Joe Kennedy's Professional Journey

Skills Applied: Project management, cross-functional collaboration, team leadership, process documentation, stakeholder communication, timeline management, operational continuity.

Over three consecutive summers, I supported an annual cross-functional university crowdfunding campaign that brought together finance, alumni relations, donor relations, and marketing teams. While the campaign itself was short each year, the work behind it spanned months and evolved continuously as systems changed, teams turned over, and processes were rebuilt.

Each cycle introduced new challenges. Platforms were replaced, access levels shifted, and partner offices experienced significant staff turnover. What remained constant was the need for coordination, shared understanding, and steady communication to keep the project moving without losing momentum.

As my involvement deepened year over year, my role shifted from primarily supporting tasks to helping hold the process together. I began coordinating meetings, documenting decisions, tracking follow-ups, and creating shared timelines so smaller working groups had clarity between larger check-ins. By the final year, I served as a central point of continuity—maintaining a standardized planning calendar, facilitating meetings, and helping the team anticipate needs before issues surfaced.

What I took away from this project wasn’t technical. It was about people. I saw how easily progress slows when information isn’t shared, how important it is for contributors to feel heard, and how trust and recognition matter even more during periods of constant change. This experience shaped how I think about people operations today: as thoughtful coordination that helps teams stay aligned, supported, and moving forward—even when the path isn’t straight.