Rhysie Nance

Director of Finance & Accounting,
AshBritt, Inc.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

1. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE INDUSTRY?

I started out in college at Vanderbilt University as a Political Science major who wanted to work in the Government Relations side of companies. After college D.C. was calling my name so I decided to pursue a career there where I served in the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs where I helped to provide analysis on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. While working in D.C. I had kept relations with members at AshBritt and they were looking to bring on a Director of Government Relations- it was a match! Key parts of my job included working with contracts at a local, state, and federal level while interacting with government officials. I was fortunate enough to go back to graduate school at the University of Texas and get a masters in Accounting. Now ‘m back with AshBritt as the Director of Finance and Accounting!

2. WHAT PROJECT OR ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

A project I’m most proud of is AshBritt’s first big push to recruit more small, minority, and disabled veteran businesses for our response efforts in natural disasters. A really cool aspect of AshBritt is that we are able to expand rapidly in the event of an emergency so having the support of not only one demographic in a community but the entire community itself helps to not only ensure everyone’s safety but begin the response and recovery process faster. We did hit a few road bumps in this project as it was harder than expected to find these smaller minority and disabled veteran businesses but I took my time and did the research to attend conferences and show our support at a more local level. Being able to pick up these businesses allowed for a mutual beneficiary relationship to form and long lasting relationships to bloom.

3. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE A ROADBLOCK FOR WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?

A roadblock for women in the industry would have to be the fact that it is unexpected to see women in our field. This even goes beyond just emergency management as people are unintentionally choosing to defer to men in the group. For the last few decades this has been a male dominated industry so we have to work together as a community to rewire the narrative and let women have a seat at the table. Recently, I’ve seen women begin to have more prominent voices in our field so the change is happening, I just think we will need to continue to scoot some chairs over at the table so ours can fit.

4. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO WOMEN GETTING THEIR START IN THE FIELD?

I have two. Both contradict each other but if you’re able to apply them when necessary it works out. My first piece of advice is to be willing to be a fly on the wall and absorb everything that is said to you or to others. Sometimes you aren’t a part of the conversation or have nothing to add and that is ok! This is a time for reflection and educating yourself further if the topic is new or complex. Now the other side to this is not being afraid to give your opinion, advice or thoughts when you do have something to input! Listen to the little voice inside your head and let her grow. You never know how others are fully looking at a situation because we all see the world through different lenses. Your idea may benefit an entire community!

5. WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR BUILDING A POSITIVE TEAM CULTURE?

After my first position with AshBritt as the Director of Government Relations I decided to go back to graduate school at the University of Texas for Accounting. This meant I had to step away from the emergency management industry as a whole but, now that I’m back as the Director of Finance and Accounting I’m excited to explore this new section of emergency management and see how the industry has evolved!

6. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ADVANCING DIVERSITY IN THE INDUSTRY?

Recently I’ve been focusing more on getting settled into my new life in South Florida so I haven’t been reading a lot but I love catching up with local news and staying informed in that way.

7. AS COMPANIES IN THE INDUSTRY INCREASE THEIR EFFORT TO RECRUIT MORE WOMEN, WHAT ARE SOME WAYS COMPANIES CAN SUPPORT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS?

My dad always said, “You’re not stuck, you can always make changes and look for more to further your career. You don’t have to stay stationary because there’s always an opportunity that you haven’t discovered in your career path.” Being able to grow within a company is just as important as recognizing and utilizing periods of growth. There is no set track, especially in emergency management, therefore you need to take advantage of your personal freedom to make your own choices.

8. HOW DO YOU STAY ENGAGED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY?

Personally I have been taking the time to really dive deeper into networking within my community. Moving to South Florida has allowed me to meet a lot of new people so I’ve been dedicating a lot of time to just growing my network and becoming a part of the emergency management community once again. Many people outside the emergency management community don’t know what AshBritt does so it’s important to educate our surrounding communities and utilize new networks for the future.

9. ANY TIPS FOR WORK/LIFE BALANCE?

The biggest tip for work/life balance is that balance means different things in different points of your life. Some periods of time will create a balance where you’re working 80 hours a week but those hours put in are pushing you towards a place you have a longer term goal of getting. Long term goals can even be created unintentionally with a simplicity of you simply having the time and increased drive to work more. There will also be periods of life where you’re stepping away from a desk and prioritizing being present with yourself. A varying schedule includes tasks such as morning workouts and leaving the office early to run errands. I would encourage open communication about this balance with your bosses as it can mutually benefit both of you.

10. WHAT’S A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU THAT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW?

I’m actually a huge political junkie! I love to read about it 24/7 on various websites. Politics was my first love in college so I find it very interesting to read about.