jill is not the typical 24-year-old,” Brennan says. “She is very poised and very bright, and her skills are just far beyond the vast majority of her peers.”
Kim Cipriano Prior, vice president of corporate business and public relations for Lyon Real Estate, has also shown she knows how to move the ball downfield when given the chance. At barely 31, the hard-driving Prior is the youngest member of the Lyon senior management team, handling the lion’s share of the company’s advertising, marketing, Internet business and corporate business development while managing a staff that fluctuates between four and nine people. It is a task-set that is equally draining and rewarding, but one she relishes.
Continued...
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