While Tricia Sistrunk reports her career path as “winding,” to an outsider it appears every stop has led not only to her own professional development but also to the improvement of the people she has met and lives she has touched along the way.
Originally from Ohio, Tricia considers herself a North Carolinian now that she has lived here for 28 years. “After getting my undergraduate degree in finance at Ohio State University, I left for Wake Forest School of Law and never made my way back to Ohio,” she notes. Tricia met her husband in law school and they settled in Charlotte in 1997.
Tricia initially started her law career as an Assistant District Attorney. Tricia believes, “it was the job that I was most afraid of, but it taught me so much about human nature and the value of thinking through things from different perspectives.” After the DA’s office, she left the criminal courtroom behind and decided to give the corporate world a try. She worked as Corporate Counsel for a mid-sized national company that was headquartered in Charlotte. “The learning curve was steep but making that career transition gave me confidence in knowing that I can learn new things and I shouldn’t let my fear of failure get in the way,” she states.
Her next move was to take a career break and stay home with her first-born son, who is now 18. That turned into staying home with her second, now 16-year-old son, and her third, now 12-year-old daughter. “My break ended up being 14 years. But, that break gave me the opportunity to volunteer for Urban Ministry Center (now Roof Above) and serve on the founding board for a nonprofit organization called The Lunch Project,” Tricia says. In 2017, she became the Executive Director for The Lunch Project, which provides funding for community-run lunch programs in primary schools just outside of Arusha, Tanzania. “My work in Tanzania has been such a blessing to me and my family and has broadened my understanding of what it means to be in community with one another, both locally and globally,” she shares. The Lunch Project recently merged with Thrive Global Project and Tricia is thrilled to continue serving TLP as a member of Thrive’s Board of Advisors.
Currently, Tricia continues “to try and figure out what I want to do when I grow up!” Recently, she has been doing some contract work for The Foundation For The Carolinas and volunteering as a reading tutor for Augustine Literacy Project.
During her free time, Tricia enjoys reading, writing, taking her Labradoodles for walks, and watching a good series on TV with her family (Ted Lasso is one of their favorites!). She also loves to travel and has had some wonderful family adventures hiking, skiing, and on safari.
Tricia joined WIF in 2019 thanks to her friend and “WIF member extraordinaire,” Anne Essaye. This is her third year on the Human Services Grants Committee, which she reports has been an incredible experience. “Serving on the grants committee has broadened my awareness of local organizations and the people behind those organizations who are doing such meaningful and challenging work to support those in need in our community,” says Tricia. Reflecting on the last few years, Tricia is filled with gratitude for the WIF leadership and committee chairs, who have been amazing throughout the pandemic. She says, “During these difficult and polarizing times, WIF has been steady in their leadership and made sure that we continue to support the meaningful and much-needed work in our community. I am so grateful to be part of this compassionate and inspiring group of women.”
To see Tricia’s leadership in action and learn more about Thrive Global Project and The Lunch Program, visit https://thriveglobalproject.org/what-we-do/our-programs/the-lunch-project/
