VOM September 2021 - Matthew Jenkins
By Membership Selection Committee
Matthew Jenkins has served as the Director of Events with PMI Portland during the pandemic. He was nominated as Volunteer of the Month due to his willingness to lead as the organization faced new challenges of bringing high quality content to PMI’s members.
Outside of PMI, Matthew is a Treatment Specialist with Cascadia Behavioral Health, assisting individuals with disabilities get the resources they need. He recognized that he was using a lot of the skills required of a Project Manager in his role, from planning and scheduling to executing work. He reached out to PMI Portland as an organization that could provide insight into the world of project management and help grow his professional network.
When speaking about his time volunteering with PMI Portland, it is clear the care and attention he takes with each detail. As we all have learned over the past year and a half, hosting online events can be challenging. Matthew speaks of the need to do technical checks and to always be on when hosting a Zoom meeting. But, as anyone who has attended a chapter meeting over the past year knows, Matthew and his team’s preparation has ensured success for any future events.
Matthew’s favorite parts of his volunteer service have been meeting project managers and learning from the guest speakers. He profusely thanked Jody Temple-White for her leadership and excellent project management skills. He also enjoyed the talk on how to become a citizen developer by using low code/no code apps to make routine tasks simpler.
If you ever get the chance to speak with Matthew, be sure to ask him about his pet, Lizzy! She is a Peach Throat Monitor Lizard that is 2.5ft long and lives in a custom built terrarium. Lizzy likes to swim and run and is a very active pet that keeps Matthew busy during his spare time.
To anyone thinking of volunteering with PMI, Matthew’s advice is to align your needs with the organization to find something that is mutually fulfilling. He wanted more exposure to project management and has a knack for ensuring people get what they want out of experiences. His role as Director of Events is a perfect match!