From an early age, thanks to lessons taught by her father, Michelle Carney has had the confidence to try anything, as well as the humility to accept failure and see the big picture, in which perseverance can lead to success.
So it should come as no surprise that Carney was a hit with the Philadelphia Flyers/Comcast-Spectacor operation when it decided to build a new arena in Philadelphia, one year out of college, she was in charge of managing premium seating for the project.
Soon after, she took a job with mutual fund pioneer Vanguard Group as a marketing associate. And then the Seekonk High School graduate took on another new challenge when she returned home to work as a risk analyst for the Fleet Financial Group.
Realizing she missed marketing, Carney took a position as a market research analyst with GTECH, the gaming giant. When happenstance allowed her to move up, she took the opportunity to reach out to clients, an approach that she still follows today, as she develops products across the globe for GTECH, a role that demands not only that she work closely with clients but across the broad range of disciplines that GTECH employs.
Carney’s joy in engaging clients at work follows her home, as she spends time volunteering for the Ocean State Senior Olympic Games and the New England Mountain Biking Association, both organizations that support adults as they enjoy the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle.
In 2007, she saw a notice that the Capital City Community Center needed more volunteers for its holiday season Adopt-A-Family program. She connected the program and others at GTECH and that first year, 13 families were adopted by GTECH personnel. Last year, 19 families were adopted. But then, her success comes as no surprise. •
