Christine Vaughan finds success in project management

Christine Vaughan is the marketing projects and event manager for a start-up with a small team and limited resources. In order to grow, the organization needed to implement more processes and structure. Vaughan was in a position to lead the charge.

Vaughan’s supervisor worked with her to determine that project management training could help provide Vaughan with tools and knowledge necessary to put more structure in place in their organization.

When searching for project management programs, Vaughan sought a program that included practical application from a reputable organization.

“What attracted me to UofL is that I could come in and do an actual course, meet new people, and have practical application and experience…I’ve been through some other courses with UofL and I appreciated the content so I decided that this was the best place for me,” she shared.

Since earning her certificate from UofL, Vaughan has begun to implement a new system at Insider Louisville that will streamline the way the organization approaches planning work.

This program gave me the tools to be able to say, ‘This is the project that needs to take priority, this is the date we go live. Are we on schedule with our developers and our vendors?’ Implementing these project management processes has really helped the organization run more smoothly,”

Christine Vaughan
Project Management Certificate Holder
Co-Owner at C-Squared Events and Marketing

Project managers who become certified not only become more marketable, they may also see a financial benefit. According to the Project Management Institute® (PMI), adding a PMP® credential to your resume can result in a 20 percent higher salary than non-certified peers.

Vaughan hopes to work towards her PMP® certification in the future. “With this program, I felt like I gained practical knowledge, things I can use, things that can help me get, my certification by taking the PMP® test,” she said.

“Our class has continued to talk; we text back and forth,” Vaughan said. “If I have a question, I know there are people I can reach out to. They’re learning at the same time I am but have different experiences, so we’re able to help each other.”

“If I have a question, I know there are people I can reach out to. They’re learning at the same time I am but have different experiences, so we’re able to help each other.”

The Practical Application seminar focuses heavily on real-world project management problems. Participants are put into groups and are tasked with solving problems and implementing real projects.

“One of the greatest values was the networking that happens while you’re in the class. When you get put in groups with other people from different backgrounds who are from various environments, you begin to learn and understand how people do things. You can capture that knowledge and take it back and utilize it in projects you have in your organization,” Pait said.

Perhaps the most valuable benefit of the program is that it enables participants to learn from one another’s experiences and to test out solutions.

“To be taught something, try it out, and the next week to come in and say ‘that worked’ or ‘that didn’t work’ and to have real time to discuss and learn about it instead of just getting a certification and figuring it out as you go, was really valuable,” Vaughan explained.

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