Jody

La Rue

Operations Director

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I tell people to think of me as an air traffic controller, but maybe “the fixer” would be better. To be successful, agencies like PartnersCreative need someone deep in the nuts and bolts of daily operations. That frees up creative staff to focus more on mission-critical client work.

STORY

Jody possesses a rare combination in the creative world: a marketing mindset with a staff sergeant’s bent for process and procedure. Through her work as an office manager and C-suite executive assistant — for a Missoula creative agency, an engineering firm and finally one of the city’s two major medical centers — she’s honed an ability to break down a problem into chewable pieces, map out a solution, and hardwire it into an organization’s structure.

 

“It doesn’t do you any good if you establish a procedure, and then nobody follows it,” she says with the matter-of-factness of someone keen to get things done.

 

In Jody’s mind, every obstacle poses an opportunity to learn. And from the voluminous list of skill sets on her resume, she’s learned a lot. Everything from event planning to QuickBooks to serving as a notary … to managing personnel.

 

So good is she at her job, a former employer asked her to move with the firm to New York City. Though tempted, this Butte native couldn’t leave the majestic beauty and hometown comfort that is Missoula. We applaud that decision. And how.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Why would anyone jump out of a perfectly good plane? “The adrenaline rush,” says Jody, who’s skydived on numerous occasions and can’t wait to take her son on his 16th birthday.

 

Fast cars. She someday wants a 1964 1/2 Mustang convertible like the one her mom used to race. Yes, 1/2. Google it. They’re special.

 

Some glitter, a ball of yarn, an empty canvas. Voila, a masterpiece. Jody and her daughter are regulars at local craft shops. And they know how to be, well, crafty with their finds.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Missoula Food Bank volunteer
Big Brothers Big Sisters board of directors (past)
American Heart Association Go Red for Women committee member (past)

EDUCATION

Western Governors University MBA
University of Montana BBA, marketing & information systems

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