Spotlight

Always Game for a New Challenge

Margaret Walthall has no intention of slowing down.

A lifelong Marylander, Margaret enjoys keeping a full schedule. When she’s not busy adding her expertise to the robust consulting services at CI International, she’s spending time by the ocean, enjoying the outdoors, or cheering on Washington sports teams. She’s also actively involved in the day-to-day lives of her two grandchildren and spends time volunteering with organizations in her area.”My husband is retired, but even when I have two weeks off from work, I keep thinking ‘I’ve got to do something’ which tells me I’m not ready to retire,” she said.

Margaret’s active lifestyle shows up in her professional life too, serving as an adjunct human resource management professor with the University of Maryland Global Campus. Her natural desire to take on new challenges is part of what makes Margaret such an important member of the CI International team.

Raised in Public Service

Fancy Mills grew up with a deep understanding of what it means to serve.

Her mother was a thirty-year veteran schoolteacher and as the daughter of an Air Force Commander and pilot, granddaughter of an Army pilot, sister of an Air Force reservist, and wife of a Naval soldier, Fancy’s family has shown the willingness to set themselves aside and serve their country.
“My entire life, I’ve been surrounded by people who take service really seriously, which has also impacted my choice of career,” Fancy said.

Military life, Fancy said, also contributed to her having a close-knit family and played a major role in the level of confidence she brings to her career.

“My early life helped me build a lot of confidence. We moved quite frequently, so I had to go to new schools and make new friends quickly. This led directly into my career because my entire career I’ve had to walk into rooms and establish credibility quickly.”

“Running fast and holding hands…”

Heath Harding has spent his entire professional career shaping, developing, and guiding leaders to reach their full potential and impact. While today you can usually find him outside hiking in the mountains around his Colorado home or walking his dog, his passion for developing and teaching leadership skills has its roots in his rural Midwest upbringing.

“I grew up in a rural community in Kansas where people helped each other with a cup of sugar, sharing farm implements, and fixing a fence,” he said. “Community services has been a part of my life since the beginning.”

Beginning at his alma mater, Kansas State University, Heath spent the first several years of his professional life working in academia at multiple universities as a lecturer and leadership program director.

It was during his time in Manhattan, Kansas that his leadership philosophy first took shape. Working as an assistant director of the school’s leadership program, Heath heard the program director describe their rapid growth by saying, “We were running fast and holding hands.”

“That has become a mantra since then. It’s not if you stumble but when you stumble, you don’t face plant in the dirt because someone is on either side of you carrying you in that moment,” Heath said.