Dave Carey ’96

Carey 036What was your major/minor and what year did you graduate?
BS, Business 1996

Tell us about your current position. Can you describe a typical day?
CEO and Co-Founder of ROI Training. We are headquartered in New York City but have employees and consultants throughout the US and UK. We deliver Technology and Management education to Fortune 500 companies and large federal agencies. Every day is different for me, which is what makes life interesting. I typically start around 6:00am because we have customers in Asia and the UK. My day is spent talking with customers, staff, and our consultants. I am a big researcher and spend a lot of time getting to know what drives our customers and my consultants. If I’m lucky, I will find time to sneak in a run during the day, but that doesn’t happen nearly enough! I try to close the laptop at 6pm so I can spend time with family. I usually end up checking emails and talking with my consultants late in the evening, so not sure the day ever really ends. I work with incredibly bright people and feel fortunate to learn new things every day. I also spend 5-10 days a month traveling to various customer locations in the US, UK, and India.

How do you think your major/program prepared you for the job you have now?
Like most teenagers, I was relatively blind to what it meant to be in the “real world”. Getting a liberal arts education provided me with the opportunity to explore several different areas I thought I might be interested in pursuing as a career. I took a number of English classes because I thought about writing for a newspaper. Psychology was something I was interested in so I took a few entry level classes. If I remember correctly, I also looked at Math. Ultimately, the Business Department is where I landed and was most passionate. The liberal arts education definitely worked great for me and provided me with important life skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, economic and societal differences, various political perspectives, and communication skills.

How did you become interested in your field?
I was fortunate to have a good friend, and UMW grad, working in the Technology and Management Education space. He helped me land my first job out of school and I have now been working in this field for the last 17+ years. I work with incredibly bright and talented people all over the world, and technology moves so quickly there is never a dull moment.

What’s the best career advice you have ever received?
You can always outwork people. I saw how hard my parents worked and learned from them.

Was there a professor, advisor, or fellow student who made an impression on you or helped you when you were at UMW?
My brother graduated from Mary Washington as well (’91). He has always been very successful and worked for some great companies and gov’t agencies, which I found particularly interesting as I developed my career.

What’s your fondest memory of UMW?
I met so many great friends at Mary Washington. I don’t know what it is about the school, but you seem to form very strong bonds with the people you meet. I still speak with and see a large group of alums regularly. We go on annual golf trips, get together for dinner, etc…

Why do you stay involved with the College of Business?
I enjoy working with the students. I have had several interns over the last two years, which has turned out to be a great experience for the students and helpful for my company because they bring new ideas to the table. I have also participated in Career Chats, which was fun. Dean Richardson has brought a great deal of excitement to the CoB and continues to assemble a talented Board. There is a lot of enthusiasm behind the CoB and we can make an impact so definitely a fun time to be involved.

Are there any special accomplishments you’ve achieved after college that you would like to share?
On the personal side, marrying my wife Paige and the birth of our son Brennan. Being a father and husband is an amazing thing. We are expecting our 2nd child (another boy) in late-May.

On the professional side, my company was recently named as a Top 20 IT Training Company for the second consecutive year by TrainingIndustry.com. We work with several of the most successful companies in the world to provide cutting-edge training for their staff.

How would your family or friends describe you in seven words or less?
Enjoys life, caring, honest, hard-working, loyal

What’s the single most important advice you’d like to give to current business students?
Work hard, but also enjoy every minute of your time at Mary Washington. This is a stage in life you will never forget and the people you meet will become lifelong friends.