Always Moving Forward
Lorrie Embraces a Project Management Mindset
As the Director of Personnel for the State of New Hampshire, Lorrie Rudis is responsible for nurturing talent and supporting state workers. She helps senior leaders identify the best ways to systematically increase the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes of employees so they may perform functions critical to New Hampshire’s infrastructure and government operation.
It’s no small job and she’s been working with civil service and complex organizations since she started her career. On a personal level, Lorrie also knows a thing or two about what it takes to advance a career.
Simply put, it’s about education. My story has always been one of a nontraditional student. I was working full time when I received my associate degree with my first child on my hip!
Lorrie and her family first moved to New Hampshire in 2005. She was drawn to a position with Crotched Mountain Foundation, a well-respected nonprofit. She was especially inspired by the opportunity the Foundation offered its employees for meaningful work and upward mobility. Entry-level employees could steadily grow in their careers—a path that Lorrie herself experienced.
Lorrie accepted a senior role with the beloved nonprofit, but it was facing significant challenges during the peak of the financial crisis. Her mentor and supervisor encouraged her to think creatively and critically to help address its most pressing concerns.
While Lorrie possessed many of the technical skills to perform her role and had been recognized for her ability to motivate and direct teams, she wanted to strengthen her strategic and project management mindset. So, she searched for degree programs that could help her develop these skills. She learned from a colleague that the college would soon be launching online graduate programs. She applied and was admitted to the inaugural class for the master’s in project management.
The college was reinventing itself and I saw a lot of forward thinking in how they considered the student and the workplace needs.
With five school-aged children at home—Adam, L.J., Kyle, Justin, and Emalie—and a full time job, deciding to pursue her master’s degree was made more complicated when, days before she was to begin classes, her husband, Michael, was injured in a tragic accident that left him paralyzed.
Our lives changed instantly. I was sitting in a hospital room, my husband in a medical coma, thinking about all the things we’d need to consider and adjust.
Starting a graduate program during such a critical time seemed impossible to Lorrie—after all her family needed her. She placed a call to her advisor to explain that she wouldn’t be able to start classes that week. Her family saw things differently.
My son L.J. was only 17 at the time. He overheard me make the call. He stopped me in my tracks by saying, ‘No, Mom. You need to do this—now more than ever. We’ll make it work.’
The decision to start her master’s degree with so much uncertainty was a reflection of her focus and persistence.
Life throws us curve balls. None of us know what is around the corner. It can be devastating to a family when you lose an income. In the midst of the chaos, getting my degree was the one thing that made sense.
She graduated as planned, with the college’s first class of graduate students in 2013. With support from her advisor and faculty members, Lorrie gained the new knowledge and skills she sought.
It was a wonderful experience during a very difficult time and a turning point in many ways.
Today, Lorrie oversees all personnel activities conducted by the State, one of the largest and most diverse employers in New Hampshire. Project management tools like a “balanced scorecard” offer Lorrie a framework to think more critically about the activities the State performs and how the activities can be measured against goals.
I try to do the fundamentals well and focus on moving things forward. Project management tools have been key.
While curiosity, diligence, and a desire to learn have been the hallmarks of Lorrie’s own professional growth, her project management expertise adds immense value for executive leadership, budget managers, state employees, and, ultimately, New Hampshire citizens.