Lynn Jarrett-Gude’s turtle collection is as fascinating as the story behind the hobby. When she and her husband, Samuel, visited Hawaii, they met a Samoan gentleman who offered them an oral history of the island. After chatting with the couple for a while, in keeping with the Hawaiian tradition, he decided the turtle was their “amakua” or appointed guardian.
Metaphorically, the native was correct in his selection because Jarrett-Gude personally relates to the turtle’s qualities — loyalty, longevity and integrity. Not taking her charge lightly, before returning to the mainland, she purchased her first of many turtle souvenirs and trinkets.
An executive vice president and director of human resources for Gude Management Group, a construction program management firm, Jarrett-Gude gushes when you speak about her grandchildren. It becomes immediately obvious that just like the turtle, she has a soft interior.
“They make the world new for me every day,” Jarrett-Gude says of grandson, Koren Daniel, whom she refers to as the miniature mayor and politician; granddaughter Aniya with the joyous laughter that tinkles like the high keys on the piano and Kameron, who ends every song with a Frank Sinatra-like finish. Each affectionately calls her “Mimi.”
Hired as the second employee at Gude Management Group, by her husband who’s the president and CEO, she believes the company’s “power is the people” and her strategy for success evolves as she manages insurance and HR issues, contract negotiations, risk mitigation, OSHA compliance and “that we’re doing everything we need to do according to the book and to better serve clients.” Jarret-Gude executes it all with grace and humility alongside her life partner who “has always been the voice of encouragement and never stood in my way.” –yvette caslin