Getting to know Persefoni: Meet Mikaleh Offerman

1. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (Tell us your journey?)

I came to Persefoni in May 2020. When I interviewed with Kentaro, I was in grad school for
English Literature, but I was struggling with a desire to make an impact on the world. When he offered me an internship, I thought, "When am I ever going to have the opportunity to join an organization that’s trying to make an impact on the world this material?" It was an easy "Yes, please."

2. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. (What do you do at Persefoni?)

As a full-time Persefonite now, I work in People Operations as an L&D Specialist. My main focus is helping build/deploy our employee onboarding program. Whether it’s rolling out resources to increase Speed-to-Productivity or simply jumping on a quick call to welcome our new hires, I love that I have the opportunity to engage and support all of our amazing new employees, along with our leadership team.

3. And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" (What are your hopes for your time at Persefoni?)

Looking back at my time here, it’s hard to narrow in on what my hopes are, because at every turn, Persefoni has exceeded my expectations for accomplishing great things. I think what I’m most excited about is that I continue to be part of an incredibly smart and talented team that is building a product with the power to truly change the trajectory of our planet’s health.

4. And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?" (Why is Persefoni a great home for you?)

I stopped grad school and essentially paused my dream of becoming a PhD professor to join Persefoni, and I don’t regret it one bit. It’s probably the single best decision I could have made for my career, but more than that, for myself. Our people are truly incredible - and as a young professional, I not only feel valued but more than that, I’m contributing value back into an organization that is having a real impact on the planet.

5. And you may find yourself in another part of the world... (Tell us about your life/hobbies away from work?)

When I’m not in the office or working, I’m probably with my family. It’s almost a guarantee that Gimli, my Catahoula rescue pup, is by my side, unless I’m in a place that doesn’t allow pets. Which I try to avoid. Outside of that, I’m particularly fond of reading—fantasy or modernist literature make up most of my library—or I’m doing maintenance on one of my two aquariums.

Meet other Persefonites!

• Getting to know Matthew Roda

• Getting to know Kevin Stephen

• Getting to know Matt Palmer

“Once in a Lifetime" is a series of articles designed to help our customers and partners learn more about Persefoni's truly passionate team. We're not just building award-winning software ... together, we're helping to decarbonize our planet.