Sally (Lister) Sinclair
June 16, 2020
Sally (Lister) Sinclair (2020)
Sally (Lister) Sinclair was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. After graduating in 2010, she went on to cultivate a career in the relocation industry. She has worked in research roles, as a Career and Transition Coach for relocating families and in sales capacities, including her current role as an Account Manager Team lead at IMPACT Group. She works daily to nurture clients and partners, grow and develop accounts, and lead/support a small team. In her spare time Sally enjoys acting/theatre, the great outdoors (hiking, biking, kayaking, camping), and spending time with friends and family, including her husband Jason and their son, Conan (plus baby girl coming July 2020!).
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated from Truman in 2010 with a BA in Communication, concentration in Public Communication.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was involved with News 36 (now TMN-TV) in various capacities, including news anchoring, show hosting, advertising sales/ copywriting, camera work and other behind the scenes roles. I was a Sigma Kappa, and I enjoyed working with the Environmental Campus Organization (ECO) and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Sally co-anchoring a newscast in the TMN-TV studio (2010).
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
I immediately entered the workforce after Truman and do not regret that decision. It allowed me to acquire valuable experience and obtain a deeper grasp of what I wanted out of my professional advancement. Ultimately, I was able to advance in my career quickly, learn more about myself and my goals, and have a deeper understanding of my options. I think it is important for any undergraduate to make a decision that is personal to them and to not feel obligated to commit to graduate school without considering student loans, return on investment, future career aspirations, etc. However, transitioning immediately into graduate school can be an excellent option for those with a set career goal/ path. Plus, it allows you to stay in “student-mode.”
What was your first job after graduation?
In the summer after I graduated from Truman, I began working at Vandover, a small, private relocation/career management company. I started as a Research Specialist, collecting and presenting career-related information for job-seeking individuals around the globe. It was an excellent role to acquire quickly after school as it helped me understand so many diverse career paths. I quickly began taking on additional responsibilities and eventually helped create a new role in the organization that allowed me to employ more of my skillset while offering a succession planning option for others in the organization wanting to advance in a coaching-related capacity. The job became a steppingstone that helped me eventually become a career coach myself. I learned early the importance of taking ownership of my career and never letting fear keep me from trying something new.
Sally, husband Jason, and their son Conan on vacation (2019).
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
I currently work at IMPACT Group, a global coaching and career transition company, supporting organizations as they seek to transition their employees in various capacities. IMPACT Group’s business segments include corporate relocation, outplacement, and leadership development. For most of my career, I have worked within the relocation space, particularly supporting the spouse/partner and family of the relocating employee as they transition to a new location and as the accompanying spouse/partner seeks to transition their career to the new location.
For a few years, I worked as a Transition and Career Coach, serving as a personal guide to many families experiencing relocation/career transitions. Since 2017, I’m proud to be serving the company in an Account Management role, operating as a key contact for our Relocation clients and partners and maintaining/developing relationships to ensure customer satisfaction, growth, and development. In 2019 I moved into a Team Lead role, leading a small team of Account Managers and supporting the company in a leadership capacity. I look forward to growing in more leadership roles in the future.
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
My Liberal Arts degree has continued to help me every day and I am often reminded of certain lectures, assignments, papers and discussions held in the engaging Truman classroom environment as well as after hours with my friends. There is nothing like having four years to be free to truly learn, better yourself, and connect with likeminded or even concurring individuals about ideas. I now feel well-versed at engaging in conversations with professionals of all kinds, knowing to ask the right questions and making every interaction a learning moment. I will never stop my autodidacticism and will remain a skeptic (not a cynic), will think critically and thoughtfully and will remain open-minded and connected to the world around me. I always was encouraged in the Truman culture, both on and off campus.
As for my Communication degree, my skills as a communicator are tested every day via my interpersonal and workplace interactions, and I’ve come to understand the true value of being an effective communicator, a skill that is at the foundation of achieving any goal and one that is revered in any workplace setting. Whether I’m considering persuasive communication approaches to utilize with perspective clients, speaking publicly to educate or influence an audience, working internally in my organization to ensure effective and consistent processes are in place and leading individuals through change, or simply helping my spirited toddler cope with the terrifying realties of the world, I am reminded of the valuable lessons learned at Truman and throughout my communication study.
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
Statistics!! I very much disliked that class; however, I use statistics regularly when presenting to clients and I understand that statistics are what help inform important business decisions.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
I received the award for Outstanding Communication Student in Public Communication when graduating in 2010. It was such a relief to see all my hard work come to fruition. More than that, I graduated that year with new friends, new ideas, and life lessons that I still recall fondly.
Sally winning the Outstanding Communication Student in Public Communication Award with Dr. Yaquinto (L) and Dr. Johnson (R) in 2010.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
The classrooms at Truman are small and engaging with students coming from a variety of backgrounds. You can feel free to express yourself, ask questions, and engage with others in meaningful ways. I don’t think I would have had the same experience at a massive university. I was always able to “get my feet wet” by trying something new and never felt pigeon-holed into one area of study. It is an excellent environment for a creative-minded individual to learn freely, try new things, and truly become absorbed in a lifestyle conducive to growth and expression. It doesn’t hurt that some of the professors are at the top of their respective fields either.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Get involved with extra-curricular activities, especially something COMM related, such as one of the media organizations (TMN). It’s a great way to see the COMM department at work and apply some of the things you are learning in the classroom. That, and find an internship that appeals to you; applying your knowledge is key in ensuring you are getting the most out of your education.
But other than that, 100% never forget to have fun! You are only an undergrad once, and you will never have so much freedom with your time. Use that time wisely of course and ensure you schedule time to work, but also schedule time to play. You will never regret the new friends you make and experiences you create.
Sally (left) and a couple of her ΣΚ sisters during recruitment (2009).
P.S. don’t discount Greek Life as an option; I never considered that it would be a good choice for me until I went through recruitment. It was a momentous way to connect with students, take leadership roles, and learn life lessons with some amazing people, people that are now my lifelong friends and people with whom I may not have connected otherwise.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Ask questions. Find people in a similar role/ industry and ask to conduct an informational interview. The best way to learn about a role is through the people currently living it!
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
I miss the simplicity of life in Kirksville. I find myself in an “analysis paralysis” some days with so many options in front of me and so many decisions to make. Kirksville offered a beautiful simplicity with its uncomplicated structure and natural patterns. It’s important to create your own fun at Truman, which is a vital skill in all parts of life and imagination. Just laying out a blanket on the quad on a nice day was such a treat.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“Why not start with studying a skill that all great leaders possess: Communication? It’s fundamental.”
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Cultivating Joy from Nature. It would be based on the quote by Brave Buffalo, a Teton Sioux medicine man in the 19th century, “I have noticed in my life that all men have a liking for some special animal, tree, plant, or spot of earth. If men would pay more attention to these preferences and seek what is best to do in order to make themselves worthy of that toward which they are so attracted, they might have dreams which would purify their lives. Let a man decide upon his favorite animal and make a study of it learning its innocent ways. Let him learn to understand its sounds and motions. The animals want to communicate with man, but Wakantanka does not intend they shall do so directly – man must do the greater part in securing an understanding.” It would be a JINS class, of course!
Sally and Jason on the Inca Trail in Peru (2015).
If you would like to learn more of Sally’s story, you can follow her on LinkedIn.