Employee Spotlight: Akeba Gaddis
Where do you live and where do you grow up?
I'm an Airforce brat, so I was born in Texas; then, we moved to Okinawa, Japan, where my parents decided to immerse us in other Asian cultures by taking family trips to mainland Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea. And then we moved to Minot, North Dakota. It may sound like an unfortunate assignment, but snow forts and ice skating on frozen ponds entertained me through the long winter months.
When did you join Dignari?
November 2022.
What drew you to work at Dignari? Is there a cultural attribute that you think makes Dignari unique?
The fact that Dignari is a woman-owned company with several women in leadership roles initially drew me to Dignari.
What do you love about your job?
What I love most about my job is the people I work with. I am privileged to work alongside smart, emotionally intelligent, hard-working co-workers who help me problem-solve and set me up for success. It is truly a blessing.
What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?
If I had all the time and resources in the world, I'd be writing novels and screenplays, directing my screenplays, running my own TV show, and using the revenue to fund a non-profit that would solve world hunger and stop global warming and climate change.
What do you like doing when you aren’t working?
You'll usually find me deep in my writing projects when I'm not working. Still, to spice things up, I'll usually throw in a dash of gardening and a fist full of outings with my church groups where we hike, take meditative walks at the National Arboretum, go to Nats games, and volunteer at the DC Dream Center.
What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know?
I was a writer for the TV show Hawaii Five-0. It was not as glamorous as it sounds. It's a long story best told over drinks at happy hour, but just to give you a taste, a Vanity Fair journalist called me during the pandemic and said she was doing an exposé on the show's work environment and was told she should talk to me.
Where’s your favorite place in the world?
I'm not sure yet. I haven't been to every corner of the world, so I can't make that call yet.
What is on your bucket list?
Traveling to Africa and Antarctica is on my bucket list. I've been to 5 of 7 continents and want to travel to all 7, though I'm not looking forward to Antarctica. That might need to be a drive-by via a nice comfy cruise.
Do you have a motto or personal mantra?
"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." Romans 12:2. I am fascinated by the mind and psychology and why people do what they do. I'm always working toward understanding my emotional and mental health so I can be the best version of myself, which helps me write layered characters for my stories.
