Ms. Klein brings to the new JUST US GIRLS TRAVEL a unique combination of skills in psychology as well as marketing, sales and sales management. She develops and maintains the vision of the company and oversees web site and product development, marketing and finance. Ms. Klein earned a BSW and MSW in social work at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas where she graduated with honors. While at Washburn, Ms. Klein developed a mentor program to assist new students in the social work program. Immediately following completion of her master's degree, Ms. Klein completed a two-year Marriage and Family Therapy Training with the Menninger Institute (formerly of Topeka, Kansas).
While developing JUST US GIRLS TRAVEL, Ms. Klein manages a successful mental health practice with offices in Kansas and Missouri, marketing to insurance companies, Employee Assistance Programs, and local physicians. Ms. Klein has annually guest lectured to master level social work students at the University of Kansas and has supervised master level clinician's working toward their clinical licensure.
Before moving into a private practice arena, Ms. Klein worked within the Health Midwest/HCA hospital network on their psychiatric units. At these units, responsibilities included developing and moderating group meetings for individual and individuals including families to develop support and educate participants on mental illness. Ms. Klein also developed and implemented training presentations for unit and hospital in-services around issues such as sensitivity to clients and the experience of trauma to the individual. It was during this time that Ms. Klein was recruited by the United Way to present in-services to local businesses in Kansas City area following the 9/11 attacks. Field instruction for master level social work interns, working directly with leading insurance companies, which included but not limited to BCBS, United Behavioral Health, Cigna, Coventry, Aetna, and Humana. Concurrently, outside the Health Midwest/HCA network, Ms. Klein worked with Emergency Room Staff of two other hospitals in the Kansas City area, where she was involved in accessing patients and working with patients and families addressing their mental health needs with the appropriate follow-up services or hospitalizations.
Prior to Ms. Klein's success as a mental health specialist, she spent 13 years in sales and sales management with leaders in the Yellow Page industry including Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages, Donnelley Information Publishing and L.M. Berry & Company. At Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages Ms. Klein was recognized as a member of the President's Club, led her sales team on multiple canvasses by meeting and exceeding quotas. Ms. Klein was promoted from a telemarketing sales position to a premise sales position, was a union steward, and voted by her peers to be on the mediation review board.
At Donnelley Information Publishing, as Telemarketing Manager in a start-up operation for the largest proprietary directory in the nation, Ms. Klein's responsibilities included hiring, development and training of sales reps, establishing policies and procedures, setting quotas to maintain the company's profitable stance in the marketplace, while providing services to new advertisers and completing initiatives on time and within the budget. The production of directory scheduling within the telemarketing department, producing management reports, interacting with other outside sales managers, and development of special programs for training within the local office were additional tasks performed. Ms. Klein created a system to make final corrections of the directory's database and trained and implemented the system.
Ms. Klein was promoted from a telemarketing sales rep to a telemarketing manager within the L.M. Berry & Co. organization just prior to joining the start-up operation in Houston with Donnelley Information Publishing. At L.M. Berry & Co., Ms. Klein met and exceeded sales goals and led numerous book canvasses and was in the Vice President's Circle.
As in all of the above sales positions, Ms. Klein's attention to detail, creative and innovative approaches to sales goals shows a proven track record in achievement and leadership. The drive to succeed and be the very best at what she chooses to do in life is evident in each position Ms. Klein has moved into. Whether in a sales arena or mental health environment, Ms. Klein has and is recognized in her field for excellent leadership, discerning need, creativity, and passion for empowering others.
