Jade Abel grew up in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Looking to broaden her horizons, she went to college in her nearest 'big' city, Pittsburgh. While studying there, she became entranced with her new home. The bustle of a dense population center, diverse people, new foods, and the excitement of navigating public transit energized her and made her want to immerse herself in the goings-on of city life.
But often the pace and noise of the city felt draining and she'd find solace in one of the city's many green-spaces. With conservationism and coalition building as core values, she began working with local non-profits and neighbors to advocate for the city's green-spaces. She lead an effort to convert a vacant lot into a neighborhood garden funded by grant dollars. Through this work she realized her ability to lead.
Her leadership experience -and enjoyment of it- prompted her to pursue a career in project management. In 2018 she received her Certified Associate in Project Management from the Project Management Institute. She has worked as a Project Manager at PNC for going on three years. She has been promoted twice and welcomes the progressive responsibility. Serving in this role at a bank pays well, but is not very fulfilling. She'd like to get back to work affecting positive change (while making a decent salary in the process). She feels that software development is enjoyable and could be a powerful tool for making significant impact.