Wanda Houston

Receptionist, McLean Office

1. Could you tell us about your role as a receptionist?

I’m the person you see when you first come into the McLean office and I greet all the guests for starters. I answer the phones for Associations Solutions and Black Flower Agency clients. The most important part of that is that I have to act as if I work for that specific client when I answer. But that’s much easier since we’ve gone to Skype, because I can see who is calling on my screen before I answer. I also sort the mail, take care of shipping packages, and order office supplies each week. I try to help out the coordinators as much as I can, with whatever I can do for them.

I started here as a temp last August and I’ve been here since January as a full-time employee. Before that, I worked at a school when my kids were young, and I originally worked in HR.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

I love all the people I work with, every single person. I feel really amazed that I landed at a place with so many wonderful people. Every day, I am happy to come in to work and see all these people, it’s really fun. I love all the chats I get to have every day with amazing people, even the Fed-Ex guy. It’s also really exciting to be a part of the growing business here, and to feel like I’m helpful with that.

3. What’s something your coworkers would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m actually an introvert. I know people see me talking a lot, but I love nothing more than a night at home alone with a trashy mystery novel and talking to absolutely no one.

4. If you had to pack up everything and move somewhere tomorrow, where would you go?

I would go to London because I lived there before, and it was a fabulous experience. I loved everything. I still have great friends from living there, and it’s easy to travel to other places, plus there’s no language barrier.

5. If you were a talk show host, who would be your first guest, if you could talk to anyone, dead or alive?

My mother, who passed away, because I miss talking to her. She had a lot of wisdom and there are so many things I should have asked her and didn’t. I want her to tell me what it was like to grow up in the Great Depression and all of the things that I didn’t have the patience to listen to and should have.