Women Who Work: Cressida Montgomery (@__cresski)

At Hugs for Black Women, we are committed to encouraging and empowering our female community and look forward to connecting with women on a mission to do the same. This week, we sat down with DraftKings’ Player Development Executive, Cressida Montgomery, to continue our conversation with women who work. The female executive, mother, and wife reminded us to be ourselves and treat everybody right! Read on for more.

 

HBW: Thank you so much for sitting down with us. We’re grateful to have you! So, can you give us background information on your current position and explain what your job entails?

Cressida: I have been in the casino/gambling industry since 2012. I started cocktailing, and in 2017 I transitioned to an Executive Casino Host. I had to ensure our VIP clients knew of their promotions and invite them to events like football, basketball, and hockey games, concerts, trips, etc. Basically, I tried to make people as happy as possible with losing their money, lol. Fast forward to 2021, I accepted a position at DraftKings, which is sports betting. My job duties are pretty much the same.

 

HBW: Sports betting is a male-dominated industry. How do you manage to advance continually?

Cressida: I love sports & I love to gamble on them as well. It is easy to do something when you love it. Because I have experience and a love for the game, I think that transpires in my work. In return, the men respect it. I have more experience than most people I work with, so I know they also appreciate that. We are also all around the same age, so I think we relate. I can say that my employer has done such a great job of making women feel comfortable in this industry. We get six-month maternity leave, lactation support, and a special committee for women in sports.

Recently with the decision of Roe vs. Wade, they didn’t hesitate to take a stance and are offering up to $10k in reimbursements for anyone affected by the decision. With all that being said, yes, it is a male-dominated industry, but we women are slowly making our way there, like Malika Andrews, who was the first woman ever to host the NBA Draft.

 

HBW: That sounds so amazing. Much respect to DraftKings. Along those same lines, how do you rest in your femininity after navigating that traditionally masculine world?

Cressida: Although I love my sports, I am still very much a girly girl. I work remotely most of the time, but when I attend events, I show up with my makeup, hair done, and dressed. I work in a really laid-back environment where I don’t have to code-switch, so I’m pretty transparent at work and always remain true to myself

 

HBW: How do you balance motherhood and marriage as a full-time career woman?

Cressida: Working at the casino, I think, was a lot harder because of the hours I worked. Now, I honestly have a great work-life balance. I don’t have set hours; I do a lot of my work from my phone, so it leaves me plenty of time to be with Emory and Clyde. My job has some pretty nice perks that have allowed my family and friends to experience with me, like trips to Cancun, Cabo & DR, and games & dinners.

 

HBW: I’ve seen you effortlessly transition from young adulthood to full-blown womanhood. What is your secret?

Cressida: I think it just took time to find out what I liked and wanted out of life. A good group of friends and family is key. Oh, I stopped partying as much, lol.

 

HBW: What advice do you have for young women aspiring to make that same transition?

Cressida: Don’t be afraid to use your resources, and if you don’t have any, then start. Networking is key. Speak up, don’t ever think your opinion isn’t valuable.

 

HBW: What is the best life advice you can give us?

Cressida: One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou- “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It’s clichĂ©, but treat people the way you want to be treated. That should be applied to all aspects of life, whether it’s personal or business. You never really know who is watching or your impact on them.

 

HBW: What words of encouragement do you have for black women?

Cressida: BE YOU! If somebody makes you uncomfortable, then address it.

 

HBW: What goals and plans do you have for the final half of 2022?

Cressida: I plan to close on my home, get a new car and hopefully work on promotion to state lead!