Nearly thirty business alumni traveled to Woodard Hall, home of the College of Business, for Career Chats on March 27 and 28, 2018. Career Chats, an initiative of the College of Business, connects students with successful alumni professionals to network, share knowledge and experience, and provide students with an opportunity to engage directly with alumni.
Business alumni visited from as far away as New Jersey. The speakers represented a variety of career fields and professions. Some are entrepreneurs, sales executives, chief financial officers from industries ranging from the federal government to real estate. More than forty classes participated in the two day program.
Michelle Quinn ’05 MBA
Pam Nemeth ’03, senior tax associate at CohnReznick, led an interactive session in Ken Machande’s accounting class. Nemeth urged students to take their CPA exam shortly after graduating. She also shared the importance of finding internships that will help provide a path.
Michelle Quinn ’05 MBA, spoke to Dr. John Marsh’s class. Quinn is the senior vice president and chief strategy officer at VxL Enterprises. She works mainly with government contractors and multi-national companies. Quinn stressed the importance of work ethic, excellent writing skills, being professional and planning ahead. “Remember that no work is beneath you. Pursue excellence in each job as it will define you as a person and earn you a seat at the table. No job lasts forever. Evaluate and take lessons with you. Last but not least, find balance in your life.”
Rob Whitt ’93
Rob Whitt ’93, is the corporate comptroller at Markel Corporation in Richmond, VA. He talked about how to thrive and grow at a company, as he has worked at Markel for more than twenty years. “If you want to grow and develop in a role, you need to be assertive,” as he talked about the importance of sharing career goals with supervisors.
Career Chats is hosted annually during the spring semester by the UMW College of Business. Alumni interested in participating in future Career Chats should visit the Career Chats information page. Recruitment for this event takes place in January each year.
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