Priya Jain, current senior vice president of business development and strategy at Atkins, is the mother of two Camp Rising Sun alumni and serves as a member of the LAJF/CRS Board of Directors. She leads and implements strategy and client-focused initiatives with an emphasis on account management, sales pipeline, and sales talent development. Over the course of her 23+ year career, she’s held a variety of leadership roles that have encompassed strategy, sales, operations, and project delivery. She holds multiple advanced degrees including Masters Degrees in environmental engineering and in physics.
In addition, Ms. Jain currently serves as a leader in the Northern New Jersey Chapter of Ellevate, a global professional women’s leadership organization and is the founder of Prabhat, a nonprofit aimed at providing educational opportunities to the underprivileged.
We asked Ms. Jain about her daughters’ involvement with Camp as well as her current career endeavors.
1) What do you think is the biggest lesson or takeaway you (or in your case, your daughters) learned from Rising Sun?
Witnessing the emotional and intellectual growth of my two daughters who attended CRS over the last five years. They both came back with an intense awareness of global issues and a highly developed ethical sense of responsibility towards addressing them.
2) Can you tell us more about the work you do with your organization, Prabhat?
I am the founding member of Prabhat (prabhat.org) a non-profit dedicated to educating the underprivileged children in India and the US. Founded in 2010, Prabhat has created a network of partners and non-profit educational organizations and effectively connected donors with recipients. As a board member, I am actively involved in all aspects of strategy and planning, organizing fund raising events, vetting out partners and recipients, ensuring appropriate use of funds, and communications.
3) If you had one piece of advice to offer young men and women who are still in high school, college, or the early stages of their career, what would it be?
Life is a marathon and not a sprint. A bad grade, being passed over for a cherished job, or getting that coveted promotion does not define who you are now or what you will become in the future. Take these bumps or successes in the journey as an opportunity to learn from and grow. Celebrate your successes and dig down deep to find the strength to overcome setbacks.
Be curious, discover what you value, work hard to achieve your goals, and learn to adapt. Above all, don't forget to enjoy the journey - you have only one life to live!