Terri Wilton has the patience – and the confidence – to take the scenic route on occasion. Depending on the circumstances, it might be a short walk, a long hike or a total divergence. In all cases, her motivating goal is to achieve a life well lived and a job well done.

A child of Chicagoland, Terri postponed college to earn a living, taking community college classes along the way to help decide on a career path. Realizing she had a knack for numbers and a Fortune 250 employer who offered tuition reimbursement, she jumped at the opportunity. The five years it took to earn a degree while working full time made her the first college graduate in her immediate family.

Terri was on her way, quickly rising from accounting clerk to human resources and benefits administrator for an international financial services institution, a biopharmaceutical company, and a multi-state law firm.

Then a detour arrived in the form of a husband with an outstanding job offer, whom she followed to West Virginia. Surrounded by the state’s beautiful mountains and welcomed by its wonderful people, she was stunned by the poor economy and lack of professional opportunities. Taking the long view, Terri made the best of it, serving as controller for several local businesses, including a ski and golf resort.

Her favorite part of that digression was spotting a dirty, shivering, scared stray dog that “looked like he could use a buddy.” That abandoned dog became Buddy, a beloved Blue Heeler/Australian Cattle Dog who loyally herded the family for many years. These days, Terri’s grandchildren are her best buddies and her greatest joy.

When her husband was recruited for a position in South Carolina five years later, Terri welcomed the change. She joined Carlisle Associates in 2007 and is responsible for everything from corporate accounting, human resources and business administration to setting up new project parameters to interacting with vendors and suppliers. As she puts it, “I wear many different hats on any given day.”

Terri admits to being an information junkie, obsessed with learning new technologies, testing the newest gadgets, and researching her genealogy online. When she converted Carlisle’s project management and accounting programs to a web-based ERP software designed specifically for architectural and engineering firms, Terri’s attention to detail led to an offer to act as an outside consultant for the developer. She is also a member of the Society for Design Administration’s certification and award committees.