"I had my eye on Heifer as soon as I moved to Little Rock [in 1995]," Pierce said.

Coming from Jonesboro, she'd only heard of Heifer, but the name had stuck with her. Over the years, as she began learning more about the nonprofit and its mission to end hunger and poverty worldwide, she hoped to one day help Heifer accomplish its goal; a goal she believes can and will be achieved.

Pierce acknowledged that she'd been eyeing — and applying for — positions at Heifer for years before securing the PR post.

"I was pleasantly persistent. If you feel you really belong at an organization, be persistent," she said.

Communication seems effortless to Pierce. It appears she was meant for public relations, but she said it wasn't something she imagined for herself when she embarked on her career path.

After spending her first two years of college at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Pierce transferred to Arkansas State University in the fall of 1993 and majored in radio and TV communications with an emphasis in broadcast news; she minored in political science.

An actress and writer, she hoped to combine her creative talents and communication skills as a television reporter, but along the way, things changed.

"Creative people have to create their own opportunities. I honed my skills through sketch comedy and creative writing on my own, for my own satisfaction. Part of that has helped me in the business world. Creativity is a big part of who I am. The jobs that I've found are those where I can have creative freedom," she said.

Working in the White House

In the summer of 1993 before her junior year of college, Pierce was given the opportunity to intern at the White House during the Clinton administration.

Working under Nancy Hernreich in the West Wing, she gained first-hand experience in a high-profile, professional workplace. She assisted with day-to-day operations in the Oval Office, including presidential scheduling, organizing and filing presidential files and planning large-scale special events that received national and international attention.

For the remainder of her college career, Pierce held a variety of jobs: scheduling tennis league games, serving as a traffic manager at a local radio station, working as a loan office in a bank and landing an internship at KATV-Channel 7, the job that brought her from Jonesboro to Little Rock. In all of these jobs, Pierce said there was a common thread that led her to pursue other jobs along her career path.

After graduating from ASU in 1995, Pierce began looking for work. At that time, the Democratic National Committee was funding a home office for President Clinton, and an administrative assistant job had become available. Pierce got the job and worked there for the first four years out of college doing entry-level tasks in the office. As President Clinton's term came to an end, she began asking herself, "What next?"

Because of her passion for the arts, Pierce applied for a position at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. For two-and-a-half years, she worked in the fundraising department assisting with special events and serving as a liaison for the board of directors. During her time at the Rep, she learned various aspects of marketing, which she brought with her to Stone Ward in 2001.

As an account executive for Stone Ward, Pierce was responsible for managing advertising budgets totaling $2.5 million for big-name accounts, including the Arkansas Department of Economic Development and Baptist Health.

"Coming from the Rep and operating on donor dollars, I learned the importance of maximizing your potential impact. It made me conscientious when spending other people's money. You're responsible for getting results," Pierce said.

While she was at Stone Ward, Heifer was growing and looking to fill several key positions.

"I liked the idea of being part of something bigger than myself,” she said. “I'd always been interested in politics and government and in working for an organization that was putting power back into the hands of people."

When the organization needed an additional PR person, Pierce sent in her resume in and was asked to participate in two panel interviews.

"Questions were coming in from different people for an hour,” she said. “You prepare yourself as best as you can. It's important to be yourself. Talk about the work you've done and find out how you can use the job interview to make sure you're a right fit for the job. Sell yourself while being genuine."

“Dream Big”

Pierce is one of two PR specialists at Heifer's headquarters in Little Rock managing public relations projects to generate publicity about Heifer and its mission. Working under Ray White, public information director, creative thought and idea generation are encouraged, she said.

"You come up with a good idea, and you follow it to see where it takes you. You learn in the process to dream big," she said.

Pierce is particularly proud of a CNN piece that aired last September featuring Heifer's role in assisting retired farmers in the Arkansas Delta, specifically Fargo, Ark.

"Both of my grandfathers were farmers. I have a great respect for small farmers, and I was proud to take CNN to Fargo, so people could learn about what they're doing,” she said. “Some of these farmers are having difficulty in paying their bills, living off of their government pensions and retirement, but they have readily available assets in their farmland. We implemented some of our field experience and taught them to practice environmentally safe farming techniques and how to improve breeding stock," she said.

Pierce’s work at Heifer includes national and international travel almost every month, taking her to places like Honduras, Romania and Zanzibar.

"I'm a big believer in gut instincts,” Pierce said. “My best luck has come from following an instinct and being open for an opportunity. I had no idea I'd end up in public relations. Change can be your friend. It's never an easy transition to go from one job to the next, but give every opportunity a decent amount of time. Trust your talents and your instincts, and remember what you love to do. Try to seek that out in jobs."