Active Spotlight

Active Spotlight: Kathryn Anderson

By: Jess Bush

Journey to Charlotte

Kathryn grew up in Greensboro and lived in Boston, Chapel Hill and Washington D.C., before returning to North Carolina to attend graduate school. Kathryn received her Masters in IndustrialOrganizational Psychology and Human Resources Management from Appalachian State before settling in Charlotte.

After finishing her education, Kathryn realized she wanted to move to Charlotte in order to be close to her family living in Greensboro, while also living in a city where she felt she could build a life. Her desire to put down roots and be a part of the community is what drew her to the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC).

Kathryn currently works in Fort Mill as an HR Business Partner for Lash Group (part of AmerisourceBergen), an organization that provides patient services support to pharmaceutical companies. She’s been a part of the team for over three years and enjoys being in Human Resources since it’s a great fit for her passion and personality.

Joining the JLC

Kathryn joined the JLC as a Provisional in the 2017-2018 League year, after hearing the perspective of her childhood friend Ashley Hansen Morris, current JLC Human Resource Manager. Ashley and Kathryn have been friends since the 4th grade and kept in touch even while living in different cities. Through Ashley, Kathryn met other members of the JLC who were very like-minded and wanted to help give back to the Charlotte community. She found that the women were all there for different reasons, and she was exposed to a variety of opinions and perspectives from women in different professions and stages of life. Kathryn also realized that many members of her professional network were in the JLC. She loved the idea of, in her words, “supporting a common cause to give back to our community and also invest in ourselves through the professional development the Junior League offers.”

Kathryn says her Provisional year was a really great experience and rang true to what she heard from other JLC members. She says the volunteer work was some of her favorite activities. With Kathryn’s HR passion and her positive experience as a Provisional, she became a Provisional Advisor for the Plaza Midwood area her first Active year. She says she got a great group of women and enjoyed being there to help them navigate their first year in the League. Kathryn said her first question to ask was “How do you want to be supported?” since everyone is a member of the JLC for different reasons. She wanted to tailor her support to each individual and their reason for being connected to the JLC. Kathryn Anderson (left) and Ashley Hansen Morris (right)

Membership Role

When the opportunity for a position as the Vice Chair of Membership opened up, Kathryn raised her hand to step into the role. She will be stepping into the Chair role next year. By working alongside Whitney Feld, current Chair of the Membership Advisory, Kathryn has learned about the inner workings of the JLC and where the vision is to go from here. She’s found it fascinating to understand the different experiences from the diverse women in the JLC. She says her role as a member advisor helped her get a holistic understanding of what the League offers and helped her navigate her members’ goals, aligning with

her HR experience. She says it’s been a great experience and she really appreciated the way JLC leadership has pivoted and embraced virtual opportunities. Kathryn believes that her vision next year will be how the League can process after the pandemic is over, keeping members in mind. She’s learned a lot from this year and wants to continue to build a community while also maintaining each member’s individualized experience. Kathryn feels the JLC’s mission of school readiness has been more important than ever this year because of the negative impact COVID-19 has had on the community.

Kathryn desires to eventually have a senior leadership role in the JLC to have an even greater impact. Part of why she loves the JLC is because there are so many other committees and placements, which provide the opportunity to have an individual experience that can change and flex with you when you need to go into a different direction in life. She thinks she’ll learn a lot next year since Human Resources and training is a passion of hers.

Kathryn fully believes that you get what you put into the League. And there are so many opportunities to connect, learn, develop and give back to the community. “The beauty of it is that you get what you put into it,” Kathryn explains. “There is no judgment; you can make it your own to navigate the League and create your own path. People respect other members’ individual desires and what they want to get out of the League experience.”

Kathryn advises to “remember to communicate what you need,” explaining that the JLC “is so understanding and real about making sure that expectations are reasonable, with the sole passion and intent to retain members and value their contributions, whatever they are.” Kathryn emphasizes that “we have smart and talented women in our network and I would love to bring all those great perspectives to the table.”

Favorite thing about Charlotte

Kathryn loves where Charlotte is headed. Growing up in Greensboro, she felt there was a perspective that Charlotte was a big city with no identity, something she now feels has changed, as every community here is unique with its own creativity and opportunity. Kathryn loves the North End, where she lives with her husband, and she enjoys “getting to see all the amazing artistic voices and perspectives that are slowly shaping this city in a really great way.”