YOUR LEAP: Doris F. Givens

Doris F. Givens is the Senior Director of Operations and Strategy for Year Up, a nonprofit whose mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.

Givens, who previously worked in the banking industry at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and JPMorgan Chase talked about transitions, the importance of the elevator pitch and giving back:

Her role at Year Up:

She just celebrated her first anniversary as the second in command/Chief of Staff to the executive director of the New York site of Year Up. Doris, who developed the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Business Process Excellence (BPE) program and was a Vice-President, Operations Executive at JPMorgan Chase, now oversees the finances, manages the annual budget and forecasting process, is responsible for all the assets Year Up New York has as well as human resources and employee relations. The “fun” part of the job is getting to be a coach/mentor to the individuals going through the one-year program.

Hope, Advocacy, Perseverance: That’s Doris’ tagline from her LaunchPad. “It really crystalizes the themes that have been consistent through my life. In terms of beating the odds and being resolute during difficult times.

“It’s dreaming dreams that others may think are not realistic to have and been able to realize them. It’s all about faith, belief and vision.”

Why having a tagline helps: “It helps me to articulate my aspiration in bite size pieces.”

Why having a tagline helps, part 2:

“I’ve used it for my elevator pitch and that’s how I ended up landing where I am today. It’s my brand identity as I moved around different social circles and networked.”

When Doris is asked what’s going on or what do you want to do, it helps her to clearly and succinctly convey her message. Combined with her headline, “Let’s make the impossible, possible, she was able to say, “I’m really looking to connect with an organization that looks to advance the next generation of leaders and make the impossible possible.”

Why having a tagline helps, part 3:

Doris has used her LaunchPad to boost her LinkedIn profile. “Using the headline and the tagline enables me to create a narrative and tell a story rather then just present a sanitized version of a bio.”