Patricia McDonald Celebrates 25 Years at Advanced Energy

Advanced Energy is excited to recognize Patricia McDonald for her 25 years at the company. Patricia was born and raised in Bath, North Carolina, and had her first job working production in a shirt factory. In the early 1980s, she left the coast and headed to the Durham area to look for new career opportunities.

Patricia first joined Advanced Energy in 1984 as a temporary employee. She quickly progressed to a permanent role as the receptionist and then to administrative assistant and executive assistant over the next five years.

In 1989, Patricia wanted to see what other possibilities were out there. She departed Advanced Energy for Healthcare Business Resources, where she worked seven years in administrative assistant and executive assistant positions. She then moved on to SouthLight, a provider of substance abuse treatment and mental health services.

Throughout this decade away, Patricia kept in touch with her friends from Advanced Energy. In 2000, she was looking to transition once again and learned about an opening at the company. She welcomed the opportunity to return and was hired on as an administrative assistant. Not long after, she became the corporate services administrator, which aligned her closely with human resources, the board of directors and the vice president of administration. In 2015, when Advanced Energy’s human resources manager departed, Patricia was well prepared to step into that role.

Over the last few years, Patricia has managed and administered Advanced Energy’s human resources functions and programs, from compensation and benefits to recruitment and staffing to employee relations and much more. She strives to promote best practices that emphasize an employee-oriented, high-performance culture. Most recently, she has been working closely with management and IT to help guide Advanced Energy through the many workplace adjustments brought on by COVID-19.

“I was very fortunate to work with Advanced Energy in the 1980s and to have the opportunity to return in 2000,” said Patricia. “The new challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic show that Advanced Energy is prepared for anything. As our culture and projects continue to change and evolve, Advanced Energy continues to employ energetic, creative and collaborative staff, and I look forward to being a part of the company’s future.”

Please join us in congratulating Patricia on her 25 years at Advanced Energy!