Posted By Brynn Everett, Monday, April 06, 2015
Meet Sheila Olson. She works hard so she can play hard. Working her way up to being the Vice President and Manager of Team Member Communications & Programs at Wells Fargo Virtual Channels, she certainly deserves to play hard. While her professional focus is centered on employee communications and programs, Sheila enjoys escaping to her family’s lake home in Chetek, Wisconsin where you can find her boating, jet skiing and fishing when she’s not cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
If there was ever a person born to do communications, it is Sheila. “I’m one of those rare people who went to college knowing I wanted a degree in communications and I’ve been in that field ever since.” While she jumped around to a few different industries at the beginning of her career, she later landed with Wells Fargo in 1998 and has been there ever since, spearheading their team member communications and programs.
For the past 17 years, Sheila has been a part of the IABC Minnesota community. She became a student member during her first year at UW-Eau Claire, and quickly saw the value in the organization. “For me, it’s continuous learning,” she says, “Whether it’s attending an event, browsing online resources, or reading articles emailed to me, I love the opportunities to continually invest in my career.” One way of doing that was gaining her Accredited Business Communicator designation (ABC), an IABC exclusive accreditation earned by communicators through a rigorous process including assessment of professional portfolios and written oral exams. “It was a lot of work and nerve-wracking, but I learned so much and really enjoyed the process.” In addition, Sheila stays an active member in the organization by reading articles, attending events, and squeezing in volunteering when she can. You also can find her scoring portfolios for Quill Awards and the former accreditation program.
Through her IABC Minnesota membership, Sheila has grown professionally in many ways. However, she specifically credits the organization in helping her become a strategic advisor. “My thoughts, and those of my team members, are now sought out at the beginning of projects. Our leaders know the value we bring to the organization.”
When asked what advice she might give a potential volunteer or member, Sheila recommends “Be realistic about the time you have to offer and find a volunteer opportunity that aligns accordingly. There are so many options and every bit of your time helps the organization – and your career.” And we couldn’t agree more!
To learn more about volunteer opportunities with IABC Minnesota, contact Leonard Pescheck, VP of Membership, at LPeshcheck@gmail.com.
