In our Fun Fact Friday series we are featuring team members from MeetGreen so you can learn more about us!

April Hammel
Operations Director

What project are you currently working on?

I am currently in the middle of multiple projects that include: Re-development of the MeetGreen Emergency Response Plan, development of new hire orientation and training process, review of the employee handbook, and employee coaching sessions.

Why do you like your job?

My current role allows me to provide support to the entire staff at MeetGreen. I love working alongside staff with their projects and helping to identify ways we can improve our general operations or policies. I also have a passion for coaching and mentoring others, so this role will allow me the opportunity to help support staff in achieving their own professional development goals. I also appreciate the flexibility that MeetGreen provides in terms of my work schedule. Being able to work from home two days a week is an incredible perk of this job.

What accomplishment in life are you most proud of?

On the academic front, I was extremely proud to finish at the top of my class and graduate with the Outstanding Graduate Award from my University. As a student- athlete at Pacific, I worked extremely hard to equally focus my attention in the classroom and on the basketball court. I was fortunate to also win a few awards on the basketball court, but I was completely thrilled to achieve an academic award at the culmination of my academic career.

On the athletic front, I was awarded the Women’s Basketball National Player of the Week for NAIA colleges during the last week of the season of my freshman year. I was a small town girl from Kenai, Alaska and this was a tremendous honor to represent not only my university on the national stage, but also my small high school back in Alaska. Unfortunately, I was plagued with back injuries my junior and senior year of college, so this was the pinnacle achievement in my career, but it is one that I’m proud to tell my son about to this very day. As a young boy, my husband and I feel it is important that we raise him to respect female athlete’s and appreciating their talents. I want him to know that his mom was a good athlete (not just his daddy) and that women are just as capable of achieving greatness.

On the professional and home front, I am most proud of my ability to be a full time working wife and mother. I love being able to have a career and a family and to work in a place that supports my efforts to do both is such a blessing. Being a mother and having a family brings me the greatest joy and fulfilment, but being able to satisfy my desire to have a career is completely rewarding.

How do you give back to your community?

Most of my volunteer work has been done with the youth in my community. I really enjoy coaching and mentoring kids, so I find ways to be involved in youth sports programs. Sports were such a positive influence on my life, that I love being involved in providing those same experiences to other kids. I also served on the Beaverton School District Active Students Task Force because I wanted to be involved with finding ways to increase activity levels for the students in our community. My husband and I also lead an annual food and clothing donation collection for families in the community around the holidays. We sponsor a few families and work with our closest friends and a few community businesses to collect food, clothing, books, games, and toys for families in need.

What do you do in your free time?

My free time is mostly spent with my family and closest friends. We are often found playing sports or having BBQ’s in the back yard, taking bike rides or visiting neighborhood parks, going bowling, trying new restaurants, and traveling whenever possible. In my extremely rare “quiet time” I enjoy a good glass of wine, cooking, shopping at farmer’s markets or ethnic grocery markets, listening to music (especially on vinyl), and watching cooking shows to unwind.

What is on your bookshelf?

My bookshelves are used to store and display our family photo albums, framed family photos, numerous books, dvds, and vhs tapes that I’ve collected over the years. For books, you’ll find mostly Dan Brown and Nicholas Sparks books. I’ve also collected a variety of travel books (mostly from tropical places) and an array of children’s books for my son, Cooper.