The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2024 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept. 20, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 21.
Next is Alana Perkins, executive operations coordinator at Two Six Technologies, and finalist in the Executive Assistant of the Year, Private & Public Companies, category. Here, she talks about recent achievements, shares career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2024?
In October 2024, I helped plan, coordinate, and host an over 600 person company in person All-Hands event. This included identifying and working with the venue, designating individuals to groups to break up sessions, building an event schedule, organizing food that met the needs of the attendees, and making sure any and all problems that popped up were easily resolved without disturbing the day. It is worth mentioning that the morning of the event, we had 40 leaders of the company at an event at the same site, so I managed two large events in just that one day. The events went seamlessly and for the larger company-wide portion, 88% of attendees rated the event 4 or 5 out of 5 stars and 99% said that they would attend the event again.
In 2024, I gained 2 additional direct reports (from 1 to 3 employees) – to include our HQ Office Coordinator and two Business Unit Executive Assistants. Prior to the start of these additional employees, I performed as EA for essentially the entire executive leadership team, and also the duties of a facilities manager and office manager. The addition of these new employees will support our teams to continue functioning smoothly. I am excited to work with them and see what else we can accomplish!
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
Going forward, I am focused on office space coordination and reorganization. Two Six recently opened a new office in Herndon, VA while our headquarters are in Arlington, VA. The entire executive team will be moving from headquarters to the new facility. I will be spending a significant amount of my time at the end of 2024 into 2025 moving our teams from Arlington to Herndon. My primary focus is to ensure that time is not lost for our leaders and our customers during this transition. I hope to plan and prepare now so that when the time comes for the full change, it is easy.
A big area of focus is my team. I want to make sure that the other Executive Assistants are getting the right guidance and training from me to be both successful in the roles and successful for their teams. By ensuring that our Business Units have reliable admins that they can trust to get the job done, they can spend more time doing the work for our customers that really matters.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Make sure to create and nurture relationships everywhere you go. The more time you spend getting to know the people you work with and the reasons they do the things they do, the better you will be at working with them and understanding their needs.
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know?
I love cooking, even though I don’t always have time or energy to cook after long work days. On the weekends, I typically go to the store in the morning and spend all day in the kitchen, using family recipes from both me and my husband’s parents and grandparents!