Let the records state (journalism pun intended), our whole team agrees Alexis Williams is a badass. Consider her career at POLITICO where she serves as Vice President and General Manager of POLITICO Live or the fact that she got her MBA at Johns Hopkins University—while still working—all at just 31 years old. Her tenacity to do—and do well—has pushed her to reinvent herself and expand her horizons almost constantly.

Williams weaves her innate desire to bring people together into every aspect of her life. As a leader in the office, she cites learning from other women as a key component of her success. In her own role, she brings career women together to uplift and learn from one another, all while coordinating events that help connect idealists, advocates, and journalists.

Here's how an art history major worked her way to VP and GM at POLITICO—where policy, politics, and ideas connect in conversation.

My undergrad degree taught me to look at things through a variety of lenses. There is no one way to assess a situation, come up with ideas, solve a problem—you learn that through studying and discussing elements of a painting, building, sculpture, etc. Art is also a window into the way people thought at a given moment in time. Art history is a snapshot of culture, society, ideals—and learning to look at the world through the lens of how it is translating into people’s actions, politics, decision making is an invaluable skill.

After graduation, I worked at a public policy think tank. I was always fascinated by Washington D.C., and working at a think tank gave me a window into the different players in this town and how they work together. I learned some great work skills, but also spent a lot of time understanding how policy, politics and power dynamics play out in Washington.

On Transitioning to POLITICO

Honestly, I fell into events. It combined several things I was good at, and one thing led to the next. I wish there was something more strategic about it. In terms of POLITICO, my family was in media and it’s a field I’ve always found fascinating, but more importantly, essential to our democracy. Freedom of the press, and a thriving Fourth Estate assures the future of this amazing country we live in. POLITICO embodies a lot of great things—a startup that has reinvented itself several times over to remain relevant, an organization that values integrity and hard work, and a place that invests in the people who are willing to work hard.

POLITICO has grown tremendously as an organization—with coverage across the country and in the EU—the company has allowed me to grow with it. Through hard work, and great advocates, I’ve been able to reinvent my role and expand my horizons, which is an incredible benefit. Also, the people who work here mean a lot to me—our owner and publisher, editor in chief—they are amazing leaders who have taught me so much, and continue to teach me.

On Her Mistakes

Early in my career, I tried to be everything and the truth is, no one can do everything well. I was not being self-aware enough of my skills, and things I’m just not as good at. I felt afraid to admit flaws—but over the years, I’ve learned that if I focus on what I am good at, I can actually empower those around me to take on some of things that I struggle with. In turn, it created leadership opportunities for others on my team—and helped me learn, grow and improve my areas of weakness.

On Women in the Workplace

I feel a responsibility for providing an inclusive workplace, where people feel comfortable and that they can contribute to common and shared goals. My team is led by two women—one who runs the business side, and one who runs our operations—and I always try to encourage them and others on the team to contribute and share. Ultimately, I think the more diverse the viewpoints contributing to a goal or priority, the better. I absolutely feel a responsibility for encouraging more women to grow in their careers—be it advocating for them, amplifying their voices, or sitting back and letting them run.

On Getting Her MBA

I was getting restless at work. I had been at POLITICO for over 3 years, and wanted to expand my horizons. It was around this time that I decided I really liked business and growing businesses, so rather than leaving a company that had taught me so much and given me tremendous opportunities, I decided to attend school part-time and refine the essential business skills I thought I would need as I continued to rise the corporate ladder.

...And On If You Should Get an MBA, Too

I think you must have a very clear idea of what you want out of getting that degree. It’s expensive, and having a masters doesn’t necessarily get you a better job, more pay or more opportunity. Brutal advice, but I knew that the skills I learned in MBA would be fulfilling and beneficial, even if it didn’t mean a raise and promotion at POLITICO. The other thing I would say is that having time in the workforce is important—after graduating, I didn’t think business would be my path—but waiting 5+ years after college to go back part-time was absolutely the right thing. It’s daunting, but I highly recommend part-time programs. It is hard to step out of the workforce. So unless you are looking to a business degree to totally shift careers, there is a real benefit to doing a part-time program while staying at your job—what you learn while you’re in school can be applied the next day at the office.

On What's Next

I hope to help continue the growth of marquee programs like Women Rule, Playbook and other key initiatives for POLITICO. Further, I hope to always play a part in bringing people together to have conversations on important issues—through my work at LIVE, I find we have more in common than can be portrayed—it just takes everyone being willing to come together and have a conversation to see it.