Meeting with the President
This past Monday I was very luck to have the chance to meet with Time Out North America’s current President, Alison Tocci. As a young business woman, I see Alison as one of my biggest role models. A Boston University alum, past Peace Corp participant and an active member of numerous nonprofit organizations, Alison has accomplished more than I could ever imagine. She has been president of TONA for the past 15 years and is responsible for it’s ever-increasing expansion and success.
In my meeting with her, we spoke about my time at Time Out New York and what I have been able to participate in, what I’ve learned, and what my future could possibly hold. Just as I am leaving Time Out New York at the end of the summer, Alison will also be moving on to bigger and better things. Ms. Tocci has taken a position as the President of City Parks Foundation in NYC, a nonprofit foundation that runs all the events and happenings in the parks throughout the city. Time Out has been a long time sponsor of the City Park’s Foundation events such as Central Park Summerstage, which I worked at earlier this summer.
Seeing Alison move from one President position to another has been such an awesome experience. It truly shows how much women in the workplace, and even better, women in leadership positions have grown and become a normality. No longer is the idea of a woman calling the shots such a rare sight. I believe it’s women like Alison that pave the way for women like myself to grow, learn and proceed without hesitation as I make my way into the corporate world.
As our meeting continued, we spoke of my plans for the rest of the summer, her plans for making the move to her new job and finally I thanked her over and over again for the amazing opportunity she gave to me this summer. I believe that with the financial aid that Babson’s Career Connections provided me along with the opportunity Ms. Tocci made available to me, I was able to participate in an internship that has opened my eyes to what lies ahead of me.
With a hug and the promise of a great recommendation letter, I walked out of the President’s office with a sanguine disposition of my future in the business world.