Punam Mathur
Punam Mathur LLC & Elaine P Wynn & Family Foundation
Las Vegas, NV USA
Career Roadmap
Punam's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Politics, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Elementary Education, Special Education
The University of British Columbia
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Self Employed & Executive Director:
Bachelor's Degree: Elementary Education, Special Education
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Mowed grass and delivered the newspaper in order to feed myself when I first came to LV as a young person. (Learned that no matter what happens in my life, I will always find a way to survive.)
2.
Started a business with a partner that was very successful for several years, before it failed and created many financial (and emotional) challenges. (Learned that failure is the best teacher.)
3.
Hired as a Director of Marketing for the Metro Chamber and with hard work and people who believed in me, was promoted to Senior VP in 6 years. (Learned that hard work will usually create success.)
4.
Transitioned into gaming industry and spent 12 years working for wonderful leaders, who provided opportunities for growth and learning. Left the industry as a SVP when my boss (the CEO) retired.
5.
Started a consulting business and discovered that life is much richer and fulfilling when work is balanced with other priorities such as family, friends, hobbies, exercise, and leisure time.
6.
As Exec Dir of a family foundation, I feel deeply grateful that my “work” is to help nonprofits make our community a better place.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Discouragement happened to me early in my career for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a woman of color, and second, I was really young. The first job that I ever had here (Las Vegas) was run by a board of directors and I got promoted really quickly.
How I responded:
I remember a conversation between two board members and I knew it was about me. It was a put-down—it had to do with if I was the right fit for my position. It wasn't about my work it was about the color of my skin, my gender, and my youth. I couldn't let it go, it consumed me. It bugged me so much that it was easy for me to convert it into jet fuel for motivation. "You don't believe in me" rather than take it in as a toxin and get paralyzed by it, I'm going to use it as jet fuel and show you.