Charleston Women Winter 2021-22

www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com | www. I ns tagram. com /Char l es tonWomen CW Mays left her occupation and returned to the private sector for a time — and found that working under a different HR helped her build empathy and further her career when she returned to working with the federal government. And while to some using an outside perspective it appears she moved jobs often, Mays noted that most moves were for a handful of the same people who valued her skillset in a variety of capacities. By 2019, Mays was in what she called a “commuter marriage;” she was living in the D.C. area with her high school-aged daughter while her son and husband were living and working in other areas. Her husband’s family hails from the Lowcountry, and when she heard that the U.S. State Department was hiring for a senior executive position in Charleston, she jumped at the chance and moved with her husband to the Holy City shortly after being hired. Her daughter is now in college, and her son and his fiancée live in town and own a restaurant. “I must have found the ‘unicorn job’ here. To be able to find this job in HR at this level in a lovely Southern location is pretty much unheard of – once you get outside of D.C., your options are much more limited,” she said. Mays is one of three female Senior Executive Service members of the U.S. State Department that she knows of in Charleston — a number she thought would be higher. She also sits on the Federal Executive Board, made up of federal executives who meet quarterly to discuss the goings-on of everyone from weather events to the Coast Guard, IRS, NOAA and the VA Hospital. “In the 32 years since I started, I’ve worked my way up through 14 different agencies from a GS-7 up to a GS-15, and I’ve been an exec — similar to a CEO — since 2013. I never would have imagined that I would have been somebody to go into this particular occupation,” she said. “Along the way, I’ve always enjoyed the challenges and the people I work with – that’s what makes it worth it. I also think I have enough unbelievable stories about the government to write a pretty funny book one day!” feature All of our baked goods are made with love! We make everything fresh to ensure the best taste and highest quality. 264N. ShelmoreBlvd. MountPleasant, SC 843.881.2364 BakiesSC.com info@bakiessc.com