Samantha (James) Thompson is the director of the Business Operations Division located at NEIWPCC’s headquarters in Lowell, Massachusetts. Samantha is the mastermind of the office – coordinating and planning conferences and meetings, maintaining office and IT operations, and supervising the administrative and events team.
Q: What has your time at NEIWPCC looked like?
Samantha: I started in 2016 as the meetings and events planner, coming from a previous job in the event planning realm. In 2018, the position for Business Operations Division Director opened up. I originally wanted to step in as more of an interim director, but I ended up loving the work and applying for the role.
Q: What initially drew you to NEIWPCC?
Samantha: Before NEIWPCC I was working a lot of private sector events, and I got tired of spending a lot of time and energy on overpriced centerpieces and not feeling like I did anything useful. This was a way for me to take my organizational skills and put it towards something I could feel good about – working for clean water.
Q: Which of your contributions or projects have you enjoyed the most?
Samantha: Getting to work on NEIWPCC’s rebranding was really interesting. I was able to collaborate with senior staff as well as an outside consultant to update our mission, vision, and values framework; and helped develop our very first strategic plan. Seeing it come together was cool and it helped me learn a lot more about NEIWPCC.
Q: What is something important you have learned from being at NEIWPCC?
Samantha: The way we approach challenges and have learned to work together as a team is very valuable. Needing to remain flexible and able to pivot while still counting on your team has been an important lesson for me. This was especially true during COVID, when our entire office and supporting offices had to work and communicate remotely, and now with a hybrid schedule. Also, Post-it notes – I have never used more Post-its.
Q: What is your favorite outdoor activity?
Samantha: I like wakeboarding , and I snowboard too. I started snowboarding in elementary school, and after my family moved to a lake when I was in sixth grade, I began wakeboarding. They’re pretty similar, but the cold isn’t really my jam.
Q: Tell me a fun fact about yourself!
Samantha: I am not comfortable with clowns, but I can unicycle and juggle at the same time. I stole my brother’s unicycle and learned how to ride in my driveway, and then I joined juggling club in high school. I thought the only way to be even cooler at juggling club was to bring my unicycle.