Say hello to our newest Senior BDR Grace Gama!

Grace comes to us from Kaizen Labs, where she helped parks and recreation departments across the country. Based in Minneapolis, she's deeply invested in Minnesota's long-term growth, and she’s seen first-hand how local government employees are the backbone of thriving communities. Now at Holly, she helps government teams make sure the right people are there to keep those communities running. The throughline remains the same: ask good questions, solve real problems.

We chatted with Grace to talk about what drew her to Holly, what drives her, and what most people don't know about her.

What will you be doing at Holly?

I work in business development, which in practice means I spend a lot of time listening. My job is to connect with HR and compensation teams in local and state government, understand the problems they're navigating, and figure out whether Holly can genuinely help. What's slowing you down, what have you already tried, what would make a real difference? If the answer points to Holly, great! If it doesn't, maybe I know someone else who can help you.

What drew you to working in the public sector?

America is a massive country with a lot of complex needs and stakeholders. I respect the public servants who persist at difficult problems, and partnering with them felt like a chance to support people genuinely committed to civic good.

What specifically drew you to Holly?

What drew me to Holly was seeing how seriously the team treats the ideas that come from government employees. Frontline public servants are full of practical, well-considered suggestions for supporting their teams and communities. The question is rarely "Should we do this?" but rather "Do we have the bandwidth and resources to make it happen?" Too often the answer is no. The Holly team listens, removes friction, and builds pragmatic solutions that let agencies act on those ideas, which not only improves outcomes but shows real respect for the people doing the work. When I saw that level of care and follow-through, I knew I wanted to be part of the team.

What do you do outside of work?

Outside of work, you'll usually find me taking my family and friends out to visit new parks. Minnesota's parks and rec departments are some of the best in the country, and I take full advantage of that! Once it gets cold, I spend most of my time indoors reading nonfiction, such as To Rescue the Republic by Bret Baier. I am a big fan of plays and musicals, so I tend to sing along to soundtracks a lot. The Count of Monte Cristo is an old reliable.

My sister and I have traveled together for years, and our version of a trip is wandering neighborhoods, finding local artists, and getting absorbed in the history of a place. It's taught me to slow down and really savor what goes into making a place its own.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. A single careless move can undo months of goodwill. Being honest, accepting responsibility, and demonstrating change through actions is critical to any relationship, whether with business partners or friends and family.

So glad to be here!

‍