From our award-winning group of assist specialists who troubleshoot technical challenges to the engineers who drive innovation throughout our platform to the passionate professionals who construct connections with our prospects and companions, each member of our globally distributed group is important to the success of WP Engine in addition to the 1000’s of manufacturers and companies we serve.
WP Engine’s mission is to energy our prospects’ confidence on-line. Our Meet the Specialists sequence shines a lightweight on a few of the people who carry this mission to life via their work daily.
On this function, we’ll introduce you to Erika Sentz, our North American Lead Occasions Supervisor based mostly in Baltimore. She oversees planning and technique for the in-person occasions WP Engine attends and sponsors all through North America, in addition to our many digital occasions all year long!
Say hey to Erika!
For Erika, life is about discovering steadiness. She lives simply exterior downtown Baltimore, which retains her shut sufficient to benefit from the metropolis’s meals scene, however not too removed from the countryside both. Whereas she enjoys the town, she additionally spends plenty of time at a horse farm close to her dwelling in Pennsylvania, usually beginning her mornings within the barn or within the saddle.
“It’s my reset button and my joyful place,” she says. “Being remote-first means I by no means have to provide that up.”
Exterior of the stables, Erika is an avid learner. Her 35-minute commutes to the farm are sometimes spent listening to audiobooks and podcasts like Lenny’s Podcast, From A to B, and Assume Quick, Discuss Sensible.
“I’ve misplaced depend of what number of real-world issues I’ve solved due to an perception I picked up whereas listening to one among these,” she says.
Erika’s profession journey
Erika’s path to WP Engine began with a need for change. She was in search of a job that aligned along with her passions for each know-how and creating human connections.
“I had a job alert turned on for experimentation-based roles, and someday WP Engine popped up,” she recollects. “On the time, WP Engine was one among my ‘dream’ firms: tech-focused, remote-first, and a model I already knew effectively from my days freelancing and constructing web sites for small companies.”
The hiring course of moved shortly. A recruiter reached out on a Friday, and only one week later, she had a proposal in hand. “Leaving my previous firm and my associates there wasn’t straightforward, however I knew this was the precise transfer for my profession,” she says.
At the moment, Erika leads technique and execution for occasions created by, sponsored by, or attended by WP Engine. Her position oversees all the things from large-scale conferences and high-touch roundtables in North America to reimagining our webinars to make them extra impactful for attendees.
Her background as an internet strategist and CRO practitioner informs her method, so each touchpoint is intentional, data-informed, and designed to be examined and optimized over time.
“I deal with each occasion like an experiment: outline the purpose, check the method, measure the outcomes, and refine for the following time,” she explains. “That mindset ensures our occasions don’t simply occur—they evolve, delivering extra worth with each iteration.”
Her position additionally makes her one among WP Engine’s frontline ambassadors. Whether or not she’s representing the model at an in-person convention or designing digital occasions that educate and encourage, Erika helps join WP Engine with present and potential prospects, company companions, builders, and the WordPressⓇ[1] neighborhood extra broadly.
Phrases of knowledge: Say sure, then determine it out
Erika is greater than only a learner; she’s a doer. So, when requested about her greatest skilled recommendation, she focuses on embracing new alternatives. “Say sure, then determine it out,” she says.
“That’s to not say it’s best to tackle all the things,” she explains, “however I’ve realized that saying sure to alternatives that scare me somewhat has at all times pushed me to develop. Transferring to the occasions group was a type of moments. I didn’t have all of the solutions on day one, however I trusted myself to be taught, adapt, and make an impression.”
She additionally finds inspiration in one among WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner’s oft-repeated mantras: Don’t let excellent be the enemy of fine.
“As a lifelong perfectionist, that’s been an enormous mindset shift,” Erika says. “Occasions, internet, and experimentation all demand agility—generally you simply have to launch, be taught, and modify.”
Erika is enthusiastic about seeing past the tactical abilities of a mission, emphasizing the significance of telling the total story behind your work.
“Having the ability to join the dots between what you probably did and why it issues to your viewers will set you aside,” she says.
Powered by folks
When requested what she loves most about WP Engine, Erika’s reply echoes the sentiment shared by most of the different consultants we’ve interviewed: it’s the folks.
“The sheer experience in each ‘room’—digital or in any other case—continually ranges me up, each professionally and personally,” she says.
Erika’s work helps join WP Engine to communities throughout North America and past as she creates intentional, considerate experiences that depart an enduring impression, however she credit the corporate with making a tradition of connection in-house as effectively. That collaborative, inclusive tradition is particularly vital in a virtual-first atmosphere.
“You may be distant and nonetheless really feel deeply woven into the material of the corporate,” she says.
Wish to discover out extra about what it’s prefer to work at WP Engine? Go to our careers website to discover present openings and take a look at our weblog for extra inspiring tales from WP Engine’s consultants!
