Gabby joined Venture Portland in January of 2022 for a newly created position as Events Assistant. Gabby was drawn to this role because “it feels like a unique opportunity to help build something from the ground up!” Thanks to funding from ARPA and Prosper Portland, the Events Hub became a reality in late 2021. The Events Hub is now offering services to business districts to help their ideas succeed and make their events come to life. Gabby is out and about connecting with the community just as much as she is behind the computer helping Events Director, McKenzie Malone run the program. At its core, the Events Assistant role is about people. She wants business owners to feel like they can call her with their events-related questions, big or small. Gabby says her theme to approaching her work is “Yes we can! We are going to help throw events despite all the obstacles, so we have a very can-do attitude.” Gabby is excited to help create and plan events throughout the City, but as a personal goal, she would like to have more opportunities to lead more of Venture Portland’s presentations and webinars. Gabby loves that this job takes her all over Portland. Connecting with different parts of the city is the highlight of her role as Events Assistant. Gabby feels like being part of the all-star, Venture Portland team has been such a gift and she really enjoys coming together as a group to share ideas and collaborate. As the Events Assistant, Gabby is able to utilize all of her social media skills; “Who knew my years of Instagram would come in handy?” she says.
Personally, Gabby has adopted the philosophy, “when you worry about the moment, you leave the moment” to her lifestyle as a good reminder to live in the present. It’s hard not to overthink the past or worry about the future, but the moment is here and now. In Gabby’s free time, she likes to play her guitar and sing. She loves reading before bed, catching happy hour with friends, and dancing to live music throughout the City. Anytime she feels overwhelmed by the world, Gabby likes to walk amongst the trees at Mt. Tabor Park for her moment of Zen. A former Chicagoan, Gabby has found her home in Portland!