How have you grown in your career at Avery Dennison?
I started at Avery Dennison over 8 years ago as a contract administrator responsible for our Label and Graphic Materials (LGM) North America business. At first, my work was limited to reviewing contracts and non-disclosure agreements. Over the years, I tried to learn as much as I could about the business by building relationships with internal clients in order to better understand their respective roles and functions. I knew this would make me more of an asset to my team. I felt like I was successful in this regard when internal clients began to come to me for help with matters unrelated to contracts or NDAs.
As a result, the scope of my responsibilities within the law department expanded somewhat informally. Then, in April of this year, I was promoted to Legal Counsel, North America, my current role.
What role has mentorship played in your career?
A huge role. I graduated from law school in 2006. At the time, I wasn’t particularly interested in taking the bar exam or becoming a lawyer. A few months after graduation, I landed a job that required a law degree, but not a license to practice law. I was mostly content. Seven years later, I started at Avery Dennison in a similar role with a similar attitude. After a while, my attitude changed. It was inspiring to work with attorneys who were passionate about what they did. It motivated me to do better. In 2019, Ken Schwartz, who I reported up to at the time, encouraged me to take the Ohio bar exam. There is zero chance that I would have had the motivation or the confidence to do this had he not brought it up. Without his support (and the support of our entire team at the time), I would not be where I am today.
