Talking work and life with Charva Ingram

Charva Ingram is a flag football fan, avid CrossFit attendee and lover of people. Through her life, Ingram moved from one adventure to the next and learned much about herself along the way.

With her dad being Career Army, Ingram moved around during her childhood but claims her “home base” in Abilene, TX. In college, Ingram started out more on the media side, graduating from Baylor University with a degree in communications. Following graduation, Ingram landed a job at KWTX, where she interned during her time at Baylor. Ingram had a dream of being a reporter and “went for the sob stories more than the hard-hitting stories.”

“I rode camels and flew planes and went to the mall and made people sing Twelve Days of Christmas,” Ingram said. “I tried to do that kind of stuff more.”

When her life took a small turn in 2004, Ingram found herself working on the West Coast in California. This new position allowed Ingram to move from communications to advertising. During her time in California, Ingram felt the urge to go back home. After eight years, Ingram and her husband made the move back to Texas. One year later, Ingram took the director of marketing position at Extraco Events Center. Ingram is now the vice president of marketing and sponsorship development for the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo.

Within this role, Ingram leads sponsorship development and manages the annual marketing campaign for the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo by overseeing the development and execution. Above this, “she also handles allthings marketing for the Extraco Events Center.” When she started out in the working world, Ingram did not expect to be where she is now. Her dreams of becoming a reporter turned into something different over time.

“I really wanted to be a reporter, I thought,” Ingram said. Through the interesting turns in her life, Ingram described her current role at the Extraco Events Center as the best job she never knew she wanted. Working alongside people in the livestock industry has been a highlight of her time at Extraco Events Center.

“People are what I am drawn to,” Ingram said. “That is kind of where I get my energy and what excites me.” Ingram said her biggest piece of advice to students who are about to step out in to the real world is “don’t pigeon hole yourself.” Ingram encouraged everyone to work hard and be open to any possibility.

“You just never know where there will be gems or nuggets,” Ingram said, “so I wouldn’t be closed off to opportunities.”