4 women under 40
Some of Austin’s brightest young workers share their stories
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t takes a lot of skill to make a place like Austin so great. There are 25,000 Austinites who work hard to make products, save lives, teach others and keep people safe. What’s more, younger workers are continuously taking the lead to better our community. That’s why Austin Living previously showcased some of the best and brightest young talent in the area. These professionals, all under 40, are excelling at their jobs, which makes the rest of Austin a success and a great place to live.
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Katie Baskin
Lindsey Haney
Nakayla Majewski
Brigitte Campbell
It didn’t take long for Katie Baskin to realize how much she missed Austin. The longtime Austin educator became principal of Austin High School in early 2014 after almost two years at White Bear Lake Public Schools, but Baskin had been a part of Austin Public Schools since she graduated from Concordia University in 2002. Baskin had teaching in her blood — both her parents were teachers. “When I was younger in high school, I taught swimming in the summer and I just always loved working with kids,” she said. “It was just an easy choice.” Though Baskin thought she may become an athletic director one day, she didn’t expect to step into an administrative role so early in her career. She taught math at Ellis Middle School for three years before she became the dean of students at Austin High School, then she became assistant principal for seven years. Nowadays, Baskin’s days are busy. A principal works more with staff than with students, but Baskin still interacts with teenagers every day. “As principal, you really get to impact what they are experiencing on a daily level and on a daily basis,” she said. She is pleased to have come back to Austin and is grateful to have had so much guidance in her career. She also recommends prioritizing tasks and goals as much as possible, as there’s often more work to do than the day before. “I once had a mentor tell me, ‘If you can look at yourself in the mirror and say I did the best I could today,’ then you’re successful,’” she said.
At first, Lindsey Haney took a cosmetology course at Riverland Community College as an interest rather than a passion. She had always loved the arts, but she hadn’t considered cosmetology as a career. “I signed up last minute,” she said. “I don’t even remember why. I kind of felt like it was the most creative thing I could go to school for in Austin at the time.” Haney was hooked on hair styling immediately, however. Everything came naturally to her, as she puts it, and the art courses she previously took helped her excel in school. “It all made sense,” she said. After college, Haney worked at several area salons for a few years before she and a co-worker decided to strike out on their own. “We had the same mindset when it came to our vision,” she said. “We wanted a place that was very professional, but not stuffy, gender neutral — Men or women could come in here.” That vision became the Style Lounge, a successful salon in downtown Austin. As co-owner, Haney works harder than most as she sees clients and helps run the business. She can see up to 10 clients a day, depending on how many hours she has, and works hard to meet her client’s needs. “A day in the life of a successful hairstylist is busy,” she said. “A lot of days, you go non-stop.” Being a successful entrepreneur wasn’t easy, as she had to find balance between her work and her family. Yet Haney credits her time management skills as a key to her success. “You just develop time management,” she said. Her passion is another key motivator for work: “[Your work] has to be your true passion,” she said.
Nakayla Majewski loves helping people. It’s part of the reason why she got into human resources, after all. Her passion for people has helped propel the 24-year-old Austinite into a top slot as a physician recruiter at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin. “This is my dream job,” she said. “This was what I dreamed of, being a recruiter of some sort, and I’m very fortunate to be able to recruit physicians and nurse practicioners and physician’s assistants.” A 2011 Winona State University graduate, Majewski spent a short time at Fastenal before she decided to apply for a recruiter role with Mayo. Since she moved here in 2012, Majewski has spoken with plenty of candidates from all parts of the U.S. and many other countries to see where they fit best with Mayo and with Austin. Of course, it helps that she’s so interested in people. “Being a people-person is something that came natural and easy for me,” Majewski said. Majewski credits her success to the work ethic her parents taught as well as her dedication to making her goals happen. She also advises people to get involved in their community, as she has with the Austin Area Commission for the Arts and Leadership Austin. “You definitely have to know the community you’re speaking of when you’re talking to these candidates,” she said.
The nonprofit world wasn’t Brigitte Campbell’s first career, but she can’t imagine doing anything else. Campbell was a lifelong Austinite who graduated from Riverland Community College and Mankato State University before she became a Pacelli Catholic Schools teacher. Her literature degree came in handy as she became a drama director, as well as a reading and English teacher, at Pacelli for her first four years out of school. Yet Campbell was intrigued by a job opening at the American Red Cross. “I think I was ready for a change and wanted to give back to the Red Cross,” she said. She spent four years at the Red Cross as the executive assistant and found she really enjoyed nonprofit work. “I really admired the director there and was given an opportunity to act in a leadership role,” she said. “It was during my time there that I knew that I wanted to someday be an executive director for a nonprofit.” Campbell joined the local Habitat for Humanity in December 2012 and has expanded the organization’s efforts since then. She now leads a staff of three and Habitat for Humanity works closely with Vision 2020 and the city of Austin on exterior home repairs for needy families. Campbell helps tackle all of this on top of a growing list of homes to build in the area — Habitat volunteers have helped build five homes in Freeborn and Mower County this year. For Campbell, all that work is worth it. “I felt in my heart of hearts that this was where I needed to be,” she said.
Hattie Stadheim’s fall collection shows autumn isn’t just sweaters and scarves By Eric Johnson
eric.johnson@austindailyherald.com
Fall clothing trends are continuing to drift toward heavy clothes: sweaters, jackets and scarves. But there are avenues leading to a more eloquent look for fall. Clothes that can bridge the gap from the warmth of summer to the early days of autumn, a gap designer Hattie Stadheim is aiming to cross with her early fall line. Her clothes are meant to be fitted and relaxed, able to both dress up as well as dress down and be edgy
and feminine. Stadheim, who has launched her own line under her company, House of Hattie, dresses her customers in colors of cream, mint and black that is right at home in the time of year that can be blessedly warm during the day, but still be chilly at night. “It’s not for super cold weather,” Stadheim explained. “Just to transition. You can layer this clothing line. It’s meant to be layered.”
See HATTIE, Page 2