As part of your role, you are working to build, optimize, and expand relationships with employers and business leaders. How does this feed into your overall vision for student success? 

This is central to my vision for student success and ultimately elevating the Kogod brand. Making solid corporate partnerships provides our students with increased access to internships and job opportunities. It allows us to align our work with current market needs and offer students relevant, real-world learning experiences. Most importantly, these partnerships provide students with valuable opportunities for professional growth, ensuring they are well-prepared to enter the workforce and thrive in their chosen careers.

Conversely, how would you describe your long-term vision for impacting and benefiting corporate partners?

My long-term vision revolves around creating a "school of choice" mindset, positioning Kogod as the premier destination for hiring top talent. By expanding our corporate partnerships, we aim to provide companies with access to a diverse pool of highly skilled and well-prepared candidates. We also strive to enhance collaboration with faculty. This allows us to align academic projects and research with the strategic goals of our corporate partners, fostering innovation and practical solutions to the challenges companies face.

Increased competitiveness among students can be one challenging byproduct of this work. How do you balance optimizing Kogod’s corporate relationships with fostering unity?

It’s crucial to inform companies about how they can engage with Kogod—and connecting faculty and staff to companies is a great way to do this. Fostering strong corporate relationships allows us to create meaningful partnerships while maintaining a robust, united, collaborative environment.

How does this connect to your overall vision of supporting the school?

Our primary goal is to effectively represent Kogod’s brand. This begins with transparency and open communication, ensuring that all stakeholders—students, faculty, and corporate partners—understand our goals and the benefits of our initiatives. This approach builds trust and aligns everyone's efforts toward common objectives. 

Much of this work is grounded in advancing experiential learning opportunities. What makes experiential learning so important for students? 

Experiential learning opportunities such as internships, applied projects, and mentorship programs equip students with practical skills and real-world experience that traditional classroom settings can't always provide. These experiences allow companies to see our students in action and provide students with hands-on experience, preparing them to meet today's challenges. It's a fantastic way to gain practical knowledge, develop essential skills, and acquire industry insights to impact their professional growth significantly. Kogod already excels in this area, and we plan to leverage our resources to expand this work.

What sets your approach apart from others leading similar work at business schools? 

I use a unique blend of understanding corporate needs and student desires and the ability to strategically align these to help build strong relationships. I also place a great deal of emphasis on understanding the specific goals and requirements of our corporate partners and ensuring exceptional customer service to build meaningful connections. People are at the core of what we do and how we do it. My service-oriented approach means that I prioritize ensuring students and employers feel supported and valued.  

How do you aim to impact Kogod as a learning institution—and the business world?

I am excited to help build a stronger support structure for students, alums, and companies to connect and engage. My goal at Kogod is to foster a stronger sense of community and support by building deeper connections, strengthening partnerships, and enhancing student and alums engagement. We have an incredible opportunity to help students develop practical skills and become tomorrow's leaders. This is exciting, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.