Melanie Hitchcock, Ph.D. is the operations manager for our client services team and the regional organizer for the Southern Border Region. Melanie has been with the Workforce Partnership for five years and this month we asked her about her work and free time!
What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day is never the same twice which is one of the best parts of my job. Sometimes we work on systems and structure for the client services team, sometimes it’s grant work with the state and sometimes it’s working with partners. Regardless of what I’m doing that day, it’s interesting. I like the energy of collaborating with my colleagues and figuring out next steps and strategies.
What do you like best about working in workforce development?
I love helping people find their path to fulfilling and sustainable work. Throughout my career, professional development counseling was always a big part of my work. Engaging in work to develop systems that can help both individual job seekers and whole communities of people to have access to find their individual paths is very rewarding.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working? Any new hobbies since we started working from home?
I spend much of my free time playing with my dogs and taking them on car rides. During the pandemic, we saved commuting time so I was able to “play-tennis” with my four-legged friends much more often. I also spend time in my yard learning best practices for caring for trees and plants in East County. It is particularly challenging out here to find the right plants and trees that thrive and provide the habitat the rabbits, squirrels, quail and many other birds and animals that call my yard home need.