April Tryck Hamels
Director of Operations
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Lane Community College
Eugene, Oregon
University of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
With Professional Growth Systems since 2003
“If you need help on your performance improvement project, but don’t know who to ask, start with me.”
“I had intended to become a classroom teacher,” April says, “rather than work with a performance improvement firm.” To that end, she took courses at three institutions of higher learning, in Oregon and Alaska.
But, in January of 2003, she changed her career plans. She had come to work at Professional Growth Systems, and she was sold on it. She said she “ …really liked the culture here. The team aspect was very appealing.”
So, she made the change from teaching to management. But, between the time she spent in college and coming to work at PGS, April decided she wanted to see something of the world. This is how she did it.
- Spent two seasons working at a fly-in fishing lodge in the Alaska bush.
- Worked for six months as a sailor on an oil tanker based in the Mediterranean.
- Took part in a work exchange program in Hawaii, at a retreat center near Hilo, where people came from all over the world to pursue a variety of disciplines.
As Director of Operations at PGS, April manages the office, the technology, the finance department, oversees training, and maintains equipment. She says, “Basically, I assist wherever I can, and I really like to contribute to clients’ success.”