Presenting

am blessed to count Kim as a treasured friend. Like kismet, we bonded from the first day we met. She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her. An amazing role model for women—she's a great mom, friend and businesswoman. It's a plea- sure to share her story of courage in the face of tragedy, humility and kindness that knows no bounds. I know that you grew up in New York. Tell us about your early career. I graduated from Le Moyne College and struggled with my path a bit. I was always a ver y hard worker, but not necessarily the best student. I k new I wanted to travel, but I didn't have the money for it. I thought to myself, what is an industr y that's fun, where I get to meet new people? Back then I liked to put events together, so I thought I could go that route. I moved to Boston and took a position with a recruiting firm, figuring I would see jobs posted in the area. I didn't k now anybody so I thought it would expose me to other industries so I could find an event planning position. One client was Har vard—we were bringing people in for inter views. I noticed a job in data entr y that supported the event staff. I applied and got the job. I had to start somewhere, but I hated it—it was truly data entr y. A ll day I processed registration forms, just ty ping in people's names and the courses they were tak ing. I was k ick ing myself for tak ing the job, but realized that I had goen myself into Har vard…it's such a big institution—once you get a foot in the door you can migrate to other departments. I met a doctor who headed up the Department of Psychiatr y and expressed to him that I wanted to learn about events and travel and do other things. He took me under his wing and helped me get a step closer to my goal with a job in event planning for the Har vard Medical School. When I got there, two people ahead of me were leaving , so within a month it was just myself and the accountant—all of a sudden I was running 50 programs. I didn't think I could do it, but he told me I had the personality and the work ethic, so he could teach me to do it. ose first few years I worked 80 to 90 hours a week. It was so much work and there was a lot to learn, but I loved it—I got to travel and meet people, hear their stories and aend fun events. It opened up a whole new world. What was the next step for you? In 2004 my husband and I decided to move to Florida—we came here with a newborn. I quick ly found that while I love my child immensely, I couldn't be a stay-at-home mom. It's just not my path. I missed the camaraderie of an office, the travelling and using my mind in different ways each day. I started with the Sarasota Film Festival in 2005, offering my assistance with events. at really helped me in the Sarasota market— so many people in the community were behind it, and that led to SRQ Magazine, the Van Wezel and eventually the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, where I'm the executive director. Kim Miele Executive Director, Gulf Coast CEO Forum & Events Consultant, Harvard Medical School By Jules Lewis Gibson my BEST life I 36 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com

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