About Lenni Moore

From Humble Beginnings to a Rewarding Career, Thanks to a Little Humor, Grace, and Grit

Not unlike many others before me, I had zero idea what I wanted to major in when I set off to college. I cataloged my strengths and interests, eliminated the ones for which there were no degrees offered, and looked at what remained. In that moment, an English major was born! 

After college, I thought I'd leverage my dry wit and ability to turn a phrase into a career in advertising, but it was not to be. Entry-level jobs at the big agencies back then were rites of passage that paid almost nothing in return for the opportunity to get a foot in the door. While I’ve always had a loving family, they could not support me financially. I put myself through college, and then I had to forge my own path in a new city (Chicago) after graduating, so accepting an underpaid position for the sake of networking wasn’t an option. (You approach life a little differently when you don’t have a safety net!) 

I wasn’t raised to complain or blame, though, and I attribute much of my success to my deep faith. It has always allowed me to overcome whatever life has thrown my way personally and professionally. (And I’ve never believed in giving up or quitting at anything.)

So armed with an English degree, I accepted a less glamorous role at a less glamorous agency that specialized in credit card advertising. It was inherently dull work, but it paid the bills. It also allowed me to get established in Chicago and to try my hand writing copy for some of the smaller clients that had nothing to do with credit cards. Since upward mobility wasn’t really an option, though, I was always on the lookout for my next opportunity. 

When a recruiter called to see if I’d be interested in joining a market research company in the Hancock building, I didn’t have to think twice. My new role was in the qualitative team at Conway/Milliken & Associates, a full-service market research company. 

I worked my way up from executive assistant to project manager. As a project manager, I was responsible for scoping and managing qualitative projects. I also did some focus group moderation. I spent four enjoyable years there before moving to Atlanta as a newlywed. 

Next up for me was a stint on the client side of things in the marketing department of a software company. While working there, I conceived of and researched a pre-employment assessment product to add to our suite in order to meet the needs of the Call Center market. I led the efforts to bring that product to market, and the first year sales exceeded $800,000.

Then I took some time off because my kids were little. I’ll admit that rejoining the workforce after six years away was definitely challenging. I wouldn’t trade a minute of the time I was so fortunate to have with my kids, but it was hard to get back in the saddle. I felt like everything had moved forward without me, and I wasn’t up-to-date on the latest and greatest research trends. 

My return to the workforce also coincided with my transition from the qualitative side of things to quantitative research, so I had even more new ground to cover. It felt a lot like I was starting over, and I had to re-prove myself to my employer despite my prior experience. 

The Infosurv team welcomed me with open arms, though, and other than a one-year hiatus when I left to work at Millward Brown, I've been with Infosurv (and now Savanta) for the past 15 years. My favorite part of the work is helping clients articulate their needs, digging into their problems, and getting them answers. I also enjoy building rapport and getting to know my individual clients as people. It makes being of service and doing something really well that much more satisfying.

I’ve also enjoyed fostering strong relationships with my colleagues. Over the course of my career, I’ve had more than a few difficult managers. Navigating their volatile personalities was challenging at the time, but I was able to learn and grow from those interactions. I gained a lot of grace and professionalism along the way, and I ultimately think seeing their managerial styles shaped me into the kind of leader I knew I wanted to be. 

If you want to learn more, connect with me on LinkedIn or feel free to reach out!