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Profiles in Enrichment tells the stories of USEC employees who have made great contributions to the company or our local communities.
Carmen Willis in her Head Start classroom.
Some people are fortunate enough to find jobs that fit their passions. Others, like Carmen Willis, simply bring their passions with them to their jobs.
An early career teaching preschool and working with the Head Start program fueled Carmen’s passion for helping disadvantaged children and their families. “It was while volunteering for Head Start that I decided that because I was blessed with a loving, caring and nurturing environment that I wanted to give part of myself to at risk children and provide the same caring and nurturing environment,” said Carmen. “I was determined to dedicate myself and make a difference.”
Her work with the Head Start program led her to a position working with the local Healthy Start program where she worked closely with mothers and children before and after birth to ensure they were getting proper medical care and training. By now a fixture in the local charity community, Carmen emerged as a leader working with Leadership Oak Ridge, Emory Valley Early Intervention Program, Anderson County Health Council, Anderson County Hero Award and others.
Carmen Willis' co-workers locked her up to raise money for March of Dimes.
When she started working with USEC in Records Management and later in Configuration Management, Carmen did not leave her old job behind. Instead, she brought her passions with her. As she became Chair of USEC’s Diversity Council, Carmen saw a perfect opportunity to use her past experiences as a chance promote diversity awareness at USEC.
Carmen began planning events to bring workers together such as team and relationship building activities. She soon transitioned into using Diversity Council events as a way to give back to the community.
“We’re all different in our own ways, but we also have so many similarities,” explained Carmen. “It really helps when you can come together for a cause everyone believes in.”
USEC employees and their families participate in the Race for Ramps fundraiser.
Harkening back to her earlier work, Carmen has arranged pot-luck fundraising dinners for Healthy Start and organized a USEC’s largest fundraiser in Oak Ridge, Race for Ramps, to help make homes handicap-accessible. All the while, she has achieved the dual goal of bringing USEC employees together.
In the future, Carmen says she hopes to continue to grow USEC’s and the Diversity Council’s involvement in local charities. In the meantime, do not expect to catch her with much free time on her hands. Whenever she is not working in the office or at a local charity, she says her friends know exactly the first person to turn to when they are looking for help with their own charity events.
“I believe that giving back to your community no matter how great or small the role is essential to ensuring that our children are prepared for a better future and will be able to give back to society.”