Dear PMI Phoenix Chapter Members, I hope your summer was healthy and safe. Now that fall is almost here, so is our Arizona PM Summit! This extraordinary adventure is waiting for you, ready t...
Culture and behaviors are inseparable facets of human existence, intricately interwoven in the tapestry of societies around the world. As diverse as humanity itself, culture defines our beliefs, values, traditions, and customs, while behaviors reflect our actions, attitudes, and interactions.
Within a professional organization, culture is the collective set of values, beliefs, behaviors, norms, and communication styles that define its identity and influence the interactions and work environment of its members. It sets the tone for collaboration, decision-making, and overall organizational effectiveness.
So, how does PMI define culture?
“Our culture is a community wide agreement of how we get things done, how we treat each other, and how we can all expect to be treated”.
It includes the following important elements:
- How we collaborate with each other
- How we act
- What it feels like to volunteer or work with PMI
- Our mindset, behaviors, and attitudes
At PMI, our systems and processes are WHAT we do. HOW we do them, the mindset and behaviors we choose, is culture. When we talk about organizational culture at PMI, we are talking about our communities of staff and volunteers, not the wider project management community.
What are the Culture Values and Behaviors at PMI?
- Make it Easy
- Aim Higher
- Be Welcoming
- Embrace Curiosity
- Together we can
Over the next several newsletters, we will delve deeper into each of these culture values and behaviors. Check out the PMI Culture Hub to learn more.
Katianna joined PMI about 7 months back and joined the chapter in Feb 2023 to connect with Project management Community and build her network of PM professionals. She became a volunteer in the Program team led by Derick Brownell and was instrumental in organizing the first in person event since COVID. The event had a great turn out with lot of industry leaders and Project Management community members, she arranged the ice breaker event to ensure all participants feel comfortable and connected.
She studied health care innovation as part of her university degree program focused on health care policies and technology which shapes the innovation in this space and is very motivated by technological advances in health care space. She originally started off in IT recruitment, hiring IT NetSuite professionals and managing clients, which made her interested in IT, but wasn’t sure which aspect of IT she wanted to get involved in till she stumbled upon Project Management.
She got a job offer to work on IT Projects along with business development opportunities with a health and wellness organization in the valley. She has been in this role for almost a year and really likes managing and negotiating vendor terms and agreements. She likes the flexibility of designing scope and giving the projects shape and structure. She was surprised by how much she enjoys doing the Project Manager role and it motivated her to get the PMP certificate last week (Congratulations!).
She finds PMI Phoenix chapter to be very welcoming for the new members and she found it easy to blend in with the community while she was studying for her PMP certification. When asked about her most rewarding experience as a volunteer she says “Seeing the success of our first in person event was a rewarding experience. I enjoyed being part of the process of planning and putting together an event that helped others build connections and community within the Phoenix Chapter.”
Her hidden talent is Cooking! In her own words – “I come from a Greek family who loves to feed people. My dad taught me everything I know about cooking. I always have Tzatziki in my fridge ready to snack on or add onto any dish. Some of my favorite things to make are Lamb Shank, Tiropita, and of course Gyros.”
Her proudest moment in career was just past her first year at her previous company, she closed the largest deal in the office’s history!
Her other passion is cars and watching Formula 1 racing, as she gets up early and stays up late to watch the races on TV and is planning to go to a Live race someday soon!
Calling All-Compassionate Volunteers: Join Us at Mom's Pantry on September 23, 2023!
Dear PMI Phoenix Chapter Members,
Are you ready to make a tangible difference in the lives of families facing food insecurity in our community? We are thrilled to announce that we are planning our second annual volunteer event at Mom’s Pantry and would like to extend an exclusive invitation to all members of the PMI Phoenix Chapter to join us on September 23!
About Mom's Pantry:
Mom's Pantry is a local non-profit organization dedicated to combating hunger and providing essential food items to those in need. Our mission aligns perfectly with the spirit of giving back that we cherish within the PMI Phoenix community. Since our inception, we have been at the forefront of the fight against food insecurity, ensuring that no family in our neighborhood goes without a meal.
Amy became a PMI member in 2015 and was part of PMI Chicago chapter until 2018 when she moved to the sunny state of Arizona and joined the PMI Phoenix chapter.
She started her career as a process manager and moved through various career stages, including an extensive stint as Executive Assistant to the C Suite leaders. She was always fascinated by the extensive breadth of a Project manager role as it lets her utilize skills like organizing and planning. She worked as a Project manager in corporate where she worked with the Executive team, and worked on various high-level strategy projects like acquisitions, non-GMO strategy, structured processes, projects and programs, rebranding and systems implementation . She is also very passionate about estate management and led the creation of a website called www.myestateneeds.com where she created a checklist of important information helpful for anyone looking for estate management needs. She also wrote a chapter in a book called Wisdom of the Silver Sisters ~ The Last Gift.
For the last few years, she took a break from the corporate world to focus on personal well-being and other creative pursuits and she now feels ready to come back to the traditional corporate roles and is actively looking for opportunities.
At PMI Phoenix chapter, she is a Mentorship Team Manager in Ken Goebel’s team since November last year. She got involved with the Mentorship Team and immediately made an impact. She used her strengths like creating the organizational structure in SharePoint; developing Excel database and pivot tables for all mentorship members; documenting and updating mentorship process (via Visio); Documented mentorship program process steps and actions, which helps run the activities of the mentorship function smoothly.
Her advice to anyone looking to volunteer at PMI Phoenix is “If you want help support others and / or gain experience, this is a safe place to grow, learn and develop. You have a whole group of like-minded individuals ready to support you while you are supporting others. It is a wonderful community feel.”
According to her she recently discovered her hidden talent “During covid, I learned how to make pie crust and now make pies and quiches. The friends who have had my pie now call me “Martha Stewart.” The friends who haven’t don’t believe it. J “
The proudest moment of her professional life was when she got her PMP certificate. Her company didn’t require it but supported her through the process. She found a support group and learned how to study and take tests. It was a journey of personal and professional growth for her.
She loves to travel and spent time in Europe when she was in her teens and has fond memories of various trips especially her time in Germany.
Here favorite quote is from Alan Cohen – “It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.”
Hello PMI Phoenix,
I (Dr. Emily Mertz) and my colleague, Dr. Elizabeth Castillo, with the Faculty Leadership and Integrative Studies at Arizona State University, invite you to participate in completing a survey as part of our research on sustainability in project management, A Pilot Study: A Multi-Scale Study of Factors that Enable and Constrain Sustainability Change and Green Project Management in Organizations.
We are conducting a research study to: 1) explore how to operationalize sustainability in practice and apply it to specific projects; 2) bridge the disconnect between academic knowledge and practical need for tools, techniques, and methodologies for sustainability solutions; and, 3) develop a systems view of how elements at multiple scales (e.g., individual project managers, project management offices, and organizational culture, policies, and structures) intertwine to promote or constrain adoption of sustainable project management practices and organizational sustainability initiatives.
Despite the emerging recognition of the importance of integrating sustainability and project management, there remains a lack of understanding on how to operationalize sustainability in practice and apply it to specific projects. Your participation in this research study will allow us to assess this gap by identifying relevant factors at multiple scales to generate recommendations and a toolkit that facilitates the adoption of sustainable project management in various organizational types (e.g., private, public, nonprofit) within different industries. This research could contribute to a critical gap in project management on how to operationalize sustainable project management theory into practice.
Your participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose not to participate or to withdraw from the study at any time, there is no penalty to you. There are no foreseeable risks or discomforts to your participation. You must be 18 or older to participate in the study.
The anticipated time frame for the collection of the survey data is June 19 - July 7. This survey will be followed with recruitment to participate in focus group interviews anticipated July 24 -August 11, 2023, depending on participant availability. We expect that individuals will spend 15 minutes participating in the survey followed by a one-hour focus group (if you choose to participate) for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes for the proposed research activities. If you are interested in completing this 15-minute survey to help advance research in sustainable project management, please follow this link to the survey.
If you are interested in learning more about the study proposal or the research grant, please reach out to