Volunteer Spotlight: Alice Phillips
Meet Alice
Alice is a brand new 48in48 volunteer, who joined us on-site as a Project Manager at our 2022 Global Event at Cox Headquarters. Local to Atlanta, Alice has been spending the past few years building up her skillsets related to project management in the technology sector, and heard about 48in48 through a colleague on a team at the nonprofit The Job Hackers. She knew the PM role was exactly the kind of experience she wanted to continue growing, and confidently stepped up to the plate!
Seeking New Opportunities
Alice has always been passionate about pursuing various ways to expand her skills. In a long career as a Licensed massage therapist, she spent ample time pursuing certifications, training in specialties, and exploring the intersecting business aspects of massage therapy. She is also an artist, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Georgia State University. After the pandemic, she decided it was time for a formal career shift towards project management she had already begun exploring, with a specific interest in scrummaster-type roles in IT or web development. She began taking courses and training with nonprofits focused on this kind of career development, which set her up perfectly to fill the role of a 48in48 Build Team Project Manager.
Alice cites her past few years pivoting careers as what brought her into volunteering in the digital marketing and technology spaces that 48in48 occupies, but has always been involved in her community in other ways as well. She is an elected volunteer Board Member at her housing cooperative and has served a variety of roles at the organization. She enjoys living in the heart of Atlanta along with her husband.
Building with 48in48
Alice says her favorite part of 48in48 experience was the challenge, specifically the time constraint – “it was stressful, but in a good way. In a way that was fun,” she says. She managed a hybrid team, with two virtual volunteers and two who joined her each day on-site. Alice says her time on-site deepened her connection to the event and the other volunteers, especially as a first-time Builder. “Everyone’s in the frying pan together,” she says, and also cites the beautiful space lent to us by Cox as an important piece of making the weekend so fun.
When asked what her advice might be, Alice encouraged anyone truly interested in the work that 48in48 does to sign up and find their place. She emphasized the flexibility that 48in48 offers around the roles – some are more technical, some are not. She noted that it can be helpful to attend a Meet and Greet, or get in touch with some other volunteers if you aren’t sure which role is the best one for you, but that anyone eager to sign up should do so!
Alice plans to join us again for an event in 2023, and is excited that we are kicking off with the Women’s Build! If you want to join us there too, make sure to sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates!
