{"124791":{"#nid":"124791","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Julie Hawkins: Event Planner and Troubleshooter","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImagine that you\u2019re hosting a breakfast event for more than 50 people, and you\u2019ve shown up to the venue to discover that the power is out.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Julie Hawkins, this wasn\u2019t a hypothetical situation \u2014 it\u2019s one of the many on-the-job challenges she\u2019s faced.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was in Rome, Ga., to host a breakfast event promoting Campaign Georgia Tech,\u201d said Hawkins, who is stewardship event coordinator for the Office of Development. \u201cWhen I arrived at the venue the morning of the event, I discovered that a drunk driver had hit a power pole nearby, which took out the electricity. Initially, I had a moment of panic.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThen her focus shifted to creating a quality event, in light of the situation. For example, since there were no refreshments, she asked others to pick up coffee and breakfast food from Starbuck\u2019s and area grocery stores. Thanks to good weather, she was able to move the event from inside the venue to an outside area, which the guests enjoyed more than being in the original space.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAbout 75 percent of my job is troubleshooting and solving problems before anyone discovers them,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cThis actually ended up being one of the best campaign events so far.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had a chance learn more about Hawkins and her time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDid you always want to work in event planning?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI guess it was destiny, given I was basically the social chair of my preschool class. But no, I didn\u2019t expect to end up in this field. In college, I wanted to go into broadcast journalism, which led to an internship working in the promotions department at a radio station. After college, I worked as a marketing assistant at a concert venue and had an opportunity to organize a fundraising event for a musical group. I loved being able to put my organizational skills to good use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive in your current position?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince the job at the concert venue was seasonal, I accepted a temp position at Tech as an administrative assistant in the provost\u2019s office about six years ago. My supervisors knew that I was interested in event planning, so I was given opportunities to work on these projects. Eventually, my current position opened up, and here I am.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is an average day in your job like?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile the campaign is on, I have two types of days: office and on-the-road. When I\u2019m in the office, I spend time on tasks such as prepping schedules and materials, gathering RSVPs and putting together presentation materials for people who will be attending the events, including Dr. Peterson and John Brock, alumnus, campaign chair and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. When I\u2019m on the road, I\u2019m usually doing things such as troubleshooting with the venue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are three things that you always take with you when traveling to events?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI have a big blue case that contains everything I need for a mini office \u2014 including Sharpies and tape, which can fix almost anything. I also take a first aid kit and pictures of my dogs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere was your favorite campaign event location?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI really enjoyed San Juan, Puerto Rico, where we hosted a dinner for 150 people. I was surprised at how many people in that area had a connection to Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow will your job evolve as the campaign winds down?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI will travel less and my focus will shift to planning more on-campus events for donors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI like to go to Ms. Ruthie\u2019s Deli in the Student Center and get a veggie wrap. With all of the traveling and eating out I do, it\u2019s nice to be able to get something to eat that is familiar and always tastes the same. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you were stranded on an island, what is the one book you would want with you?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cJane Eyre\u201d by Charlotte Bronte. This is my go-to book whenever I need an old favorite to read. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not know.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI love to run half marathons. Also, my family is a \u201cTech family.\u201d My dad, Pete Dawkins, has worked at Tech since the 1970s, and my mom, Sherry Dawkins, worked here for about 20 years \u2014 they met on campus. So, my sister and I basically grew up at Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImagine that you\u2019re hosting a breakfast event for more than 50 people, and you\u2019ve shown up to the venue to discover that the power is out. For Julie Hawkins, this wasn\u2019t a hypothetical situation \u2014 it\u2019s one of the many on-thejob challenges she\u2019s faced.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Imagine that you\u2019re hosting a breakfast event for more than 50 people, and you\u2019ve shown up to the venue to discover that the power is out."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-04-18 15:11:51","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:00","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-04-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-04-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"124781":{"id":"124781","type":"image","title":"Julie Hawkins","body":null,"created":"1449178593","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:36:33","changed":"1475894746","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:45:46","alt":"Julie Hawkins","file":{"fid":"194477","name":"julie_and_buzz.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/julie_and_buzz_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/julie_and_buzz_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":164205,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/julie_and_buzz_0.jpg?itok=e75EGxdD"}}},"media_ids":["124781"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11162","name":"Campaign Georgia Tech"},{"id":"30831","name":"Julie Hawkins"},{"id":"14992","name":"Office of Development"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}