LeeAnn and Bobby D.
LeeAnn – Executive Assistant
Bobby – Technical Support Lead
Today is Valentine’s Day, and Neighborhood is celebrating this week with a special employee spotlight. This sweetheart spotlight features two employees who have been working for Neighborhood for more than one decade.
Keep reading to learn more about how this couple met, and the important role communication plays in their marriage.
Before we get to know more about you as the couple who works together, please share the details about how long have you worked at Neighborhood, what do you do here, and what part of your job do you enjoy the most?
LeeAnn: I have worked at Neighborhood for 10 years, first starting as a project administrator in Medical Management. In May 2023, I was promoted to executive assistant of Clinical Support.
What I enjoy most about my position is being a “gatekeeper” to our Chief Medical Officer. I assist with day-to-day operations, which allows the leadership team to focus on the important work that is happening in the Clinical Division to make a positive impact in our members’ lives.
I also love organizing our celebrations and team activities; bringing people and creating fun themes is something that appeals to me. Some may say, I like to have “everything planned perfectly.”
Bobby: I have worked at Neighborhood for 11 years, starting as a systems administrator, moving on to a telecom analyst, and now serving as a technical support lead. My favorite part of working at Neighborhood are the people. I have worked in quite a few different companies and the culture here is unique.
Let’s switch gears now. Inquiring minds want to know! When and how did you meet? Did you meet at Neighborhood, what qualities about the other appealed to you?
LeeAnn: We met at Neighborhood. We were acquaintances, then in 2015 we started working together when the organization moved office locations from Providence to Smithfield. We began spending a great deal of time together.
Bobby had an ability to make me laugh. He shares a passion to help others and is a gentleman, always holding the door for me even if he was pushing a cart full of equipment. We could talk for hours, although it felt like only minutes passed. Very quickly Bobby became by best friend, and I was always excited to talk with him “after working hours.” Starting in January 2016, we never looked back.
Bobby: LeeAnn’s dedication and attention to detail always impressed me, working side-by-side with someone who seemed to have it all figured out, made my part much easier.
How long have you been married? Do you have a favorite memory from your wedding day?
LeeAnn: We will be married for seven years July 2024 (our wedding date 7/7/2017). We had a very intimate ceremony at Beavertail in Jamestown, Rhode Island, just one week after Bobby proposed. For the proposal, he brought me to “Neighborhood” where it all began, and that was extremely special. Fun fact, my coworkers thought I was taking a vacation day, and I came back married the following Monday!
Bobby: We have been married for six-and-a-half years. I loved that we had a small, intimate ceremony at Beavertail in Jamestown. That spot in Jamestown has been an important place to me since I was teenager.
Care to share any secrets about what makes your marriage happy?
LeeAnn: Communication; it really is the key. We can talk about everything and anything, and we share the same goals for our family and future. We always have each other’s back on good days and even more so on difficult ones.
Bobby: Our marriage is great because of communication. We can and have talked about everything. We also have very similar ideas of what a family is, which makes sharing a home and family with LeeAnn very easy.
How do you like to spend time outside of work?
LeeAnn: Together and outdoors! We love visiting the beach in the summer; and to New Hampshire (anytime of year, really) for the winter snow, hiking trails and finding fun family zoos. We have gone as far as the Poconos in Pennsylvania so far to visit a zoo.
Bobby: If we are not working, we are doing things with our children. Our six-year-old and four-year-old, keep us plenty busy. We love taking trips to New Hampshire and staying near the White Mountains. North Conway has become a very important place for our family. Although our four-year-old will tell you New York is her favorite place, she really means New Hampshire!
Share a “Fun Fact” with us. Something about your spouse that you were surprised to learn?
LeeAnn: I was surprised to learn that Bobby enjoyed skydiving. While I knew he was adventurous, that was a bit crazy to me. I remember the first time he asked me to join him; that was a hard, “No!”
Bobby: I was surprised to learn that LeeAnn was a soccer player and referee when she was younger. I never expected that from her, I assumed she was the type who would take various dance classes (which she did). When we signed up our six-year-old for soccer, LeeAnn was telling me the different rules of the game. I, on the other hand, never played a game of soccer in my life before then.
How do you create a work-life balance and separate work from family and home?
LeeAnn: Planning and teamwork! Each week we look at our schedule to determine our work, personal, and family priorities, and we map out a plan and most of the time divide and conquer. Our days are long and busy. When we get home from the office, we disconnect from work and focus on our family.
Bobby: When you have two, young children separated by just two years, discussing work at home is very difficult. If it is not about “Bluey” or “Roblox,” the kids do not want to hear it and they have no qualms about changing the subject. There are times when my to do list for the next day fills up by 9 o’clock at night – the kids are already sleeping, of course!