Employee Spotlight | Meet APM Data Analytics & Resource Manager, Danielle Carilli!
Est. Read Time: 8 minutes
At the end of the trail hike up to Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park
What are some roles you have at work and outside of work?
At work, I support APM within the data analyst and the resource leader teams; two different dynamics which I find exciting. I see the growth potential that APM has not only within these two teams but across our company which inspires me, and I try to bring that energy to my teams.
Outside of work, I have three daughters … my oldest turned 18 this year and my youngest just turned two on July 15th! I am also part of a running club with a few close friends and colleagues from Windsor (legacy Alstom/GE peers).
What led you to this industry and how did you first learn about APM?
I started in the Aerospace industry at a young age working with my family. When I moved back from Oklahoma to my home state of Connecticut after college, I was managing the office for a small repair shop, GenEx Turbine, that specialized in repairing turbine engines overseas; this was a temporary position, and knowing that, I continued to seek full-time, long-term work. That was when I found an opportunity at Alstom Power. I was hired in June of 2008 working in the boiler & environmental plant services division over North America. I worked my way through various positions in executive management, over to IS and Quality, then finally to APCom Power, where I first heard about APM during the 2015 GE/Alstom merger.
When did you begin working with APM and how many years have you been working with APM?
When legacy GE acquired Alstom in 2015, I was an acquisition hire coming over with APCom Power. Laurie Laube, APM’s Boiler ODM, hired me onto her team in 2012 … I had been supporting APCom Power on the IS Application and Quality side of the business prior to that, and it was a career goal of mine to work on the profit side of the business. When the opportunity to support projects within Boiler presented itself, I was ready. I believe it was the best career move I made within Alstom, and now I have been with APM for longer than I was with Alstom, and I love working at APM.
What’s one thing that surprised you about working with APM?
How easy working for a company based in Texas was while being on the northeast coast. I never considered long distance work in my job searches.
What is a typical workday for you?
Not every day is the same around here. The goal is to get up early before my kids and my dogs need things from me, look at my schedule for the day, get some focused work in, then after the busyness from breakfast / daycare / summer camp / school drop offs is over, I sit down in a fairly quiet house and get back to work. These days I have more meetings than I used to, so it is important to structure my calendar so I can make time to do work. That is why I know the early morning quiet hours are critical for keeping up with the desk work.
What energizes you at work?
Conversations. I love talking with the people I work with, listening, sharing ideas, working through issues, hearing stories … I will say that at APM there a lot of people with great stories and memories together; that energy is positive, it is like a family.
What do you find the most challenging in your role?
Finding ways to connect while we are all remote. The days of being able to sit in a room and talk with my co-workers / managers about what we are working on does not exist in our world now the same way it did when I first entered this industry working in Windsor, CT with an office full of my peers. I learned a lot of things sitting across the desk from my mentors, in person. I find it requires more effort these days to make true connections, and not everyone can travel to get together. Teams meetings are great, especially with video chat, but they do not accomplish that same level of face-to-face connection. It requires everyone to put more effort forward to make successful and meaningful connections.
What do you like most about working with APM?
There is true intention in the mission statement. APM leaders say they care about safety, and they mean it. There are many companies that “talk the talk” or check the box to look in compliance, but they will cut corners or make exceptions to save money. Unfortunately, I know this from personal experience, and it is more common than not. People have lost lives due to negligence in safety and there is no excuse when something is intentionally left unsafe that can make that make sense OR make it ok. I am proud to work for a company that prioritizes safety and sets goals that stretch us beyond the typical industry standards.
How has APM helped you in your career development?
APM continues to invest in my education and development as a professional working in this industry. I have been allowed to travel to conferences to develop my skills and network within my community, in my opinion it has been a significant investment. I am grateful for having had those avenues provided to me for developing skills. The opportunity for this investment is available to everyone so if you have not taken advantage, talk to your manager and see what options are available to you.
What courses, certifications, or programs did you complete?
I am certified in Crystal Reports, Tableau and Dataiku for data science. Under APM, I also finished my second-degree pursuit in Information and Data Analysis, a program I started prior to the 2015 acquisition. My first degree is in Business Management and Marketing. I have a Project Manager Certification from Six Sigma Global Institution (step down from a PMP) and I am also OSHA 10 certified; I completed my training and exam under a former Safety Professional, Fred Dibattista, from my APCom Boiler days.
What is your proudest moment with APM?
Finishing my second degree focused on Data Analytics. It took much longer online, part time, to complete than in school full time … it was a lot of effort put forth. My oldest daughter was old enough to recognize the accomplishment at the time, and she expressed pride in me as well, which made it even better. I will say continually, however, I find pride in hearing about my colleagues’ successes. When I see anyone that I respect or admire receiving awards in our industry, it makes me proud to work with such talented and successful people.
Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
My father. Growing up, my dad worked hard. My father also instilled a continuous improvement mindset in us from a young age. While he worked hard, he was still always present, he would take us to work with him when he could, which I think further impressed that ethic upon me. His work ethic is the reason he is so successful today; I aspire to be like him because I admire that kind of dedication and sacrifice. I hope that I instill that into my children, so they too want to work hard and be successful.
How do you prefer to spend your days off?
I love being active, exploring new places, and socializing. I love fair season and in the summer months, it is fun to go watch trucks try not to get stuck in the mud at the mud runs … my little ones love that as well. Occasional days inside enjoying the roof over my head and all the other amenities I work hard to afford is nice too!
How do you balance your career at APM and family?
Utilize work hours to get work done, focus, and limit distractions. When I am at work, I am working. I block my calendar and set reminders for myself to work on specific projects or tasks. Communication is important as well, knowing when the work needs to be completed so I can take advantage of prioritization. This is not always a perfect solution, and I find at times work blends into what should be personal time, but typically this only happens if personal time blends into work time. I look to put the time in that the work needs so I can enjoy the time off with my family.
What advice do you have for prospective APM candidates?
Put the work in and show up. When others see you going the extra mile, they let people know … this mentality is encouraged and designed within our recognition program.
What is a non-work-related accomplishment that you’re proud of?
Most recently, I was going through a very tough time at the end of last year … my best friend recruited me to train for a 120+ mile relay marathon for May of 2025. Through training, I was able to exercise out some demons, especially on the days I did not want to show up but did anyway. Finishing those long miles and ending that relay with my team in May was such an amazing feeling of accomplishment. We then stayed in the area and completed the hike at Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park (for someone who has had a fear of heights most of my life, that was an amazing experience, and I demolished that fear!) It was everything I did not know I needed to help me get through a truly rough time; I am proud of the personal growth and commitment made there.
By age: Nyla (18), Kenna (4) and Noelle (2)
Danielle’s Top Life Highlights
Watching my oldest daughter graduate high school this past June, I have to say that is one of the proudest moments of my life so far, seeing the person she is growing into. I pray for her every day, all my girls, and I pray that I get to experience all those milestones with each of them.
This was us at the finish line once our last runner finished the final 8-mile loop!
Danielle’s Perspective on Success
When you find your true purpose and you can fulfill it, that is success to me.
Getting muddy watching big loud trucks get stuck and race around a muddy racetrack!
Danielle’s Perspective on Leadership
Inspiring others to set goals and do the work to achieve them; when you inspire others to work hard and finish the job, they in turn inspire others, and through that process we continually create new leaders.