Ann-Marie Glanville
Administrative Assistant
Member Services ­Department

What are the three job elements you focus on the most (your primary responsibilities)?

These are my top three responsibilities:

Customer service. APTA cares about its members and I represent APTA whenever I’m in direct contact with the members. I want to provide the best service possible, whether I’m walking members through website functions or staying on the phone until the APTA staff person they’re trying to reach picks up. I do these little things to let our members know that they’re valuable to us. Also, it’s rewarding to me personally to just be kind.

Accurate data entry. APTA and its members rely on data we collect from our vendors and members for mailings, reports, statistics, and basic website functions. So it is important to gather and input accurate information.

Being a team player. I truly enjoy helping others, so I try whenever possible to help my colleagues whenever I can. This is a vital part of being a part of the support staff.

Do you have direct contact with APTA members? If so, please talk about recent times you’ve helped out a member.

Yes, I help members with website login, the online member directory, demographics data entry, dues invoices, and virtually anything else they require. If I don’t have the answers, I try my best to direct them to the people who do.

For example, I spoke with a member from England who told me interesting things about public transit there and the culture. I found it fascinating—and also his accent was very charming.

What initiatives, projects, or programs have you worked on at APTA that you have taken particular pride in completing?
 
I’m proud of handling registration and some of the seating coordination for the tribute to former APTA President Bill Millar at the 2011 Annual Meeting & EXPO in New Orleans. It was an honor to have been a part of that, and it was a pleasure to be able to attend and assist my fellow colleagues. I also assisted with onsite registration for the Bus Technical, Maintenance & Procurement Workshop.

How did you land at APTA? How long have you worked here?

This job was one of many I applied for online. I’ve been working here for two years now, three years in February.

What do you like most about working at APTA?

I really enjoy the diversity of the office. I learn so much from everyone. I also enjoy interacting with our members and listening to their wealth of knowledge about the industry. By working in different departments, I get to learn about the main focus of each one and how it relates to APTA as a whole.

I also find out how information from one department can help in another. This information really helps me to direct our members to the right person.

I really enjoy a challenging project that allows me to test my clerical and critical thinking abilities. I learn more about myself, who I am, and what I can do. I often surprise myself!

Have you held other jobs in the public transportation industry (besides working at APTA)?

No, but I’m not new to associations. I was membership coordinator for the American College of Nurse Midwives and before that I was the membership administrator for the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists/Screen Actors Guild. At AFTRA/SAG I told members how to join, processed and mailed dues, maintained contact with the Los Angeles and New York offices, coordinated new member seminars, and many other duties.

What professional ­affiliations do you have?

I’m registered with the ­American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

Could you tell us something about yourself that might surprise us?

I’m a certified X-ray technician.

I enjoy reading, writing poetry, singing, watching movies, and my guilty pleasure is watching Faceoff and Project Runway. My favorite book is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I love a good romance.

I’d also like to share a poem I wrote about the importance of public transportation:

People, caretakers of the earth, hear our call
Together we can aid mother earth to take care of us all
Minimizing pollution and slowing resource consumption
A few of the benefits of taking public transportation
We have buses, trains and even bikes we can share
All to show the earth we care
So, save your gas and pay your fare
Join APTA and let public transportation take you there.

Make sure you see Ann-Marie Glanville's video, now that you've read this!