Peace Corps Volunteer

Business Advisor & Teacher

Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific

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The Kingdom of Tonga is a Polynesian archipelago in the South Pacific, known as the "Friendly Islands".

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After two months of language and cultural training, I began my assignment with the Department of Cooperatives as a Business Development Advisor. I worked with the department to design and organize their various development workshops that were conducted across the island groups. These workshops ranged in topics from Business Management to Sustainable Development to Family Health & Planning. In addition to assisting with the development of these programs, I also helped conduct many of these workshops and had to teach and communicate in the local language (Tongan).

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While my work at the Department of Cooperatives was my 9 to 5 job, so to speak, I also got involved in many other projects and activities during my two years of service. I taught general science part time at an all-girls high school; worked with youth groups to help them start their own businesses; and was active in the village where I lived, receiving the amazing gift of cultural exchange and understanding!

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​It truly was "The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love".

American Orient Express

Hotel Manager

Traveling Across North America

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The American Orient Express (no longer in operation) was a private, luxury train that operated like a cruise ship on rails, providing guests with unique travel experiences across North America.

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I originally accepted a temporary position as part of the hotel staff as an opportunity to see the United States while I figured out my next professional endeavor. The general manager quickly took notice of the exceptional service I provided the guests in my roles as a porter and dining server, and also recognized my strong management potential, and recruited me to become the Hotel Manager the following season.

​As the Hotel Manager, I was directly responsible for the entire hotel staff which included porters and dining servers. I was also directly responsible for ensuring the guests total satisfaction. My responsibilities included the training and management of staff, coordinating with rail and tour operations, and providing support and solutions to the guests various needs. Under my management and leadership, our team increased guest satisfaction over 10% from the previous years already great performance.

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I was also one of the primary media representatives for the train and provided TV, radio, and newspaper interviews across the country, including a live morning show that was broadcast from our club car while in Savannah, GA.

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All of this was done in a very unique environment where we all lived and worked on a train together that was traveling across North America to a different location every day.

Skycomp, Inc.

Director of Flight Operations

Columbia, MD (Directing Flights Across the US)

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As the Director of Flight Operations, I managed and directed all activities related to the aerial photography traffic survey flights in dozens of metropolitan areas across the United States. These activities included the initial budgeting of jobs/projects; writing proposals; communicating and collaborating with clients; planning, coordinating, and executing large, multi-plane photo missions; training pilots and photographers; and managing all of the projects to ensure the success of the missions within many parameters including time and budget. Additionally, I also was instrumental in developing the business and implementing more efficient production methods and deliverables.

Ken Stanek Photography

Owner, Photographer, Designer, Consultant

Baltimore, San Francisco, Seattle, & Worldwide

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As a small business owner and freelance photographer, I manage and operate all aspects of the business from marketing and administration to production and client support. My photography includes a broad range of subjects that I categorize under the headings: AIR - LAND - SEA - PEOPLE.

I first started taking on my first paying clients in 2004, while I still enjoyed the safety net of my day job. Nearly four years later, at the end of 2007, I would take the next step/leap of starting my own photography business. Little did I know that a few months later, the economy would collapse, and the construction and real-estate projects that I had planned on supporting my developing business would dry up almost completely.

The next few years became the most challenging, instructive, and rewarding of my life. Through a good bit of determination and savvy, supported by a foundation of business experience and customer service, I diversified my services and managed to develop a loyal and growing clientele.

From my landscape and aerial photography roots, I brought my photography skills to some of my other interests, including sailing and theatre. Within a few years, I became one of the most sought-after theatre production photographers in the region! In addition to expanding my still photography repertoire, I began capturing and producing video for clients. I also provide graphic design (web, print, and interactive) and consulting services.

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While photography/imagery is at the core of my business, the primary service I provide to my clients are solutions. I work to develop their ideas and then translate those ideas into a visual products. Along the way I also provide creative and logistical support to streamline the whole process.

Frontier Door & Cabinet

Senior Project Manager

Seattle, WA

Frontier Door & Cabinet is the largest manufacturer and installer of doors & cabinets in the Northwest. As a project manager, I directed the process from the time the contract was signed through completion. As a manufacturer and installer, this meant coordinating with vendors, our shop, the GC, and installers in the field.

Leveraging my background in software knowledge, I introduced new solutions to streamline processes and increase the accuracy of purchasing and production.  As a result, I became one of the highest producing Project Managers in the company.  Moreover, these solutions planted the seeds for new development across the company.

As my team grew, I interviewed, trained, and mentored the new hires and was proud to foster a supportive environment where everyone was an equal contributor to the team.

North Pacific Door Corporation

Senior Project Manager & Business/Operations Development

Seattle, WA

Building on six years of experience in the construction industry, and taking advantage of the early Covid shutdown, I moved to a smaller company where I was able to get more involved in business and operations development.

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I worked with all of my coworkers to implement new software, procedures, and strategies to increase efficiency and transparency across the company.  Instead of information being stuck in emails or files located in some obscure folder, the team now has a unified view of operations spanning project management, shop production, shipping, and field installation.

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I am especially proud of the fact that I worked with everyone on the team in the development, training, and implementation of the systems and platforms.  Not only was there an incredible amount of buy-in and support, but people took the initiative to offer their own development ideas and were excited to be part of the change!

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As the senior project manager, I was also part of the interview team and provide all of the on-boarding and training for the PM team new hires.  Some of my most gratifying experiences were training and mentoring the next generation of engineers and managers and witnessing their incredible growth in knowledge and self-confidence!

Peninsulators NW

Senior Project Manager & Director of Operations

Seattle, WA

My professional journey in the construction industry grows and expands as I move from Doors, Cabinets, and Hardware to Shades, Blinds, and Draperies.

Peninsulators started in the Bay Area of California and expanded with an office in the Seattle Area.  I joined the Northwest (NW) team as a Senior Project Manager to help clean up and streamline their operations.  And within six months time, I had become the lead person in the office, managing and directing the operations.

During my tenure at Peninsulators, I trained and mentored the office and install team.  I implemented new scheduling software that reduced scheduling time by over half.  Additionally, I collaborated with the team to develop new processes that increased efficiency, accuracy, and provided better information to the General Contractors and install team.

Most importantly, I worked hard to foster a sense of inclusiveness and connection between the management, install, and estimating teams.  This improved communication and workflows between the teams, and also fostered a shared vision for our growth in the future.