Friday Feature: Emily Assenmacher

Best of both worlds
Emily's story

Your name: Emily Assenmacher

Your role at Volunteers of America Michigan: Program Manager for the Detroit Veterans Housing Program.

What brought you to this position? I was looking for a new opportunity that would allow me to use my background working with people, but also allow me to build on other skill sets. Volunteers of America Michigan offered an opportunity to grow in my career as well as give back.

What is your biggest takeaway from working with Volunteers of America Michigan? Being in my role with the Detroit Veterans Housing Program has really shown me first hand, how important veteran services are. There are shortages in so many ways when it comes to providing support to those who gave so much of themselves, so others wouldn’t have to. I respect each and every one of the staff who come in, day in and day out, for the common mission of making things just a little bit easier for these veterans.

What is your biggest challenge in this position? The biggest challenge is… there isn’t enough time in the day!

Where is your dream vacation spot? After the winter we’ve had, I think a beach somewhere sounds amazing. That, or historical European cities like London, Paris or Rome.

What is your favorite book? This is tough because after graduate school, reading was not a high priority. I did enjoy reading novels by Dan Brown, such as the “Da Vinci Code”, “The Lost Symbol”, and “Inferno”.

How do you spend your time outside of the office? Outside of work I spend time with my boyfriend, Jon, and trying to keep up with our 2-year-old Australian Shepard – Gordie. He loves to play and go for long walks in the neighborhood. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends, going to Eastern Market on Saturday mornings, and trying as many new restaurants as possible. I’m always excited to find great new foods!