Delphia Porter — or Del as she’s called around the headquarters of the International Sleep Products Association — is the nonprofit’s office manager. Porter, who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, has been at ISPA for six years.
For someone whose job is people-oriented, it makes sense that her personal time is sociable, too. She enjoys talking to senior citizens and kids. “You can learn so much from both groups,” she says.
Porter also loves to take long walks and people-watch. “Body language is so amusing,” she admits.
In her spare time, she loves reading, writing, traveling, and attending concerts and theater productions. But she likes quiet time, too. She often sits in silence for 15- to 30-minute periods and lets her mind wander. When she’s finished, she journals what came to mind. “It can be in the morning, when I get home from work or just before bedtime,” she says. “It’s great.”
Now that you know a bit about Porter’s personal life, learn more about her professional life below.
BedTimes: Describe your role in a few sentences.
Delphia Porter: As the office manager, one probably immediately thinks of office supplies, office equipment, office furniture and office upkeep — everything offices need to keep employees feeling good when they arrive. It’s ensuring there’s coffee and sugar, but it’s also keeping the bathrooms in order and keeping people informed of situations, including office closures or internet outages. No two days are the same, and yet I’ve learned to handle it all with a Coca-Cola and a smile. It is great to see employees happy.
BT: What’s something about ISPA that people might not know?
DP: The International Sleep Products Association is just that. It’s an organization that cares about every part of mattresses, including bedding, coiling, governing bodies and also educates individuals. One might initially think of just sleep products, but ISPA goes much further than that. Who knew the sleep industry is so huge? ISPA is an outstanding organization. I’m so happy I was hired to be part of a caring group.
BT: What is one of the most exciting things you’ve accomplished since working at ISPA?
DP: For you, it might not seem exciting, but for me, it is exciting that our employees feel like a work family. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, laughter, engagements, births, inside jokes and express words of sympathy and encouragement when needed. In this world of so much turmoil, it is exciting to be a part of that. Sometimes just listening speaks volumes. We also share homemade baked goods. They are always delicious.
BT: What is a book, podcast or movie you enjoyed recently that you want to recommend to others and why?
DP: I love movies. I like to be entertained to take off the edge of a long, rough day with a movie that doesn’t require a lot of thinking — just pure enjoyment. One of my favorite movies is the Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump.” It’s a great, thought-provoking movie about seeing life in a simple way and with a smile. How many times have we heard this quote from the film: “Run Forrest, run.” Or one of the film’s other most famous lines: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.”
As the saying goes, “Life is about 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
