Kaite Anderson is currently the Community Cultivator here at Cowork Frederick. Her ultimate goal is to create incredibly rich “soil” in which authentic connections can grow within our member community – whether social, professional, or both! That can look like organizing events, learning “tidbits” about people and introducing them to someone else with a similar “tidbit”, celebrating member achievements, or even something as small as serving snacks to encourage healthy lifestyle choices.
Her professional background is in ecology and wildlife conservation. She spent 5 years as a field biologist, studying state-endangered Northern Map Turtles. That led to 11 years as a biology adjunct professor. While teaching, she supplemented her income as a river guide half of the year and a snowboarding instructor the other half. Her final stop before Cowork Frederick was at a nonprofit where she was the program director for two outdoor programs – one a traditional summer camp; the other an immersive program about world hunger/poverty awareness.
Extracurriculars
When she’s not caring for the members of Cowork Frederick or her church community at Collective Church Frederick, Kaite can be found reading Fantasy and Mystery/Thriller novels, spending quality time with her husband, or making plans with a large circle of friends. The more of these activities that can be outside, the better! She loves to learn, to teach, and to play. Give her a kayak and some water, and she’s a happy woman.
Why we love Kaite
Kaite ended her first day as an employee by joining a group of members for Trivia Night at Frederick Social. I knew right then she was going to work out. She puts a ton of heart into her role at Cowork Frederick. But, more than that, she authentically cares about each and every person here. I often see her deep in conversation with others or mentioning something in passing that shows she has taken the time to really know what’s going on in people’s lives. I’ve lost count of how many times people have mentioned the “fresh, new energy”, the “kind attention”, or “genuine care” Kaite brings to our community, or affirmed the decision we made last March with, “I’m so glad you hired Kaite. She’s perfect.”
Q&A with Kaite
Cowork Frederick members are each rebels in their own way. Thinking about how you approach your life or career, what makes you unique?
I experience a weird combination of go-with-the-flow and desperate-for-structure in my life! I’ve found that I can easily adjust to a change in plans when the situation is out of my control; but I tend to thrive within a routine. Eventually, I grow eager for change and growth. As a result, my career path has been very fluid; I picture a complex Venn Diagram with a certain skill set in the middle. I’ve taken skills from each position and applied them in a new context with each additional role I’ve taken: Ecology field work, to teaching biology, to teaching physical skills, to combining all former skills at the nonprofit, and finally ending up at Cowork with decades of focusing on people under my belt.
Which of the guiding values defined by Cowork Frederick members speaks to you?
After balance, I would say Authenticity is most important to me. I seek out true, genuine connection, which is a scary thing for a human. There is a level of honesty and openness that can safely be given to anyone without taking a personal risk. I’ve found that stepping beyond that surface-level encounter is where real community lies. I can’t ask someone to be open and transparent with me without being willing to do it myself. I’ve learned through trial-and-error that the risk of being authentic first in an interaction is always worth it.
Who/What inspires you and keeps you going?
My faith is the most important thing in my life – all of the other pieces are influenced by my relationship with Jesus. My husband and I are deeply involved in our church community, where tangibly caring for the City of Frederick is a priority. I’m in several leadership roles there in my spare time. My favorite is working with the teenagers! But I also love getting to do the morning announcements from stage! I feel like I’m doing something that is actively making a difference.
Any tips or lessons learned you want to share with others?
When I worked for the nonprofit, I let the fact that I was doing good work and making a difference compromise my work-life boundaries. When you find yourself in a role like this – one where you’re “making a difference”, etc. – it’s so easy to push yourself past your capacity to accomplish the mission. I ended up completely burnt out and overextended. Create strong boundaries for yourself and a form of accountability. You can’t carry out Vision if you can’t function!
Why Cowork Frederick?
{Ha ha – perhaps a loaded question for a Cowork Frederick team member! Not surprisingly, she nailed it!}
I care very much about people. Everyone deserves genuine connection, chances for growth, and a safe landing place. So many people don’t have access to some or all of those things. Each person has inherent value, along with gifts, talents, and their own uniqueness to bring to the table. I get to be included in helping to provide literal and figurative space for that here.
Burnout recovery and work-life balance is what brought me here, but the people in this community are what make my day. There is so much creativity, drive, and knowledge within the membership. As someone with more of an academic background, I’m learning so much about the world of business.
For those who want to learn more, how can you be reached?