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Before working as an HR leader in tech companies, Anne Marie Mills was an aerospace engineer. After attending Purdue for aero engineering, she worked at Boeing for a few years before realizing being an engineer wasn’t for her. She took a break to travel in Australia and New Zealand for a few months before coming home to pivot her career.
Anne Marie then got a space in Vanderbilt’s MBA program and landed an internship at Lab126 (now known as Amazon Devices). “It solidified my desire to go into the HR space and helped me gain a little extra experience,” she said. Anne Marie worked at LinkedIn for her second internship. After graduation, she went into consulting, working first with Capgemini out of San Francisco and then Deloitte based out of Seattle. “I loved the fast-paced nature of consulting and worked on some interesting divestitures and several talent management practices,” she said.
However, consulting was never her end goal, and the weekly travel was getting old, so she made her exit after a few years at Deloitte. Anne Marie has been in HR Leadership roles for the last four years and is currently looking for her next opportunity to make an impact with a small and growing organization.
During this “in-between” time, she started a side business as a travel advisor with Cruise Planners to build on her passion for travel (she’s been to all 50 states and all seven continents).
Anne Marie currently lives in Broad Ripple with her 11-year-old dog Lexi. She loves to read, watch “too much” Food Network, and try different breweries and distilleries around town.
Follow her on LinkedIn, Instagram and amm.travelbyadvisor.com.
My Maven Superpower is …
Helping people define and create their dream career.
Best book I’ve read lately is …
“The Social Graces” (similar timeline to Buccaneers and Gilded Age).
Self-care habit I swear by …
Moisturizer with SPF! My family has had its fair share of skin issues, and I’ve been diligent about SPF on my face every day.
My first job was …
Babysitting. I watched my little brother and other neighborhood kids.
The best career advice I can offer is …
Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, people can’t read your mind.
A purchase I’ve been loving lately is …
I bought a really cute toboggan hat at the gift and hobby show and it’s been on my head more days than not!
I feel most confident when …
I’ve had my coffee!
My favorite local restaurant dish is …
Fish n chips at the Aristocrat are pretty delicious!
The thing I’ve been binging lately is …
Purdue Basketball and keeping up with Guys Grocery Games.
A fun fact about me is …
I’ve found more four-leaf clovers than I can count; there was one day as a kid when I found over 70!
The skill I most want to learn is …
I want to build my confidence and skills in using generative AI.
A Maven you should know is … *
Oo this is hard, I feel like I’m still trying to get to know everyone.
My favorite nonprofit to support is …
Anything that supports girls, especially girls in STEM. Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, etc.
What have you achieved recently that you’d like to celebrate with our community?
I entered the travel planning business last fall and had pretty low expectations of actually booking travel. But in three months, I booked travel for 10 clients/families, 4 of whom traveled by the end of the year. It’s been a surprisingly fun side gig!
What’s next for you? What can we expect to see over the next few years?
I will be excelling in my next HR role and continuing to help people.
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