Rachel Dillon
Vice President, Experience Design, Association Solutions, Chicago Office
1. How has your experience been running the Chicago office?
It’s great, even if it’s very different right now since we’re working all remotely. I’ve been working here since I graduated college, and I love everyone here. We have a true sense of family and even though we’re not physically together, we try to stay connected while we’re working from home.
I really look forward to getting back to being in the office on a regular basis because we have had a lot of new talents and new clients join since the office closed. You can’t duplicate being in the office with everyone in a virtual environment. There’s nothing like the cohesiveness of being in person. I think we have some time to go, but I am looking forward to fostering that sense of community for everyone. I don’t think you can get the full grasp of the community and culture of the Chicago office or MCI USA when working from home for over a year. Chicago is an amazing hub for the association community and our office here reflects that.
2. How has your career progressed through MCI USA (formerly Sentergroup)?
I started as an account coordinator in 2008, and since that time, I feel as if I have done just about everything in association management. I am kidding! But I’m also not. Honestly, I think that attitude and “get it done” attitude has contributed greatly to my success.
We’ve come a long way since I started, especially when it comes to communication and technology. For example, I once faxed over 1,000 confirmation letters for a meeting and followed up with hand entering survey responses. As Vice President, Experience Design, a big part my job now is thinking through how to make things like that a better experience for both the end user and the staff team. It’s fun to think how it has come full circle from my early days on the team.
3. Is there anything that your coworkers would be surprised to know about you?
I’ve been a Bar Method instructor for over five years. I was a ballet dancer for many years, so a barre workout always appealed to me and after doing it for a while, they asked me to train to teach. We’re finally back to having class in person. It’s definitely different to exercise while wearing a mask, but worth it for sure.
4. Have you tried anything new during the pandemic?
I love to bake and find it very stress relieving. I’ve made about seven versions of banana bread and cooked through what feels like the entire Half-baked Harvest archives over the past year. I always like to try to make new things, so I don’t typically repeat a recipe unless it was phenomenal.
I also have gotten really into iced coffee, which is a change from my iced tea addiction!
5. Do you have any spring or summer travel plans this year?
My husband, daughter, and I are joining my sister and her kids, and my parents on a trip to Leland, Michigan for a week, just to have fun. We’re excited to relax and spend some time together in a beautiful place we love, which mostly means drinking a lot of wine, making s’mores, and finding shells on the beach. Heaven!
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