MCD is celebrating Women’s History Month and the International Day of Women this month by highlighting women who work at MCD across different projects, countries, and divisions.

Meet Stephanie Portillo, a Human Resources business partner, who recently joined MCD in the fall of 2021. She is responsible for providing strategic and tactical support to MCD’s leaders and staff and is based in MCD’s Silver Spring, Maryland, office.

Below, she describes what the International Day of Women means to her, her journey to MCD, and how MCD has supported her in her career path:

How has working at MCD helped you in your career?

I work with a very knowledgeable and great team! We all communicate so well and have each other’s backs when we need help with a task, etc.

What would you tell your younger self?

You are built to lead, start now.

Who do you look up to?

My father. He is an extremely hard worker and a go-getter. He worked three jobs while I was growing up, attended college, and flew small planes, such as Cessna’s, to build flight hours. Now, he is a captain of a major airline and has traveled to every place in the world.

Describe any barriers you overcame throughout your life and describe your career path and how you came to be at MCD.

It was hard getting my foot in the door in human resources after I received my Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources. I had a master’s degree but not work experience and only had experience being an executive assistant. If I could go back, I would have started an entry role HR position during my college years.

Now, I have many years of experience working in Human Resources and have a great passion for it. I wanted to work for a company that had a purpose that involved helping the world. MCD was perfect for what I was looking for along with being in a strong HR team.

My roles prior to HR included a one-person HR department, which I didn’t mind as it forced me to understand the business as a whole strategically and prepared me for the dream job I wanted that had a purpose.

What advice did you receive early on in your career that you found most helpful?

Knowledge is power; never stop learning and growing.

Describe any accomplishments that you are most proud of.

Being able to juggle everything and being a super mom and rock star at anything I put my mind to.

What does International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month mean to you? Describe how you feel about this year’s theme of Break the Bias along with what you think can be done to accomplish this?

We all have bias, and we need to educate others so they are aware of their bias. Each and every one of us have special gifts, no two people think alike, and we are all better together- the sky is the limit.

Any additional comments you'd like to share?

MCD has a great culture and is a wonderful company to work for. I was hesitant about making this move from the prior organization I was with, but I am glad I did it. I found my second home!

My advice for anyone considering MCD as an employer is to go for it, just like anything in life, go for it!