5 Questions With … Antoinette Holford

Antoinette Holford started her AAA journey in Florida, working as a quality analyst (QA) at a local call center there. She enjoyed the role so much that when she decided to move to the Providence area a few years ago, she was hired on as a QA in automotive services here too.

Antoinette changed roles in March of this year and now serves as a marketing specialist on the Membership Experience team. Her role chiefly revolves around analyzing Qualtrics data to more deeply understand member feedback and look for opportunities to enhance the member experience.

Analysis has been a defining skill throughout Antoinette’s career.

Prior to joining AAA, she spent nearly 9 years with Radial, Inc., an e-commerce company providing services for companies such as GameStop, DSW, Shoe Carnival and Destination XL.

While her childhood dream of digging dinosaur bones for a living never panned out, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that somebody so analytical could instantly tell a Hufflepuff from a Slytherin.

Q: If you had to teach a class on one thing, what would you teach?
Any one thing … I could probably teach a class on the Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses. Understanding the personality traits/characteristics associated with each house, the history of each house and their founders, strengths and weaknesses, etc. I make a fairly decent sorting hat, if I do say so myself.

Q: What was one silver lining for you in working from home over the last year or two?
Definitely being able to find a great work/life balance. Having the ability to save time by not having to commute made a huge difference in my day to day home life, and working remote has allowed me the flexibility to travel a little more frequently (once able) to visit friends and family.

Q: What’s your favorite time of day, and why?
I wish I could say dawn for the potential of a new day, but I’m honestly not a morning person. That said, twilight is probably my favorite time of day, and not because it’s the name of a book. We could also call it moonrise, if that’s not already a thing … When you start to see the brightest stars in the sky joining the moon as the orange and purple hues from the sun start to fade into dark blues and black. The moon and all its phases remind me that change is constant and the stars remind me of how small we are, and what a big world we live in.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
The very first thing I can recall wanting to be was a paleontologist. I have Jurassic Park to thank for that, and that’s likely also why I decided against that career choice in the long run. An analyst seems much more sensible.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Europe, probably Italy to be more specific. I love history, the architecture of old buildings and churches, and who doesn’t appreciate good food? New England is great for exploring the older parts of our country, so it would be fascinating for me to explore even older places in this world.

Check out these past profiles of your colleagues: 

1. Andrew Rosen, vice president, Brand & Content Marketing
2. Dana Laverty, copy editor, Publications
3. Liz Eaton, member retention counselor, Outbound Contact Center
4. Damond James, senior manager, Membership Experience
5. Stephanie Tomasso, business line manager, Human Resources
6. Ashley Janke, project manager, Marketing Operations 
7. Sarah Cholewa, marketing specialist, Financial Services
8. Dan Pegg, email marketing specialist, Marketing
9. Kemdy Lawson, senior data analyst, Marketing
10. Brooke Fairbrothers, associate marketing specialist, Insurance
11. Karina De La Cruz, social listening specialist, Social Media
12. Christine Spinella, business development coordinator, Sales
13. David Dhanpat, senior marketing specialist, Marketing
14. Dan Tu, director of marketing insights and analytics, e-Biz
15. Kim Davis, manager, Outbound Call Center
16. Jared Ventetuolo, senior financial analyst, Marketing
17. Liliana Alston-Swan, manager of creative, Studio