Can you tell us about your role and journey so far at DoorDash?
I am getting close to three years here at DoorDash and currently stepping into a new role of Head of External Comms. As part of that role, I oversee the communication functions and the teams responsible for telling more of the DoorDash story to the world. That's to all external audiences, including consumers, merchants, Dashers, policymakers, government officials, and even working closely with the internal comms team to help to tell the story to internal employees as well.
Can you share what career mobility or growth opportunities you have experienced at DoorDash?
I started here at DoorDash in December 2020, and I joined in a different role as Head of Consumer Merchant and Product Communications. Shortly after I joined, we were continuing to expand internationally and launched in Japan and Germany. There was an opportunity to expand my role and remit to oversee International Communications as well, so I had that wonderful opportunity to stretch and grow and work with Liz Jarvis-Shean (EJS), who is the Vice President of Policy and Comms. We brought on a new Director of International Comms to work closely with teams on the ground to launch Japan and help to launch Germany, and then now get to work closely with the new teams over at Wolt.
How does DoorDash celebrate diverse ideas and people?
We are a company that lives and breathes our mission, vision, and values. In particular, I love how our values are really central and core to our everyday work and how we operate. You hear people throwing around one team, one fight, or be an owner, or make room at the table on a day-to-day basis. It's really part of our everyday work here at the company. So I love that it's very central and core to a lot of what we do.
I would say, make room at the table is one of those values that I've loved, whether it's the programming the ERGs (Employee Resource Groups) have put together most recently for Women's History Month, and getting to have programming and panels with leaders like EJS or getting to hear from Marianna Garavaglia, our new Head of People, and other female leaders throughout the company. There's awesome opportunities to get involved in tons of different ways.
What are ways in which you've experienced this culture of inclusivity and belonging?
There's so many ways to get involved and opportunities to raise your hand. The Parents@ ERG, I was the first parent on the communications team. It has been really fun to now get to see as we've grown the team and as folks on the team have had children, I've loved actually playing a little bit of that role of reaching out and helping explain or share tips and tricks or ideas of how to manage working and being a parent and the transition either out or back.
For inclusion and belonging, we see the value of making room at the table through WeDash and WeSupport programs. I thought it was so fun doing my first dash last year, when they opened up the program again. It really is amazing how at every level of the company, we had participation, which allows us to build with more empathy and with a more audience-centric approach in mind.
What do you love most about working at DoorDash?
Anytime I'm speaking to potential candidates, or folks who are new to the company, the reason why I joined is twofold. One is our mission, vision, and values. What’s core to me is working for a company whose mission and values align with my own personal values. It's super important to me to be able to have that mission that aligns closely with myself and something that I truly believe in. In this case, our mission is to support and grow local economies. I grew up in a small little town with a main street. I have a lot of heart for our mission and for supporting local businesses and helping grow local businesses, as well as just all of the audiences that we serve.
So I found a strong connection in that way, and then also to the people. And throughout the interview process. I met some of the most kind, thoughtful, humble, but also really smart, dedicated leaders and folks who I felt like, wow, I want to partner with them. I want to learn from them. And so for me, those two things were really crucial to feeling that DoorDash was the place for me.