Once a month, members of the Understood team nominate and vote for a co-worker who demonstrates Understood’s values. Someone who is truly shaping the world for difference. This team member receives the People’s Choice Award. 

In April our winner was Senior Community Manager Angela Keck. So we’re excited to spotlight Angela and her remarkable career. Read on to learn more about her role at Understood and what our mission means to her. 

Tell us about your career path. What brought you to Understood? 

I’ve managed communities for various companies and organizations for many years. A few years ago, an Understood recruiter reached out to ask if I was interested in an open position they had available. While that role wasn’t a good fit for me, it did alert me to Understood’s inspiring mission. So, when I spotted an open position for a community manager that fit my experience, I eagerly submitted my application. 

I have a close tie to learning and thinking differences. They have impacted my family in a variety of ways — from my husband with dyslexia to our son and three nephews with ADHD. The idea of helping support parents who want to help their children thrive was something that always resonated with me. And now Understood is expanding to also support individuals, especially women, with learning and thinking differences, which aligns even more with my own personal mission. 

I enjoy my career because I’ve always viewed my role as the voice of the user or audience. And it’s incredibly rewarding to support people who learn and think differently. 

What’s your role? And what does your day-to-day look like at Understood? 

One of my favorite parts of managing communities is that it’s very rare that any two days would be the same. My days can vary from responding to posts from parents looking for support and advice, to working with the Product team to track down a bug so they can work to resolve an issue. Or I could be contributing to message planning, creating an engagement strategy, reviewing expert posts with Dr. Andy Kahn for our amazing team of community experts, and a dozen other things. 

Recently, I’ve been conducting a listening tour. This has helped me meet with many work streams and teams from Understood that I haven’t worked closely with before, to identify how the community could or should impact their work. One thing is for sure: You will never hear me complain that my job is boring!

How do you stay passionate and engaged in your work? 

It may sound cheesy, but if I’m ever feeling worn down or burned out, all I have to do is visit the community and spot a post from a parent expressing gratitude for the advice and support they’ve received. It all feels so much more than worth it. 

As a parent of a child who learns and thinks differently, I have a great deal of empathy for parents feeling like they don’t know what to do to best support their child. I don’t have to think very hard to remember the countless times I sat next to my son while he struggled to focus enough to complete the evening’s homework assignments. Or sitting in an IEP meeting trying not to cry and feeling frustrated. 

One of my favorite quotes is from Jackie Kennedy: “If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” It’s so true — and also reinforces that being a good parent for the child you have is really the highest stakes there are in life.

What advice would you give to someone new in this industry? 

If someone who was considering working for a nonprofit asked me for advice, I would tell them to find a nonprofit that’s doing work you feel passionate about. Doing work that aligns with your personal beliefs or life experience will make all of the hard work worth it. It’ll make every “win” feel like a personal victory for you or those you care about. 

The people I work with at Understood make me want to be better at my job. I see them bringing their own A-game every single day for people who learn and think differently. 

Want to work with us? We’re always looking for talented people to join our team. If you’re interested in working with us, check out our open roles.