We are thrilled to announce Carmen Ren as Pavilion’s newest Business Operations Manager! Carmen joins Pavilion with a diverse background in education, marketing, sales, and operations. At Barnard College in NYC, she studied Sociology and English, with a concentration in Creative Writing. She believes her interests and experience align around people and stories, and she’s excited to continue her professional journey at Pavilion, where she’ll get to draw on her myriad of experiences to further Pavilion’s own story. Here, Carmen shares some of the experiences that led her to Pavilion:
Why Pavilion?
I knew that I wanted my next role to be at a female-founded company with an emphasis on mission and culture. Pavilion also stood out immediately because in a conversation with Mari, the CEO, she said that Pavilion team members are all “efficiency nerds.” I had never felt more seen. I strongly believe that the work Pavilion does will have a far-reaching impact not just in the lives of procurement officials and their teams, but also for small businesses and the communities that governments serve.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Before the pandemic, I spent a lot of my free time taking yoga classes, indoor rock climbing, and eating at restaurants with friends. Since the pandemic (and becoming an obsessive dog mom), I now do a lot of pottery at my local studio and spend a lot of time with my 1.5 year old Tibetan Terrier, Kylo. We’re currently working on trick training at home and agility training in class. I hope we will compete in local competitions by the end of the year!
What’s something you’re not good at, but working on?
Saying no to things in my personal and professional life is really hard for me. I’m starting to learn that it’s better for everyone involved if I set realistic and firm boundaries. This way, I can focus all my energy on the things that are most important, rather than splitting my attention between multiple projects, especially ones I’m less excited about but feel pressured to do.
What’s a goal you have for the year ahead?
I’d like to spend more time and energy on fiction writing. I haven’t had a serious writing project in a few years, and I really miss flexing that part of my brain.
