Today we’d like to introduce you to Christin Smith.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a small-town girl from Parkersburg, West Virginia. I received my bachelor’s degree from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia studying Business Management. After college graduation, I knew I wanted to move to the “city” and landed a job in Columbus, Ohio as a Marketing Coordinator for the tech company that I am still working for today, but now in a hybrid role where I focus on inside and outside sales.
Having moved to Columbus, Ohio where I knew no one, and then working in a male-dominated industry, I knew I needed to find a way to make girlfriends and to meet other like-minded women. That is when I gravitated to the Junior League of Columbus (JLC). The JLC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. I knew of the Junior League as my stepmother is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Parkersburg, West Virginia and I can remember feeling so inspired by her volunteerism at a young age. I knew right away after getting settled in my new city that I needed to join the Junior League to fulfill my desire for volunteering and to meet other women. I joined in 2011 and immediately knew after hearing the current JLC President speak at the New Member Retreat that I wanted to be ‘her’ one day. Therefore, I created for myself a JLC path to reach this end goal. In my 11 years in the JLC, I have served in many leadership roles: Vice President of Membership Development, Adopt-a-Backpack for Children Project Coordinator, Executive Vice President, and most recently President.
Growing up, I was taught that in order to succeed, I needed to work hard, be a loyal team player, and to never give up on my goals. Throughout my youth, I was always a leader on sporting teams and/or in organizations I was involved in. I was taught that the best leaders start at the bottom and work their way up the chain. By doing this, it would give one a good understanding of what the organization was about by seeing it through different lenses and it would also allow one to have a better appreciation for those people doing the actual day-to-day work. I have always been a leader who believes in engaging the people around me, mentoring them when needed, and open to feedback and new ideas. I have lived my life through these philosophies and still strongly believe in them.
On top of being a full-time businesswoman in the IT space and an avid and dedicated volunteer to our community, I also wanted to have my own family. In 2012, I met my husband, Jason, who is a Columbus Firefighter, and we have two children, Cooper (5) and Paxton (2). It is extremely important to me that my children go up in an environment that teaches them the same as above but also teaches them to have their own civic responsibilities.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a President of a non-profit organization whose members are solely volunteers during a time of a pandemic was not an easy task. We’ve come through two plus years that have been filled with both challenges and victories. The pandemic challenged us with its unpredictable behavior and societal impact. Like many other non-profits through this unprecedented time, we were constantly pivoting our activities to better align to the ever-changing world we are living in. We had to exercise virtual fundraising at first and then even cancel fundraisers. We saw a decrease in corporate support as they were having their own challenges in trying to survive the pandemic. We also experienced a decline in membership numbers as some individuals have reprioritized their lives putting volunteerism further down the list. Although the pandemic has brought us these inconsistencies, I am proud of how we pushed through and adjusted to the ever-changing world we are living in. I am proud of our leaders and members that continued to find ways to support our organization and our community. We have accomplished so many wonderful victories in a time of so many uncertainties.
In addition to the challenges the pandemic brought our organization, I also struggled with balancing a full-time career in IT, a full-time civic leader, and being a wife and mother of two young children. While serving as JLC President my days were full; there was no time for rest or things like house cleaning. It was a struggle to keep up with my day-to-day work, my JLC tasks, and care for my children, especially when my husband was gone many nights serving our community as a firefighter. Many days there just weren’t enough hours to get the things done that I needed to get done.
With all the above said though, I wouldn’t change the experience I had. These challenges and struggles allowed me to grow to be a more confident businesswoman, a better leader, and a more grateful wife and loving mother.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Junior League of Columbus (JLC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. We have nearly 400 talented, diverse, and accomplished women in our organization throughout Central Ohio. The JLC is a part of a larger organization, Association of Junior Leagues International, of which there are 294 other Junior Leagues in four different countries.
The Junior League of Columbus is an organization dedicated to developing women. We want the women that sustain from the League to feel like they have grown and accomplished many things through their JLC active experience. We are here to support each other and help each other. In the League, we celebrate our successes, and we work through challenges. In my opinion, what is so wonderful about the League is we are here to celebrate together, we are here to come up with a game plan to fix an issue or challenge together, we are here to work out differences and then pick each other up when help is needed. That is what we do for each other, and these situations and experiences are how we develop and grow to be better women. In the 11 years I have been in the League, I have experienced each one of these multiple times, and I have learned something new from each one.
The JLC has two components, 1.) Developing women to have new skills and competencies that they didn’t have before joining the League. We provide our members with hands-on experiences through their placement (job in the League), and in that placement, whether members are in a Marketing role or a Fundraising role, or something else, they are always learning and developing, whether they know it or not. They are learning how to manage their time and stay organized. They are learning how to do the actual job, and they are learning to execute on something for an end goal, and that end goal in the JLC is supporting our community and each other as women. 2.) Supporting our community. Currently, the JLC has two community projects, a.) Bridging the G.A.P. (Guide. Advocate. Provide.) that supports youth aging out of foster care and b.) Kelton House Museum & Garden, located in the Town Street Historic District, the JLC founded the museum in 1976 as a community service project. 80% of artifacts originating from the Kelton family interprets urban life and the decorative arts in Columbus, Ohio during the second half of the 19th century, largely through the collection of the Sophia and Fernando Cortez Kelton family. The Museum preserves and develops its facility and collection, interprets local history, educates the community, and trains volunteers. The JLC has accomplished supporting our community in SO many projects throughout its 100 years of service. It is an honor to be a Junior League of Columbus member as there are no other organizations in Columbus, OH like it. I am so proud of what we do and accomplish every year.
I am proud of the things I have learned and the person I have become because of my JLC experience. When I sustain, I know I can do whatever I want next, and that is because of my Junior League experience. I encourage our members to get this same experience, to go get it by getting involved through their placement or by creating a path in the League that will get them there. I encourage our members to come to volunteer shifts to make new connections and to learn about their League experiences. I encourage our members to go get the experience they signed up for, and if they don’t know how to do this to find a mentor in the League to help show them the way.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My fellow Junior Leaguers deserve the credit for my civic and philanthropic accomplishments. These 11 years have been a journey for me, and I have learned so much along the way. Some members have taught me to be a better listener, and some have taught me to see certain things out of a different lens. I have learned to have hard conversations, I have gained so much confidence in public speaking and conducting meetings, and so many other things because of my fellow Junior Leaguers. I have learned so much from these exceptional women and have grown as a person in many ways due to the different experiences each of them has given me throughout my time serving.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jlcolumbus.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlcolumbus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juniorleagueofcolumbus
Image Credits
Nicole Bergman
NB3 Photography
