Mary Timby knew virtually nothing about vehicle architecture and mechanics when she signed on as Colorado State University’s Outreach Coordinator in the fall of 2011. During the first few months and with a lot of support from the technical team, she caught on to the engineering aspects of CSU’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle design, which she says, was the most important part of her job. “Learning the technical aspects of our vehicle architecture was my first priority because I knew that in order to effectively communicate the EcoCAR 2 and CSU’s key messages, I would have to know the techi-side of the spectrum. In communications, knowing 100% about both your client and their audiences is the most important part of your job.”
In April of 2012, Mary was hired as the Communications Coordinator at Bohemian Foundation, a national family foundation in Fort Collins, Colorado. She says her experience with EcoCAR 2 was an important aspect of her hiring. “[In the interview] they asked me about projects I had worked on in the past. EcoCAR was a great example of real world experience – writing and executing a real communications plan.”
Professional experience aside, Mary’s favorite part of the competition was attending workshops. “They were the perfect mix of rigorous day time training and night time fun with your team and competitors from schools across the country. In the end, my favorite part of the competition was the people – many of them are now my friends and professional colleagues.”
