I was incredibly lucky to have Justin as a manager as a young professional coming out of college. Justin was my manager for a year and in that time he helped me grow as an educator, professional, and leader. The nature of my role at the museum has me interfacing with the public and volunteers everyday, something that both excited and intimidated me, but training under Justin built my confidence and authority. Right from the start, I admired Justin’s ability to effortlessly lead visitors in an enriching, inquiry-based education experience and his approach to training volunteers in a consistent, organized system. It was this thoughtful method that gave me the tools to gain more independence, become self-assured, and grow in comfort within my work environment. Justin and I share our desire for high standards, so I always felt motivated to push myself beyond and take initiative. As my skills grew, I felt confident enough to take on a larger project, which involved bringing back some activities that involved social science research with the goal of engaging more space in the exhibit and as a result, more visitors. With Justin’s support, I felt that a seemingly big project such as that was well within my reach. I look back fondly on that time, as between trainings and debriefs, we shared laughs and stories that built our friendship too. I highly recommend Justin for any position, especially one where he gets to work with young professionals finding their footing in new careers.

Not everyone is so lucky to report to a manager who was also a mentor and a coach- but I had that privilege with Justin Harris. As my direct supervisor, he communicated clearly that he sought to develop my leadership qualities, coach me on my Museum Education career path, and support my professional development in such a way that would set me up for success anywhere I went to next. I worked with him for 1.5 years, and during that time he helped me find ways to continue developing new professional skills. One such project that prepared me for future leadership opportunities was the development of a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) training workshop on micro aggressions. He helped me find resources and boosted my confidence by encouraging me to be as open and vulnerable as was comfortable in order to authentically pursue my mission that all folks should be included and welcome in our science museum. He is exceptional in the realm of leadership development, as he continued to push me to develop in new ways, such as supporting me in my work supervising teen interns. He always reinforced my efforts of self-advocacy, so when the opportunity arose to ask for more responsibility, he made sure I was prepared as possible. Any employee would be lucky to have Justin as a manager, and he would be an asset to any team.

I was incredibly lucky to have Justin as a manager as a young professional coming out of college. Justin was my manager for a year and in that time he helped me grow as an educator, professional, and leader. The nature of my role at the museum has me interfacing with the public and volunteers everyday, something that both excited and intimidated me, but training under Justin built my confidence and authority. Right from the start, I admired Justin’s ability to effortlessly lead visitors in an enriching, inquiry-based education experience and his approach to training volunteers in a consistent, organized system. It was this thoughtful method that gave me the tools to gain more independence, become self-assured, and grow in comfort within my work environment. Justin and I share our desire for high standards, so I always felt motivated to push myself beyond and take initiative. As my skills grew, I felt confident enough to take on a larger project, which involved bringing back some activities that involved social science research with the goal of engaging more space in the exhibit and as a result, more visitors. With Justin’s support, I felt that a seemingly big project such as that was well within my reach. I look back fondly on that time, as between trainings and debriefs, we shared laughs and stories that built our friendship too. I highly recommend Justin for any position, especially one where he gets to work with young professionals finding their footing in new careers.

Not everyone is so lucky to report to a manager who was also a mentor and a coach- but I had that privilege with Justin Harris. As my direct supervisor, he communicated clearly that he sought to develop my leadership qualities, coach me on my Museum Education career path, and support my professional development in such a way that would set me up for success anywhere I went to next. I worked with him for 1.5 years, and during that time he helped me find ways to continue developing new professional skills. One such project that prepared me for future leadership opportunities was the development of a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) training workshop on micro aggressions. He helped me find resources and boosted my confidence by encouraging me to be as open and vulnerable as was comfortable in order to authentically pursue my mission that all folks should be included and welcome in our science museum. He is exceptional in the realm of leadership development, as he continued to push me to develop in new ways, such as supporting me in my work supervising teen interns. He always reinforced my efforts of self-advocacy, so when the opportunity arose to ask for more responsibility, he made sure I was prepared as possible. Any employee would be lucky to have Justin as a manager, and he would be an asset to any team.

I was incredibly lucky to have Justin as a manager as a young professional coming out of college. Justin was my manager for a year and in that time he helped me grow as an educator, professional, and leader. The nature of my role at the museum has me interfacing with the public and volunteers everyday, something that both excited and intimidated me, but training under Justin built my confidence and authority. Right from the start, I admired Justin’s ability to effortlessly lead visitors in an enriching, inquiry-based education experience and his approach to training volunteers in a consistent, organized system. It was this thoughtful method that gave me the tools to gain more independence, become self-assured, and grow in comfort within my work environment. Justin and I share our desire for high standards, so I always felt motivated to push myself beyond and take initiative. As my skills grew, I felt confident enough to take on a larger project, which involved bringing back some activities that involved social science research with the goal of engaging more space in the exhibit and as a result, more visitors. With Justin’s support, I felt that a seemingly big project such as that was well within my reach. I look back fondly on that time, as between trainings and debriefs, we shared laughs and stories that built our friendship too. I highly recommend Justin for any position, especially one where he gets to work with young professionals finding their footing in new careers.

Not everyone is so lucky to report to a manager who was also a mentor and a coach- but I had that privilege with Justin Harris. As my direct supervisor, he communicated clearly that he sought to develop my leadership qualities, coach me on my Museum Education career path, and support my professional development in such a way that would set me up for success anywhere I went to next. I worked with him for 1.5 years, and during that time he helped me find ways to continue developing new professional skills. One such project that prepared me for future leadership opportunities was the development of a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) training workshop on micro aggressions. He helped me find resources and boosted my confidence by encouraging me to be as open and vulnerable as was comfortable in order to authentically pursue my mission that all folks should be included and welcome in our science museum. He is exceptional in the realm of leadership development, as he continued to push me to develop in new ways, such as supporting me in my work supervising teen interns. He always reinforced my efforts of self-advocacy, so when the opportunity arose to ask for more responsibility, he made sure I was prepared as possible. Any employee would be lucky to have Justin as a manager, and he would be an asset to any team.