Lessons in Boldness: Meet Project Controls Analyst Anita Malahowski
For Anita Malahowski, coming to work every day is a joy, not a chore.
“I am very lucky,” said Anita, a project controls analyst at Manta Ray Consulting. “When you like your job, it doesn’t matter how much you work.”
Anita’s career in project controls has spanned decades and continents, and her love of the field has only continued to grow along the way. After earning a degree in finance, Anita took her first job in project controls in Indonesia in 1975, where she hit the ground running with an American engineering/pipeline company.
“My boss at the time really loved to go golfing, and he trained me to do a lot of his project controls role so I could cover it while he went and golfed,” Anita said with a laugh.
Anita moved to the United States in 1977, continuing in project controls in the private sector. Over the years, she gained experience in “making bold decisions” she said.
“It doesn’t matter the project, there’s always something to learn,” she said. “That experience helps you make decisions and present your expertise to project managers.”
In 2000, Anita shifted to the world of government projects. Around this time, she met Manny and Pamela Abela -- she even introduced them to deep sea diving, which eventually inspired the company’s name and logo. Then, when Manta Ray Consulting was launched in 2010, Manny and co-founder Jeff Chan invited her to join the team. Anita has been with MRC ever since, though she briefly retired before realizing that her work was an important aspect of her life.
“It’s like a game, putting a puzzle together,” she said of project controls work. “It’s fun, really, and that’s why I loved it enough to come out of retirement.”
However, pausing retirement certainly doesn’t mean that Anita is missing out on life outside of work. In addition to her passion for diving and visiting tropical locations, she recently took up horseback riding, and she enjoys hiking with her husband near their home in Sedona, Arizona. She has a daughter and two young grandkids in California who provide another great outlet for her energy and zest for life.
“Retirement was too slow for me,” she said.
Anita has seen the project management field change throughout her career -- it has become a lot more collaborative, with managers and controls analysts working together more closely, she said. For young adults wondering whether this field is for them, Anita has nothing but encouragement and praise. She also advised students entering the industry that they shouldn’t be afraid to fail; the most important skill for new project controls professionals is simply an eagerness to work and learn, she added.
“Be bold, and don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Anita said. “Asking questions is not a sign of weakness, it’s a way to add knowledge. Everyone has to start somewhere.”
“It has been such a pleasure to do this work,” Anita added. “I have been lucky throughout my career -- and lucky to be a part of the family at MRC.”
