Wendy Howells: The Organizational Heart of JHA Survey

Successful survey projects are built on teamwork. While field crews and project leaders are often the faces of a project, there is a critical role that often goes unseen. At JHA Companies that role belongs to Project Assistant Wendy Howells, whose organizational skill and deep commitment keep hundreds of projects on track.

Whether she’s coordinating proposals, tracking deadlines, assisting project leaders, or completing deliverables, Wendy provides the structure that allows the survey team to focus on client needs.

JHA Director of Survey Chris Oleniacz sees firsthand how important Wendy is: “her organizational skills are better than I’ve ever seen. Her communication skills are fantastic. She’s not afraid to joke around with us guys and take shots at us, but we know that whenever she communicates with us it’s coming from a kind and honest heart with complete sincerity. She’s a very, very humble person.”

Wendy explains how as Project Assistant, her responsibilities span the entire life cycle of a project: “I help the director and the project leaders from the moment we take a call, to all the steps in between whether it’s the proposal step, the contract step, the submission step, the billing, the final deliverables, the final closeout and software and tracking spreadsheets. I’m the person who helps keep that moving.”

“She is the glue that holds us together,” Chris says. “She helps us track our project and where they stand through the project life cycle. She is the only person that knows at least something about the two hundred and forty-five projects we’re currently tracking for the survey team.”

Wendy grew up in Towanda, PA, and has spent her entire life in the Keystone State. She credits her education with laying the foundation for a career centered on serving others: “I went to Mansfield University where I earned my BA in studio art. But knowing that studio art was not lucrative, I had an opportunity to go to Williamsport Area Community College and learn advertising. Looking back now, I can see that was the start of me serving clients.”

Outside the office, Wendy enjoys a quieter pace of life with her husband, Jeff, at their home on Lake Carey. Spending time on the water is her favorite way to recharge after a busy day. “I love to kayak,” she says, “and being able to do that right out my front door is wonderful. I love living by water. With the lake house, I’m able to cross the street, go onto the lake, and that is my happy place. No matter what my day involves, I hop in my kayak, I listen to the birds, I listen to the sounds around me, and empty my brain and make it peaceful.”

She also enjoys expressing her creativity and artistic skills: “my hobbies involve shopping at consignment shops or yard sales. I look for those little treasures that I can put my twist on. I put them in my home, and that just makes it feel more homey.”

For Wendy, the most fulfilling part of working at JHA is the opportunity to learn while making a difference for others: “JHA gives me an opportunity to learn with different programs, different people, different clients, to keep growing professionally using the talents that I have, whether its admin, advertising, or serving clients. You leave your job every day knowing you’ve helped somebody. It’s rewarding.”