Jill Hatcher
Project Scheduler
Jill Hatcher, Project Scheduler at Miko Group, Inc., had big dreams which didn’t include marriage or kids. Her dreams, however, did include becoming an attorney and driving a corvette. But, alas, life gets in the way of the most perfect of plans. One month after graduating from Baylor University in 1994, Jill met and married Kirk, her husband of 16 years.
When asked, “Tell something about yourself that would surprise your Miko family,” Jill replies, “There’s nothing to tell. I’m pretty boring.” Although Jill drives a minivan and not a corvette, her life is far from boring. Jill probably gets all the excitement she can handle when faced with proposal deadlines and the ever-changing needs of her customers. And if her job at Miko wasn’t exciting enough, Jill is also the mother of three highly-energetic boys, Britton, age 14, Caeden, age 11, and Dylan, age 7.
Jill makes people laugh and brings her lighthearted humor into most situations. Her coworkers seem to agree. “Even when it’s something bad, Jill has a way of turning it around and finding the humor,” says Sheila Robertson, Project Associate at Miko Group.
It’s not uncommon to hear her infectious laugh throughout the office. “I’m Lucy and Ethel all rolled into one,” Jill says about her reputation. She seems to think her kinship with the famous comedic duo has more to do with being a klutz and less to do with being funny. She recalled the first kick-off meeting she attended where she dropped her work-issued laptop just as she was meeting Miko president, Mark Morton, and vice president, Brook Muldrow, at the airport. “I’m sure Mark had a great opinion of me!” laughs Jill.
Jill joined the team in 2009 as a part time support staff employee. Her background with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in Houston was a nice fit with Miko Group. Jill enjoyed her job with TEA but was delighted when Kirk was offered the job as Student Minister at the First Baptist Church in Norman. The move brought a lot of changes for Jill, especially the opportunity to spend more time with her children. After being in Norman for about a year, Jill felt the urge to start back to work, but only part time. Her part time tenure lasted about six weeks as it became obvious to Miko management that Jill’s skill set was needed on a full time basis.
Even with her job responsibilities, Jill makes time for her church and family. She and Kirk host youth get-togethers in their home twice a week and also work on Sundays at the church with a large group of about 100 youth members and on Wednesday evenings with a smaller group. In addition to all she does for her church, she still makes time to mentor an individual child once a week.
Jill is at home with her Miko family and is appreciative of the kind of flexibility she is afforded as a working mother. “I think for me the best thing about working with Miko is flexibility with my schedule. It’s nice if I have to go take care of something I don’t feel like someone is counting my time and that they (Miko) know they can count on me.”
Between work, family, and church obligations, Jill seldom finds “free time.” However, if she does get time alone, Jill most likely will be reading. A self-described, “bulimic reader,” she will plow through a book, often in a single setting, and everyone should leave her alone.
Over the last year Jill has traveled extensively for Miko Group. She remembers her father traveling when she was a child growing up in Texas. “He traveled a lot, but we never got to go with him,” reflects Jill. “I didn’t travel until I was a sophomore in college at Baylor. I went to Thailand!” Since her trip to Thailand, Jill caught the travel bug. She doesn’t complain, though, that her job with Miko has put her on the road. “I travel more, but the kids have more opportunities to travel, too.” Jill’s parents and husband have traveled with her from Anaheim to Washington, DC to accompany her children and bring a little bit of home along.
When Jill has a break from work and from her duties as a mother, she and her husband take their vacation time and hit the road and head to Peru. Jill and Kirk volunteer in a medical clinic for Operacion De San Andres (OSA), a nonprofit which runs a community house in a Periviun village that feeds and educates children year round. During the two weeks the clinic is open, villagers have access to medications, pediatricians, general practitioners, gynecologists, cardiologists, and dentists, serving approximately 1500 people each week. “People will line up for hours before we get there,” said Jill. For the villagers the wait is nothing compared to the benefits they receive. She described a woman who had recently learned to knit, but was having a difficult time seeing. “She got new glasses, put them on, and just started knitting!” In addition to the medical attention administered, villagers are taught business and skills training such as sewing or making jewelry.
Mark Morton, reflecting on Jill’s efforts, says, “Jill takes seriously her contributions to Miko Group and our customers, her responsibilities to her church, and the never ending demands of being a wife and mother. However, she doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously. Perhaps that is the secret to her success! She is a role model for everyone here, including me.”