Punam Mathur
Self Employed & Executive Director
Punam Mathur LLC & Elaine P Wynn & Family Foundation
Las Vegas, NV USA
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
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.)
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.)
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.)
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.
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.
As Exec Dir of a family foundation, I feel deeply grateful that my “work” is to help nonprofits make our community a better place.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Elementary Education, Special Education
The University of British Columbia
Elementary Education, Special Education
The University of British Columbia
Career
Self Employed & Executive Director
I serve as Executive Director of the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation and, part-time, operate a consulting business.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Non-Profit Organizations
Politics
Helping People
Day to Day
(Punam Mathur LLC) I do some consulting. I say yes when I feel like it, I believe in the people who are asking & I believe in the work that they are trying to do and I do think I can make a difference then I say yes, otherwise I say no. Mostly around strategic planning I work a lot with government entities and elected officials on strategic planning, leadership, that kind of thing. Part-time I work for Elaine as an Executive Director at Elaine P Wynn & Family Foundation.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Let go of the pressure to know a career. It feels like such a high-stakes decision. It's like "OMG I’ve got to pick the right academic track to be prepared for the career I'm declaring!" My life experience says that is not the way it works. Pick something academically that you are interested in & just learn as much as you can. The material you learn is less important to your future than the process of learning. You will discover the things you are naturally good at.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Elementary Education, Special Education
Elementary Education, Special Education
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
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."
Interviewed By
Yisel
at Roadtrip Nation
