Meet Juddie

With experience as an educator and a passion for volunteerism, Juddie loves making a difference and giving back. When she found herself looking for a new career, Juddie connected with the inTulsa Talent team. She gained guidance and support, as she landed a new role at a community-focused nonprofit, in which she now supports people as they pursue their career goals.

How did you come to live and work in Tulsa?

I grew up in Tulsa. My mother and I moved here from Dallas, TX, when I was around 8 years old. So I’ve had the privilege of growing up in Tulsa, being educated here, entering the workforce, and seeing how it has evolved over the past decade or so into the city it is now. It’s been great to see Tulsa from that perspective as someone who’s been here.

How did you first find out about your new role?

I attended Oral Roberts University and earned a Master’s in Education degree with an emphasis on ESL education. My primary profession for over a decade was teaching adult international students English skills. But when the pandemic happened, it altered my career trajectory. I transitioned to teaching online with an international English language school. 

This experience gave me time to think about next steps. I grew up in a setting that encouraged volunteerism and community service. So, I made the decision to transition to the nonprofit sector. I was hired at a local nonprofit and was very happy there. But a year later, I found myself in a position to seek new employment. Like most people, I posted on LinkedIn, polished my resume, and started applying to various positions.

Then I met with a colleague from Tulsa Young Professionals (TYPROS), and he referred me to Elizabeth Gutierrez at inTulsa. Before I knew it, I got an email in Elizabeth just offering to chat. And it just went from there.

What was it like working with the inTulsa Talent team?

Job hunting is hard, especially when you haven’t been in that world for a while. But Elizabeth was so reassuring. She walked me through the process of registering for inTulsa’s online portal. I got a chance to see as an older Millennial how modern networking and job connections work now in this digital age. It opened up a whole new world to me. 

inTulsa connected me to the Tulsa ecosystem and gave me a broader perspective. They offer a smart, intuitive way to connect to those positions, and gave me reassurance, ease in the process, and confidence as I went about my job search.

What stood out to you about the guidance you received from inTulsa?

Elizabeth gave me a list of resources and websites of where to apply to positions that fit my skills, education, and expertise. She even listed specific positions I might want to apply for. I really appreciate that specificity, because sometimes it takes someone else, an expert in another field, to offer that perspective of what you qualify for based on your resume.

With the inTulsa career page, it was helpful being able to see open positions in real time and reading their blog and links to articles about how to do well with your job search, what to do and not to do. The inTulsa interface is fresh, modern, accessible, easy to connect with and get advice from. I remember tuning into podcast episodes too. There’s that extra piece of inTulsa—not just the process of applying for jobs, but the advice as well that are offered through their blog and website of what to do when you’re out there looking.

What does your new role entail? What’s the day-to-day like?

I currently work as a Member Experience Manager with Tulsa Remote, and I’ve been there since early June. Tulsa Remote is part of the inTulsa ecosystem, and we share a working space with them. It’s been a great experience!

A typical day for me is to support our amazing team of member experience specialists. They’ve been deployed and assigned to Tulsa Remote members—they meet with them, provide them with resources on how to connect to the community, advice on ways to access communities and organizations within Tulsa, and areas those members might be interested in. My primary focus is supporting the team in their role and collaborating on various projects the Experience Team is working on.

What’s the best part of your role?

It's very fulfilling. I enjoy being a Tulsan who is able to show people the city I grew up in and help connect them and provide those resources and support for these new members entering Tulsa through our program. We have a 90% retention rate, so it’s very satisfying to hear of a member who has decided to stay beyond their year tenure because they have connected to the community. And that’s our goal. They enter our ecosystem through Tulsa Remote, and they stay for the community.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Tulsa?

We have so many amazing restaurants. That’s one of our number one points of interest—our culinary diversity. We have a lot to choose from. Historically, we have a lot to offer. We have a very robust arts scene, like Greenwood Rising, the Philbrook Museum of Art, and lots of art galleries. There’s a very robust music scene here too, with places like The LowDown and the Mercury Lounge. 

What are Tulsa’s best qualities?

Tulsa just has so much to offer. There’s also lots of opportunity for involvement in the community. There are so many opportunities for professional and personal development. In Tulsa, we’re all so interconnected and accessible. People see that and definitely plug in and connect to that. 

There are just so many pockets and places to explore, see the arts scene, enjoy good meals, meet nice people, and still have that Midwestern sense of closeness and community.

And politeness as well! I’ve heard Tulsa Remote members tell stories of their car breaking down or having a flat tire and they didn’t know what to do, and then someone just pulled up and helped them with that—and that’s something that would have never happened where they used to live. It’s these little touches that people who are considering moving here will be pleasantly surprised by.

What would you tell people who are thinking about moving here?

I would encourage folks to come visit. Take a few days to come explore Tulsa and see what we have to offer. Tulsa has so much to offer, and I think people see that and definitely plug into that. We’re so community focused, and I hear that from so many of our Tulsa Remote members. In Tulsa, we’re all so interconnected and accessible, and I think people feel that sense of home here.