Pinnacle Prevention Littles: How our family-friendly work culture helps us thrive

​Here at Pinnacle Prevention, we’re dedicated to growing healthy families and communities, and we recognize that change starts at home. Our team of registered dietitians, researchers and social scientists practice what we preach, and that means supporting our working moms in every way we can.
 
We value families and mothers, and strive to put these values into practice every day. We encourage our new moms to bring their babies to the office and to meetings, and we foster healthy work-life balance with flexible scheduling. Our Pinnacle Prevention littles tag along to help at markets, and we encourage them to get involved in our projects. One of the best ways we know how to support the moms at Pinnacle Prevention is by helping them support their families. 

​We truly believe that working moms should be empowered to thrive at work, without having to compromise time looking for childcare, or worry about needing to pick up a sick child from school. For many on our team, becoming a mother has deepened commitment to our vision and mission at Pinnacle Prevention. Our policies relieve stress, foster community, and ultimately help each member of our team thrive at work. That makes our approach to mothers in the workplace a win for families, and a win for our organization. 

“It has truly been a gift and a privilege to work for Pinnacle Prevention while being a mother of two young children. Adrienne Udarbe, our Executive Director, is incredibly supportive of working with our young children. You’ll often find little ones playing at our feet at one of our team meetings that is held at one of our child-friendly homes. We find ways to expose the older children to work opportunities and help them explore career options. We welcome new babies with open arms to our organization and support the transition of becoming a mother or growing your family. Personally, I have been able to explore and test how to best juggle the work/life balance for me. It isn’t always easy. To be able to work at a place that allows and encourages you to prioritize your family and your family’s needs while staying accountable to the work is truly a gift. I wish we had more family-friendly organizations like Pinnacle Prevention. I find myself a much more satisfied and productive professional and mother working in this organization.”

• Cynthia Melde, MS, Project Manager

“I am able to work part time from home so I can spend more time with my son in these early critical years. I was able to breastfeed until my son was 2 ½ with my flexible work schedule. I can bring him to meetings with me when it is appropriate, hold meetings electronically when appropriate, and schedule travel around what works for my family, including bringing my family with me at times. I have flexibility with my work hours so I can work on weekends or evenings after bedtime. When my new baby arrives in June and I am ready to come back to work I will be encouraged to bring my baby with me to all meetings, trainings and work events as long as it is working for me and the rest of the Pinnacle Prevention team. This will allow me to breastfeed more easily and have precious bonding time with my new little one. My son and baby to be are part of the Pinnacle Prevention team and the support I get allows me to be a better mom and a better employee.”

• Kathleen Carson, MSCA, RDN, Project Manager and Evaluator

“I couldn’t even tell you how stressful it used to be when my kids got sick, or I needed to pick them up if something happened -- the panic I would experience in figuring out how I was going to leave work, or how I was going to make it up. This is a place that honors and understands that balance, so I have flexibility that works for both me and my family. That has been the biggest gift for our family. When I’m stressed out, my kids can feel it. I wish more companies in all professions realized that their employees’ kids are going to get sick, and having the openness to go take care of them without compromise is very empowering.

Every woman I work with supports me as a mom, I think about them as more than colleagues. When either of us have a really hard day, that support and understanding is so critical. I don’t think you can be a mom and get through those days where you question yourself without the support from the women around you. They are my village.”

• Jaclyn Chamberlain, MPH, RDN, CSP, Project Manager

“My littles aren’t as ‘little’ as our others, but they are why Pinnacle Prevention exists. Everything I do is inspired by a better future for them and a firm belief that all children deserve a healthy wholesome world to grow up in. I love that Lilli now works for Pinnacle – sometimes as childcare support for our other Pinnacle littles, and other times out in the field. I love that Kai has established his “office” right by mine and reminds me when it’s time to take a break. I love when Cynthia’s little Lucy leaves me notes in the office. I love when Kathleen’s little Gunnar colors pictures of his perception of what we are talking about during our meetings. I love how Jaclyn’s little Maelyn is so serious about her role as note-taker during our lunch meetings. I love how Kate’s little Maeve confidently serves as our CIO and apparently finds me so boring that I put her to sleep every time I hold her. I love how at our holiday lunch celebration all of the littles took up shop under the table at the restaurant and I could hear them laughing as they grabbed my feet. I love watching them all follow Cynthia around like little ducklings as she guides them off to play. I love watching my brilliant colleagues thrive as mothers as we all fumble our way through motherhood and life.”

• Adrienne Udarbe, Executive Director ​

Working at Pinnacle Prevention is being part of a village where the team is always there to lift each other up, both professionally and as parents. We know our organization is onto something. There are 25 million working moms with children under 18 in the United States, and their success in the workplace is essential to the success of business, and ultimately the entire economy.
 
A mother’s work is never done. At Pinnacle Prevention, we strive to foster a community that values everything from our precious little ones, mom’s time, as well as her knowledge. We share the lessons we’ve learned along the way with one another. After all, mother knows best!