Episode #5
Season 3 Episode 5: Building the Career You Want with guest Lily Uranga
What does it actually take to go from student to supervisor in the 9-1-1 industry? In this episode of the CommsCoach Podcast, host Lori Henricksen sits down with Lily Uranga, a fire communications supervisor whose career she has watched unfold since Lily was a student in the emergency telecommunications program at Veterans Tribute Career and Technical Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lily's path into dispatch was not a straight line. She spent time in the hospitality industry before returning to 9-1-1 nearly a decade ago, starting as a frontline communication specialist, advancing to shift supervisor, and now serving as a fire communications supervisor. Her story is a case study in what it looks like to prepare for opportunities before they open, rather than waiting for them to arrive. In this conversation, Lily and Lori talk through: Why professional development has to start long before a promotion is available, including Lily's decision to finish her bachelor's degree even though it is not required for her current role How attending her first NENA Navigator conference in 2018 reshaped her understanding of how different 9-1-1 centers operate, and why "if you've seen one comm center, you've seen one comm center" What it meant to return to her old classroom as a volunteer instructor and mentor for the next generation of telecommunicators The difference between the skills that make someone a strong call taker and the skills that make someone a strong supervisor Why reputation and professionalism start on day one of a career, not the day an interview is scheduled Her honest answer to the question every aspiring supervisor asks: how do you know when you are ready? This episode is for telecommunicators, CTOs, and supervisors who are thinking about what comes next in their own careers, and for center leadership looking for language to support the next generation of leaders coming up through the ranks. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the CommsCoach Podcast and share it with a colleague. To suggest a topic or be a guest on an upcoming episode, email Lori at lori@commscoach.com or lori@govworx.com . Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/comms-coach-podcast/
