Gregorio makes history as 1st AP employee in Indy Area Program
On-Site Manager selected for Axis Leadership program in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Brenda Gregorio, On-Site Manager in Speedway, IN, has made history in Accurate Personnel’s Indianapolis office, as she was selected as the company’s first member of the Axis Leadership Program last month.
The program, administered by the Indiana Latino Expo, is an 8-month initiative that promotes growth and development for upcoming professionals throughout the local community.
Gregorio, 28, grew up in Indiana, but originally immigrated to the United States from Mexico. She believes the time is right for this step in her career. Axis is intended for individuals between the ages of 21 and 28, so the stars aligned perfectly for her to take part in the initiative prior to her upcoming birthday in August.
“Virginia always tells me, ‘you need to do something for leadership’,” said a beaming Gregorio, referring to Virginia Medrano, Regional Director overseeing the Indianapolis area for Accurate. “She's always pushing me. So when I saw that? I was like, ‘that's a good opportunity for me to take advantage of’.”
Established by Joe Hogsett, the mayor of the city of Indianapolis, this initiative is designed to help address what has been described as “a significant lack of Latino leadership” within the Indianapolis region.
“I think that it's crucial to get that mentality that you need to work, but also you need to invest in yourself,” said Medrano, a Latin American immigrant herself, citing an emphasis she feels is often found within Latin American families.
“One of the big things that we promote is investing in yourself, taking classes, getting to those networking events, and actually, that's one of the things that I emphasize is that they need to have mentorship,” she added, noting the need for young Latina leaders like Brenda to seek out guidance from within the community.
The program will provide Gregorio with exactly that. She will be paired with a mentor she will meet with monthly. The primary objective will be to help her grow both personally and professionally.
Axis will be a major milestone, but this is an extension of what she has been building towards since joining Accurate as an Account Manager in the spring of 2022.
“Over her tenure here at Accurate, Brenda has demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills and great qualities of an outstanding leader,” remarked Charlei Feineis, Learning & Development Manager at Accurate.
Gregorio was quickly promoted to Senior Account Manager for the Speedway, IN office when the company expanded its footprint in the region in the first half of 2023.
“It was pretty clear that she's a quick learner,” said Nicole McClain, Director of Employee Experience at Accurate Personnel. “She really listens and is eager to learn more.”
She took the step into a management role with her promotion to On-Site Manager last January. At that time, Accurate leadership noted that she had, “exceptional dedication and proficiency in her role,” with the promotion standing as a testament to her hard work and the confidence the company has in her ability to excel in a leadership position.
Gregorio has consistently applied herself when given the opportunity to grow, evidenced by 59 courses she has completed within Accurate University, AP’s internal training system.
“Last fall, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to invite her to attend Accurate's second annual LAUNCH conference in Illinois,” Feineis added, referring to an event that identifies potential leaders within the company. “We got to learn a little more about Brenda and see firsthand that she demonstrates those excellent interpersonal skills.”
“[Brenda has] little brothers and sisters that now she's becoming a mentor for too. She's guiding them,” added Medrano. “I think if you have a mentor? That takes 5 to 10 years out of actually having to [learn] things yourself.”
Gregorio hopes the Axis program will improve her presence while speaking with clients, as well as with networking.
“I'm in front of clients and I have to talk outside of my comfort zone,” said Gregorio. “I don't really know sometimes how to talk [to clients] and so this is going to help me a lot with that.”
Per the Indiana Latino Expo website, participants are carefully selected through a competitive process that considers their community engagement, personal aspirations, and accomplishments.
“I told them I want to run my branch,” Gregorio added with a grin, reflecting on the goals she mentioned in her application to the program board. “Virginia is a big example for me because I see all her potential and the way she talks and all the knowledge that she has.”
“They also requested a few questions, like ‘what core values or goals that you might have’,” Gregorio continued. “We had to put them in a paragraph just to say a little bit more about me personally and also about the career path I am on now.”
Medrano views Gregorio as a key piece to the future of the Indianapolis region for Accurate. She believes that her young protege can take on these challenges in the year ahead and step into the role of Assistant Manager in the short term future, with the hope that leadership courses and programs like Axis can accelerate that development.
“She's required to come back after her classes and present [what she learned] at our staff meeting,” said Medrano, speaking to the standard she holds Gregorio to. “That's working on her communication skills. That's working on her presentation skills as well.”
As she embarks on this journey of personal and professional development, Gregorio takes immense pride in meeting that very standard.
“Virginia always says when we have our meetings, ‘Brenda is joining this’ or she's always praising me,” said Gregorio. “So, it feels nice that she recognized that. And everywhere we go, ‘Oh, she's in this leadership program.’ It feels nice. And I feel like it's really going to help.”
As Gregorio continues to make history for Accurate Personnel, Medrano is quick to acknowledge just how excited she is for the next generation.
“I'm extremely proud of her because she came from a long road,” said Medrano. “So I think for her to take this next step and take time out of her schedule to invest in herself is just priceless.”
