“I’ve basically had the opportunity to turn my position into a whole different career… I've been given challenges that I've had to stretch for.”
Annika Dukes didn't know that she had spent her whole life collecting the skills to be a Marketing Director for an architecture firm. As a kid, she built houses with LEGOs; in college, she edited the school newspaper; early in her career, she managed classified advertising for the East Bay Express. So, you need great writing delivered on deadline with eagle-eye proofreading? Annika’s the woman for the job.
But, she won’t do it for just anyone. “It comes back to believing in the mission, believing that our projects make a difference,” she says. She loves visiting the El Cerrito Recycling Center or the Los Gatos Library and seeing the community using and enjoying Noll & Tam's buildings.
Annika is a big fan of women’s college basketball, having played college ball herself. Meeting Stanford standout and Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Azzi at a networking event was a thrill for her. The colorful photo series of the lunches she packs for her son gets great engagement on Facebook – proof of her belief that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.