From the Hills to “The Hill"

By Amy Charles

This summer marked one year that University of Pikeville graduate Tiffany Thacker ’07 has worked for the mayor of Washington, D.C., as deputy director of business development and strategy. In this position, Thacker is responsible for facilitating the mayor’s economic development priorities. She helps lead a team responsible for creating jobs and tax revenue for the district.

“We are charged with developing and implementing the mayor’s economic strategy, attracting and retaining businesses to the district, driving investment to the city, deploying strategic investment into our business community and supporting access to entrepreneurship,” Thacker explained. “Generally making sure the District of Columbia is a good partner for businesses.”

How does this history/political science major from Shelby Valley land a prestigious position in government policy? She credits her UPIKE education, several internship opportunities and her small-town upbringing with preparing her for success in the big city.

After transferring to UPIKE her sophomore year, Thacker soon caught the eye of Professor Nancy Cade, Ph.D., who encouraged her to attend The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars her junior year. This organization is an independent, nonprofit serving hundreds of universities in the United States and other countries, providing selected college students challenging opportunities to work and learn in Washington, D.C., for academic credit.

“Dr. Cade pushed me to participate in the Washington Center’s academic seminars which gave me an intensive learning experience and exposed me to new ideas and career paths,” said Thacker. “It sparked a passion in me to learn more about economic development and figure out how to have a career that allowed me to make a difference in the world around me.”

Cade’s mentorship and guidance helped Thacker navigate through what she was looking for from her education and career, and her support continues to this day. “I honestly don’t believe I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for her influence on my life,” expressed Thacker. “I think you can only get that type of connection with your professor at a university like UPIKE, where you’re not just one in hundreds of students in a classroom.”

The Washington Center showed Thacker how important internship opportunities were in expanding her network. She made sure to utilize internships to help build up marketable skills, but also to get her foot in the door to make connections. “The Washington Center has added value to the university and changed students’ lives for the better. So many students say this is the best thing they’ve done in college,” said Cade. “I am so proud of Tiffany’s accomplishments in her career. I don’t think she imagined she would be working in government, but she is great at networking and can talk to absolutely anyone.”

Thacker believes being from a small town has helped her naturally be able to develop relationships with others, saying that people from rural areas often take for granted being friendly and saying hello to strangers is common everywhere. “

I am able to meet new people easily, have conversations and develop meaningful relationships with them, and I am not sure I would be as comfortable doing that if I had grown up anywhere else,” Thacker added.

UPIKE helped Thacker develop the skills and knowledge she needed to prepare her for the next steps after graduation, by opening up doors for her through the experiential learning opportunities. She went on to earn her master’s degree in public policy from George Mason University in 2012.

“While I think it is important to have the knowledge and skills to be successful in a job, it’s equally important to be able to get access to that job in the first place,” said Thacker. “UPIKE opened doors for me that I never knew existed and taught me how to find my way and generate my own opportunities.”

While Thacker has worked in economic development for nearly a decade, she is unsure of where her future will lead her. One thing is for certain, wherever her career takes her, she wants to make a difference, enjoy her life and not waste her talents. “Life is a never-ending journey. Pushing and growing in my career path and taking more leadership roles in economic development is certainly an avenue to explore, but I’ve also learned to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, and to not be afraid to pivot and change paths as I learn more about myself and what makes me happy.”