Spotlight on Female Trailblazers at AAA Northeast

Amelia Desiata and Leanna Fanning

International Women’s Day is observed March 8 every year as a celebration of women’s rights. In honor of the day, we reached out to three AAA Northeast female employees for an inside look into how they make an impact in their professions: roadside technicians Leanna Fanning and Amelia Desiata, who work in R.I. fleet operations, and Vice President of Travel Cynthia Zesk, who works at AAA Northeast’s Providence, R.I., headquarters.

Amelia Desiata and Leanna Fanning
AAA Northeast roadside technicians Amelia Desiata, left, and Leanna Fanning.

Amelia Desiata, roadside technician, R.I. fleet operations

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I like helping people and being able to turn people’s rough day around.

Q: What do you do every day that people would be surprised to know?

A: People would be surprised that I’m a woman doing what the rest of the guys can do.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My family. My fiance and son are my best support system.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I delivered newspapers when I was a kid.

Q: What is your must-have tool to do your job every day?

A: My brain. It helps me to problem-solve in any situation.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: I wanted to be president, every kid’s dream.

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Leanna Fanning, roadside technician, R.I. fleet operations

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I love interacting with different members and helping them in any way I can.

Q: What do you do every day that people would be surprised to know?

A: I like to go above and beyond. I go the extra mile for members and make their day better in any way I can.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I look up to the guys on the road who have been here for a while. I hope to get to where they are.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: I wanted to play for the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts. It taught me how to communicate and serve other people. I take my knowledge from past experiences and use it daily in my job.

Q: What is your must-have tool to do your job every day?

A: I always have my tow book manual with me. It’s like my golden coin.

Cynthia Zesk, vice president of Travel, AAA Northeast.

Cynthia Zesk, vice president of Travel

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I am so lucky to work with the most amazing group of people who are passionate about travel and feel a sense of purpose around delivering dreams to our members. It makes every day fun.

Q: What do you do every day that people would be surprised to know?

A: Call my mom. No matter where in the world I am, I check in. And thankfully my 81-year-old mom is on Skype, Facebook and Snapchat, which makes connecting easier.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: My 19-year-old son. He is eternally curious about the world around him, seeks out diversity and prides himself on being a good global citizen. Other than him, I love the inspirational entrepreneurs like Tony Hsieh.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote? If so, who said it?

A: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretzky

Q: What destination is on your travel bucket list?

A: With a career in the travel industry, I can’t have just one. Sri Lanka, Jordan and Portugal are some of the top destinations I would love to explore soon.

Q: What is your must-have tool to do your job every day?

A: My laptop. Not only does it help me be as efficient as possible, but when ideas strike you need to be able to capture them.

Do you have any business women you particularly admire? Let us know in the comments!

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