Staff Spotlight: Anna Donatelle

OVPUE’s employee in the spotlight this month is Anna Donatelle, Communications and Marketing Manager for OVPUE.

Here’s what she had to say (responses may have been edited for concision and clarity):

What is your name and what do you do; how long have you worked here in OVPUE? 

My name is Anna; I’m the communications and marketing manager at OVPUE and I’ve worked here since May 2019.

What three traits define you?

I would say that I am thoughtful, curious, and generally anxious 🙂

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?  

If I was not in marketing, I would probably be a counselor, a teacher, or a writer.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? 

Carpentry! I would love to be an accomplished wood worker…maybe someday!

What challenging thing has happened (to) for you, and what did you gain from it? 

Last summer, I sustained a concussion while performing in an aerial hoop at an event. I had to make a trip to the ER, but fortunately, the concussion and a bruised shoulder were the worst of the accident. I had not been committing the same amount of time to training aerials as I had been in previous months, but I didn’t realize (read: want to accept) that my skill level was not at its peak. It’s not that the skill that caused the fall a difficult one; it’s one I’ve done many times (and did so earlier at this same event!). But still, I got ahead of myself, and when I went into the pose a second time I didn’t catch my ankle where it needed to go, and I fell.

This was a very difficult lesson that taught me several things: I needed to slow down, pay attention, and accept myself for who I am and where I am in each moment. Progress is not linear! From this experience, I also learned that in that moment, it was time for me to focus my attention and abilities on learning the ins and outs of this job, and allow my aerial skills to take a back seat while I got accustomed to my new role here at IU.

How do you define success?

For me, the most important thing is that I am aligned with my personal values and beliefs in all areas of my life. If I am grounded in them, then I know that no matter what choice I make, it will move me forward in the right direction.

What do you do in your spare time?

In my spare time pre-quarantine, I spent much of my time upside down and in the air 🙂 In quarantine, I’m doing my best to stay active by focusing on conditioning exercises off the apparatus.

What is your favorite thing about working at OVPUE? 

My favorite thing about working in OVPUE is that I have the ability to make connections between people and programs in the department because the work I do touches all of the units. I’m often thinking about ways our units can work together, and I really like when I can connect the dots for others.