Paolo Cassinari currently serves as the Engagement Manager at the PMI San Francisco Bay Area chapter. As the Engagement Manager who operates under the greater volunteer management team, Paolo is responsible for developing and organizing various volunteer-focused activities within our chapter like team building activities and helping volunteers properly log their hours. He recently expanded his repertoire by collaborating across chapter divisions to run the AGM in August, and he also will be helping with the International Project Manager Day online conference in November.

Let’s learn more about Paolo.

 

What drew you to join PMI?

I used to work as a project manager in my previous job before enrolling in a 1-year program in project management through UC Berkeley Extension. After finishing the program I took the PMP exam last year and then wanted to get more involved in the PM community. I joined in order to meet other PMs, share knowledge, and exchange ideas.

 

How long have you been involved with the PMI and this chapter? Describe your first event with us.

I joined the greater PMI organization and this chapter at the same time, in January 2020. My first event was in March 2020 at the joint dinner near San Jose with the PMI Silicon Valley chapter, where there was dinner and a couple of speakers. It was the first time I met some of the other volunteers like Vijay and Michael in person (since then, all the events have been virtual!).

 

What is your PM superpower?

I’m patient, willing to listen, and persistent. In a project there’s always a lot of people. I try to interact with everyone and understand individual needs. I stay focused on the final goal even if there seems to always be something going wrong. The way I see it, every project has something new to learn.

 

Outside of PMI and project management, what is something you are passionate about?

I’m a singer. I used to sing in an opera choir when I was in Italy but stopped when I moved to San Francisco. Last year I sang with the San Francisco Choral Society. Right now I sing with a small chamber choir based out of San Mateo, but because of the pandemic we are practicing our rehearsals on Zoom.

 

How are you keeping sane during the pandemic?

I like outdoor activities and working out, so I try to go hiking out in the mountains or do Crossfit. I even created a small gym in my backyard so when the weather is nice I can go outside for an hour or take my bike out - it’s a great distraction from being on the laptop. Also I watch Netflix which lets you escape a little from the daily routine - something easy to watch that’s not too serious, like Money Heist. Criminal Minds is also fun because of the FBI behavioral analysis. Also, even if you don’t watch an episode it’s fine because there’s not really a story arc.