Faces of Field Nation: Ivy Dang

Faces of Field Nation is designed to lend some insight into how we operate and what makes Field Nation tick. Our team members have a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, but we are united by a shared commitment to breaking down the barriers to work and unleashing new possibilities.

---

Ask anyone at Field Nation: Ivy Dang does it all.

As a People Operations Business Partner, there are few parts of the company’s internal structure that she doesn’t touch in one way or another. While her primary areas of focus are team member benefits, compensation, compliance, and people data, you’re also likely to find her working on internal communications, onboarding, and other collaborations with the finance and accounting teams.

“What else?” she wonders out loud. “I get to contribute in a lot of different places here.”

It’s true. In the three-and-a-half years Ivy has been with Field Nation, her natural curiosity and interest in cross-functional problem solving have led her to a more wide-reaching role in the organization. For her, this ability to explore and grow is a key perk of the Field Nation experience.

“In larger organizations, work is very siloed. You have your specific area and you stay there. But at Field Nation, I can easily go present to leadership, or talk to sales or marketing about an opportunity, and there aren’t the same barriers. That contributes to my career development because I’m not locked into the four or five bullet points on my job description.”

This focus on career development is central to how Ivy initially connected with Field Nation during her senior year at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. After attending a Twin Cities Society for Human Resources Management conference, Ivy got in touch with Teri Calderon, Field Nation’s EVP of People and Marketplace Operations.

“During her keynote speech, Teri said, ‘If you are here on a Saturday morning looking to talk about HR and people topics, you are probably a good fit for our internship program.’ She had a point, so I applied.”

After a nine-month internship, Field Nation offered her a full-time position.

“I took two days off to graduate and then I was back at it.”

Among her proudest accomplishments at the company, Ivy lists the work that went into helping the Field Nation staff transition to remote work during the onset of COVID-19. For Ivy, the pandemic showcased the strongest aspects of a thriving company culture.

“It underscored the importance of work-life balance. Especially during a pandemic – with parents having kids at home, or pets barking, or other stuff going on in the background – people were just really gracious. Field Nation people tend to develop relationships with each other as whole people, instead of limiting themselves to their work personas.”

Luckily for the University of Minnesota, Ivy is able to share back this type of insight with their current students majoring in HR and business topics. Every spring, Ivy is invited as a guest lecturer and makes herself available to answer questions from future people operations professionals.

“It’s really rewarding watching their eyes light up when I show how your passions can really line up with the work that you do every day. It doesn’t have to be just writing policies and telling people no and dealing with employer relation issues. It’s cool for me to be able to tell them, ‘There are so many cool options out there.’”

When she’s off the clock, Ivy enjoys cycling and watching Real Housewives alongside her dog Bella, who has “the personality of a diva.”

She applies her curious and generous spirit to her social life, as well.

“I feel like my calendar’s always filled with things, but that brings me a lot of joy. My family is all nearby, so I like helping out where I can. We spend a lot of time together. That might sound crazy to a lot of people, but it’s fun for us.”