ALUMNI IN ACTION

Cindy Trimp, Helena, Class of 2018
Interviewed by Noah Davis, Lewistown, Class of 2020

Cindy Trimp was raised in Helena MT, then married into the Air Force and has been all over the world with her husband and two kids. Her husband is now retired from the Air Force and they relocated back to Helena. Cindy’s kids are 24 and 28 years old and she is a proud grandparent. She has worked in the financial and budget realm of state government for 14 years. She was at the Department of Revenue, but now she is now with the Department of Agriculture.

One of the greatest memories that Cindy has of Leadership Montana was the trip to Sidney. She really enjoyed seeing the other side of the state. Another great memory was the Bozeman exercise of “Walk a mile”. She said “it is eye opening, to see that everyone has something they carry around.”

Professionally, Leadership Montana has impacted her by reminding herself about Gracious Space. Everyone handles stressors differently and we need to consider this first. We need to be present and invite the stranger into our conversations and work we do. On a personal level, she has described to her daughter and husband, that Leadership MT is the gift that keeps on giving with the teachings that have been learned and applied both professionally and personally.

Cindy sees the role of Leadership Montana in our state as a chance to serve. Whether that is on a local board or anything tied to LMT. She asks herself, what can she do locally to help and serve, and that she would NEVER turn down an opportunity to serve Leadership Montana!

The thing that Cindy says she appreciates most is that while she traveled with her class, she gained a deeper appreciation for Montanans. She was reminded of the small businesses that work hard and have such an entrepreneurial spirit. She said “Ma and Pa businesses need our support, certainly now more than ever.”

Cindy’s biggest takeaway is that she was reminded that everyone has a story. Everyday we need to be reminded that we don’t know what people are going through. We might need to take a different perspective to understand. “We don’t know what we don’t know”.