Janice is the Director of Human Resources at the San Diego Museum of Man (SDMoM). By aligning the museum’s internal initiative of World Peace Starts at Home with SDMoM’s mission statement of “Inspiring human connections by exploring the human experience”, Janice works to build an effective and supportive workplace culture for the museum.
- What do you like most about working at the Museum?
The people! Our mission is “Inspiring human connections by exploring the human experience”. Our staff is passionate about bringing this mission to our visitors!
- What is the most interesting part of your job at the Museum?
The most interesting part is the opportunity to practice Human Resources (HR) in a way that enhances our World Peace Starts at Home initiative. Through this initiative, we seek ways in which our organization can better support our staff.
- What is the key to creating an inspiring workplace culture?
I think the key is creating an effective culture – by effective I mean creating the culture you want to have. That’s going to mean different things for different organizations. The key to doing this is aligning your culture to your mission. For SDMoM, that means World Peace Starts at Home. If we want to achieve our mission of “Inspiring human connections by exploring the human experience”, we need to empower our staff by supporting them through the culture we build. This means aligning both your internal and external programs with your mission. Building culture – in terms of your approach to benefits, policies, employee activities, etc. – is a continually evolving process.
- What has surprised you most about working in Balboa Park?
Discovering Balboa Park on a new level. I’m a native San Diegan and visited the Park regularly since childhood. Working here, I’ve learned more about the museums, discovered wonderful places to eat, and experienced the beauty of the gardens and walking trails.
- What do you like to do outside of work?
Read – I love medieval European history, primarily British. I also enjoy playing guitar and singing.
- Favorite book, TV shows, movie, song?
My favorite books tend to be historical fiction – I’ve enjoyed the Outlander series and almost anything by Phillipa Gregory or Ken Follett. TV – my co-workers give me great leads on series on Netflix! My latest favorite is Sherlock Holmes. Movies – it’s difficult to choose between my two favorites: “It’s a Wonderful Life!” and “Sound of Music”. Song – I love listening to almost anything by the Beatles.
- What is the best advice you ever received?
“The days are long, but the years are short”. I received this advice in relation to raising children, but it applies to a variety of periods in your life. There are seasons of life that, while joyful, can be a struggle at the moment – college years, challenging projects at work, care of small children, laboring for a social cause you are passionate about. Try to take a breath and enjoy the journey through these times.
- If you could be any animal, other than human, what would you be?
I would definitely want to be a koala. They are my favorite animal!
- What is your favorite spot in Balboa Park?
The view from the top of the California Tower! It’s absolutely gorgeous! As a native San Diegan, it’s amazing to see all the areas and landmarks I’m familiar with from one panoramic view.