Meet CenterPoint’s Mandy Fletcher...
...confident and capable, this young professional from North Carolina has spent the past ten years building an impressive resume here in Florida. Since December, she has worked as the Florida Director for Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign. Prior to this, she was Executive Director of Governor Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future, and she consulted on a variety of Republican campaigns/issues. She was also the Political Director for President Bush’s re-election campaign in Florida in 2004 and a Field Director in Governor Jeb Bush’s 2002 race. But how does a degree in hotel/restaurant management from Johnson & Wales University translate into a career in politics?
“Politics is not something you can necessarily study for,” Mandy explains. “It’s constantly changing and moving and is very much a hands-on job. You need passion and a few basic skills, such as organization, resourcefulness, communication, and incredible dedication. It’s the experience and relationships beyond those basic skills that really grows you in this industry.”
Mandy has found that the secret to success –in this industry and in her personal life – is the attention to relationships. The nature of the profession can make maintaining those relationships difficult.
“Campaigns will completely consume you,” says Mandy. “If you’re not careful, you could look around one day and realize you’ve lost several months or years. It’s also trying for families – it’s tough to balance this type of intense work with family and God.”
She admits that her family - parents, two sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew - suffer her absence when she’s working on a campaign. She does not visit or call as often. She also feels like her relationship with God suffers, and she has less time to go to church or participate in church-related activities. The sacrifices required to work on a campaign means she chooses her candidates carefully.
“It’s important that I believe in and feel good about the person I am working for and the work I am doing every day.” This has been especially important in her current campaign, when the challenges Mandy is facing have nothing to do with politics.
“My mother has had cancer for about 3 or 4 years, but it’s very recently gotten worse and she has only months to live. I have a responsibility to my job and to Romney as a candidate but my family most definitely comes first.” Because her co-workers have similar priorities, Mandy has been able to work from North Carolina so she can spend more time with her mother.
When she is in Tallahassee, Mandy regularly attends CenterPoint. “I immediately fell in love with the people and the atmosphere. Chuck’s honesty is refreshing. One thing that always turned me off about church as a child was the stuffiness and false pretenses of it all. I appreciate Christians who also realize they are real people, living in the real world. We can’t isolate ourselves and still reach others for Christ.”
Mandy looks forward to living here at some point when she’s not campaigning, and she has time to become more involved at CenterPoint. Despite all that Mandy is dealing with right now, she remains upbeat. “It’s nice to know that when we allow our lives to get a little out of control, God is still at the controls.”
Meet Other CenterPoint Members: [Click on picture to read]
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