Jill Joubert Reflects on 20 Years
At the end of the month, the MIC team will be without a familiar face. Our Director of Client Services, Jill Joubert, is on to her next adventure after 20 years with the Howard County Economic Development Authority and the MIC.
Jill started her career with HCEDA as an administrative assistant in 2003. In July 2011, she became the Senior Marketing Assistant and then Operations Manager for the former Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship in 2012. In 2018, she assumed her current title. In her role, she has kept day-to-day operations running smoothly at the MIC while helping to foster its family-like feel.
During her decades of service, Jill says one of the initiatives she enjoyed the most was organizing the move from the Dorsey Building to the Gateway Building.
“The Dorsey Building was old and had many facility issues, but we had created a community, and the momentum was growing,” recalls Jill. “The key was to keep that feeling as we transitioned to Gateway. It was a challenge and almost like putting together a puzzle to figure out the flow and how we could fit our current companies into the new space.”
Ultimately, Jill says, they completed the move right in time.
“We were the last ones occupying the building. Wayne Young and I managed to get everything in and ready for our clients to get back to work on June 1, 2019,” says Jill.
Shortly thereafter, they faced another challenge: the COVID-19 pandemic. That required “evolving quickly” and adapting to the changes. Jill said they expanded and strengthened the MIC’s EIR team during that time, and the BRITE programs were born.
“Little did we suspect that in ten months, just as our momentum was building up in our new home, the community we were building would be going virtual,” Jill says. “I’m happy to say that we can see things turning around three years later and the community building back up.”
When asked what she’ll miss most about her time, Jill didn’t hesitate. “That’s easy. I enjoyed and will miss the relationships built with my (MIC member) companies, watching them grow and either succeed or pivot to something new,” Jill says. “I am their ‘Den Mother’ and advocate. They are my kids, and it’s hard to let them go and hand them off to someone else.”
The HCEDA and MIC wish Jill the best in her retirement and thank her for all her hard work over the years!
