FOL-Career Success

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18)

Jane Majkiewicz — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18) Jane Majkiewicz Fri, 08/16/2024 - 09:00

Anna Sheffer , MFA’25

Senior Employer Relations Manager, Leeds School of Business

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18) specializes in helping others live authentically—a quest she understands, thanks to the many turns her path has taken.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to just help people understand themselves and have empathy for others and understand others,” she said. “More purposeful and authentic living is what I strive for in my own life, and I hope that the services I provide can help give that to others.”

Finding a Place

Growing up in nearby Lafayette, Minnihan was unsure about attending ��Ƶ. She got accepted for engineering but quickly transferred to Leeds because she wanted to work with people and understood the value a business degree could provide.

As a student, Minnihan’s numerous extracurriculars included playing Ultimate Frisbee on the women’s club team, studying abroad in Prague, participating in the Leeds Scholars Program and creating a peer leadership program for the Presidents Leadership Class.

"When you're a student, there are so many opportunities to just go for it, and so many resources,” she said. “Even now, working at Leeds, I feel it’s crazy how much I see that.”

Although Minnihan was unsure what she wanted to do after graduation, her time at Leeds allowed her to test out a variety of options. She obtained a certificate from the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR), co-created a non-profit focused career fair and interned in HR with the resort company Intrawest.

“Even the power of figuring out what you don't want to do is amazing,” she said. “I had a lot of unpaid internships throughout my time at Leeds that were super helpful for understanding more about what I like and what I don't like.”

It took a few more years of experimentation before Minnihan found her passion. After graduation, she worked as an au pair in Switzerland before accepting a job with EF Education First, a company that organizes experiential learning trips overseas. After a year, she applied to a position at Leeds that would enable her to focus more on program management while still working in education.

“Even the power of figuring out what you don’t want to do is amazing.”

Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18)

“Being at Leeds, I feel like I get to live out my passion for education in my work, while also being able to explore all these other avenues that I aspire to in the future,” she said.

Minnihan’s position at Leeds has focused on both experiential learning and employer relations. Working with recruiters and students inspired her to get her professional coaching certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and to launch her own business, Enneagram with Kate, which offers training for individuals and teams based on the Enneagram personality tool.

“Shifting more into coaching and getting my ICF certification was a big deal,” she said. “[So was] starting to work more with clients and think about, ‘What does it look like to help people achieve their goals, either career-related or just in general?’”

Inspiring others

In her Leeds role, Minnihan loves working with students. Although she works remotely from San Diego, Kate returns to campus throughout the semester for career fairs and events, and she also travels with students to major cities around the country for career treks.

"It's very cool to feel not only the more tangible outcomes that are helping place students in internships and jobs, but also the more human side and relational part of the journey of getting to see how students grow and change over time,” she said.

Minnihan’s search for authenticity is ongoing. Her most recent endeavor is obtaining a master’s degree in Learning Studies and Human Development from ��Ƶ Denver. Regardless of what she is doing, Minnihan strives to accept opportunities that come her way and inspire others to dream big.

“It's rewarding to say, ‘Hey, I saw the students’ needs and I was able to help them find the solution,’” she said.

Both a Leeds alumna and staff member, Kate Minnihan (Mgmt’18) specializes in helping others live authentically—a quest she understands, thanks to the many turns her path has taken.

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Regina Koetters (MRelEst’24)

Jane Majkiewicz — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Regina Koetters (MRelEst’24) Jane Majkiewicz Fri, 07/12/2024 - 21:00

Anna Bedell (Mktg’25)

Executive Coach, ClientWise LLC; Executive Leadership Coach, Partners in Building Better LLC

From place to place, career to career, Regina Koetters has done a lot in her life. Now, after receiving a master’s degree from ��Ƶ Boulder, she’s happy to settle into work that she’s passionate about in the real estate industry.

A nontraditional path

Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Koetters entered the United States Naval Academy straight from high school. She went into aviation as a naval flight officer and was deployed in various places around the United States and Europe. She went to Iraq following the 9/11 attacks.

With all her Navy travel experiences, she developed an interest in real estate development. “I noticed just how incredibly influential the built environment is on the kinds of relationships people have with each other, the city, and ultimately, the lives that people lead,” she said.

Koetters decided to go back to school to get an MBA at the University of Michigan. Following a move to Pittsburgh to pursue an urban planning project, she was recalled to Iraq for a year and then returned to Pittsburgh, where she opened a business in 2012 to help address market inefficiencies with small farms. Although pouring everything she saved into the business, she ultimately made the tough decision to close it in 2016.

Then followed a few more years with the Navy. After that, she relocated to Louisville, Colorado, and began pursuing her master’s in real estate at ��Ƶ.

Helping business professionals

Koetters parlayed her life and work experiences into becoming a self-employed executive coach. She enjoys advising clients when their businesses are facing a problem, although she said she has never really loved the term ‘coach.’ “It infers that I have a playbook and I just say ‘go run these plays.’ That’s not what happens—I'm much more of a person that helps clients rewire what they believe is possible and what they believe is true about themselves.”

Koetters knows that being your own boss has its challenges, saying there’s no one to rely on but yourself. She can draw from that personal experience, empathizing with business owners about the stress of running a company.

“It’s like everyone in your life is mad at you or wants something from you,” she said. “Very few people are coming to you and saying, ‘Are you okay?’ Most business owners don’t realize how stressful it is.”

She considers herself to be a thought and accountability partner for her business clients. “They really are the ones who decide what's important and what they want to achieve. And I just help them do that—faster and with less pain.”

“I’m a builder at heart. I’m excited to join a great team that’s building great places to live and work, and to put all my skills into practice.”

Regina Koetters (MRelEst’24)

Diversity as a strength

Throughout her career, Koetters has often been a minority in the room—whether it has been as a woman in the Naval Academy, a young person within the commercial real estate industry, or as a nontraditional student. She’s used these experiences to learn and ensure that she’s building a culture of equity and inclusion in each industry she serves.

“Each one of us carries these biases,” she said. “We have to be aware of them so we're able to effectively navigate in a work environment.”

With her master’s degree in hand, Koetters is thrilled to be in the commercial real estate industry.

“I’m a builder at heart,” she said. “I’m excited to join a great team that’s building great places to live and work, and to put all my skills into practice.”

From place to place, career to career, Regina Koetters has done a lot in her life. Now she's excited to be in real estate development helping create great places to live and work.

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Rob La Trobe (MBA, MSupCha’24)

Jane Majkiewicz — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 03:00:00 +0000

Rob La Trobe (MBA, MSupCha’24) Jane Majkiewicz Tue, 06/18/2024 - 21:00

Anna Bedell (Mktg’25)

Strategic Sourcing Analyst, Stack Infrastructure

Business wasn’t Rob La Trobe’s first career choice—nor his second. After a long journey, he found himself at ��Ƶ Boulder, leading to a career path that he loves. In June 2024, La Trobe landed his “dream job,” working as a strategic sourcing analyst.

Originally from Chicago, La Trobe was a first-generation graduate of Purdue University in 2015, getting a degree in premed with plans to go to grad school. After deciding that he didn’t want to commit to medicine, he joined the military and worked in intel until 2020. He was in operations and sales positions until he came to ��Ƶ Boulder.

“I had the opportunity to make my own path rather than have one carved out for me,” he said. “I ended up at ��Ƶ Boulder once I saw I needed to sharpen my tools in order to be ‘dangerous’ when it came to business acumen.”

Pursuing a Dream

La Trobe wasn’t sure what to expect coming into Leeds. He hadn’t studied business before, but he knew this career path was his passion, and he was willing to work hard to create the experience he wanted.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could be incredibly successful,” he said. “I held on to that dream and that goal. It took some iterations, failing in a lot of things that didn’t work out for me. But that's part of it—and that’s the fun part.” It helped that he felt surrounded by people who wanted him to do well, with a supportive culture that fostered connection. “It was a recipe for success.”

“It took some iterations, failing in a lot of things that didn’t work out for me. But that’s part of it—and that’s the fun part.”

Rob La Trobe (MBA, MSupCha’24)

A Delicate Balancing Act

Even with the stress of studying for two master’s degrees, La Trobe wanted to get involved in causes that he cares about. He joined Leeds’ Net Impact Club, which focuses on sustainability in business, and the MBA Veteran's Club, where he worked to inform veteran students of their benefits and connect them to different departments at ��Ƶ. He served as the president of both organizations, all while balancing his school work and personal life.

“I felt like I was spinning a million plates, and fumbling quite a few of them,” he said. “It doesn't feel like you're doing anything right when you’re spread so thin. But you don’t have to spin the plates forever. It's OK for some of them to fall—where they should be. Everything happens for a reason.”

Those reasons were abundantly clear when upon graduation La Trobe was named the MS Supply Chain Management Outstanding Student and he landed his current job. It has felt like the perfect fit. He especially enjoys being inspired by two bosses who encourage him to fail forward and experiment.

Gratitude and Giving Back

Reflecting upon his time at Leeds, La Trobe said he’s proud of and grateful for ��Ƶ Boulder. “I can't thank the school enough.” He's eager to keep giving back. “I feel like it’s hard to be successful. I'd love to help where I can,” he said. “I’m privileged to be here. I'm grateful for the position I'm in now.”

After exploring different fields, including military service, Rob La Trobe decided to pursue dual master's degrees at Leeds, leading to his current "dream job" as a strategic sourcing analyst.

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Allie Williams (Ops, InfoMgmt’19)

Anonymous — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Allie Williams (Ops, InfoMgmt’19) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 02/10/2023 - 00:00

Strategy and Analytics Consultant, Deloitte

Allie Williams is an early adopter.

No, she doesn’t need the latest and greatest phone, VR headset or smartwatch. But from the time she enrolled at Leeds, she could clearly see that technology and business were fast becoming inseparable.

As a senior, Allie was president of the Leeds Association for Information Systems, where she was proud to continue the group’s mission of bringing together students studying business and engineering, to help them discover areas where their studies and professional ambitions overlapped.

“When I was a student, that intersection of business and technology wasn’t as available at Leeds,” she said. “I’m glad to see that now, it’s become a core mission of the school to foster that partnership between the disciplines.”

The cross-disciplinary efforts she made as a student are now an important part of Allie’s professional life. After a summer scholar internship with Deloitte, she joined the Big Four powerhouse; two years ago, she was promoted to her current role, where she connects client needs with developers to ensure her recommendations solve the client’s problems.

“I really enjoy how applicable my work is,” she said. “Sometimes, I get to work with a large-scale client where I’m also a customer, and to actually get to see the recommendations I’ve made show up in the marketplace is really cool.”

“There’s so much more we can do to use data for good. It’s one thing to collect data at every piece of process, but to pull insights from it and help make decisions through it is an area where I can see myself adding value for years.”

Allie Williams (Ops, InfoMgmt’19)

Allie also stays in close touch with Leeds, having recently ended her service on an advisor board for young alumni and relishing the opportunities to mentor and influence future generations of students.

That was especially true while she was chair of undergraduate engagement.

Influencing future generations

“At Leeds, I was very involved, and really enjoyed extracurricular opportunities and getting to bring in and learn from guest speakers,” she said. “On the board, there were so many opportunities to connect with students, give back and help them figure out what their future could look like.”

Many of those students are interested in her career path. Consulting is a popular early-career path at Leeds; Allie said that for problem solvers—especially those with an interest in data and analytics—the industry can be a rewarding one.

“Consulting is a great way to, early on in your career, see a lot of different businesses and understand how things work in professional settings—along with what skills you need to add value to the business,” she said.

It’s an industry she’d like to stay in, as someone who relishes opportunities to learn at work.

“Deloitte offers a lot of professional development and continuous learning opportunities, so I’m looking to keep learning more about the technical side of the business,” Allie said. “There’s so much more we can do to use data for good. It’s one thing to collect data at every piece of process, but to pull insights from it and help make decisions through it is an area where I can see myself adding value for years.”

More Faces of Leeds Undergraduate programs GOLD board

You might say Allie is an early adopter—not of the latest gadget, but of the perspective that technology and business go hand in hand.

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Jennifer Bixler (ChemEngr’98, Exec MBA’23)

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Jennifer Bixler (ChemEngr’98, Exec MBA’23) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/20/2023 - 00:00

Vice President of Program Management and Alliances, ArsenalBio

While the rest of us were preparing for virtual work at the onset of the pandemic, Jennifer Bixler was welcoming everyone else aboard.

Jennifer has been working remotely for more than a decade, but being an early adopter has helped her to better understand and appreciate the value of human connections at work.

“COVID actually made things a little easier for me, because suddenly, everyone else knew what it was like to do that,” she said. “And the technology advances have helped a lot, also.”

Of course, if you’re a Colorado native who equally loves the outdoors and the biotech industry, you’re going to have to make some compromises. Jennifer’s is virtual work: She’s built her leadership career remotely; for the past two years, she’s worked at ArsenalBio, in the Bay Area, and has also worked in remote roles for biotech companies in the Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., areas.

But when it came time to get her MBA, she balked at studying fully online. A major standout of the Executive MBA at Leeds was the offsite residency program, where students meet for extended periods at locations in the Colorado mountains and beyond. Jennifer felt a lockstep cohort program would give her the motivation to see her degree through, “and that personal connection with the other students is part of where the value is for me,” she said. “That’s how I’ve learned to work, as someone who is remote. I work with people, I work with individuals, and being able to build those personal connections outside of the classroom—through networking events, through everybody sitting in the hotel lobby in the evening working on case studies together—that builds a level of connection that I just didn't find in the other programs.”

A broader view of business

She also said taking classes alongside leaders in different disciplines has given her new perspectives on how to approach challenges and opportunities in her own work.

“Biotech is kind of its own world, and I very much value having that outside input and perspective from people in different fields—how they think about things, how they apply what they’re learning,” she said. “It has really added breadth to my education to have this level of connection with the other students.”

At ArsenalBio, Jennifer leans on her big-picture, strategic view of the world to work with internal teams and external partnerships to transform innovative ideas into clinical breakthroughs, specifically in the realm of programmable cell therapies designed to battle cancer.

“Leeds is giving me the language and the confidence to be able to share my perspectives, which has been a huge benefit.”

Jennifer Bixler (ChemEngr’98, Exec MBA’23)

“While we have our own pipeline of products, drug development is a very long, expensive process, and for any startup to fund that itself is next to impossible,” she said. “Being able to form those strategic partnerships with larger companies is a make or break, and we need to be able make good progress as a larger team coming from different company backgrounds, and being able to navigate those relationships.”

Her Leeds experience is helping her further refine her talent for keeping teams aligned on long-term strategic goals.

“When I was involved in the business discussions, I would often think, there’s got to be a better way of doing this, but I don't know what it is. That’s partly why I joined Leeds,” Jennifer said. “What has been interesting is the MBA has actually validated that I knew a lot of these answers, but I didn’t know that I knew them. Leeds is giving me the language and the confidence to be able to share my perspectives, which has been a huge benefit.”

When she’s not sharing her perspectives at work or spending time with her teenage kids, she’s either at the gym or on a mountain. Whether hiking, skiing, or participating in group fitness classes, Jennifer said physical fitness is an important part of her life: “I don’t have a lot of free time, but exercise is key to overall physical and mental health. It helps me find balance.”

More Faces of Leeds Executive MBA Leeds MBA programs

Biotech can be an isolated place, so when Jennifer went looking for an executive MBA, she wanted a diverse network representing varied industries. It’s why she chose Leeds.

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Maeve Schmid, CFP (Fin’18)

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Maeve Schmid, CFP (Fin’18) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/09/2022 - 00:00

Associate Wealth Advisor, Mercer Advisors

It’s not uncommon to hear stories of mom and dad waiting for their kids to finish high school and start college before moving away.

It’s lesson common for the kids to follow them. But that’s basically how Maeve Schmid went from California’s Napa Valley to Boulder.

“My family was looking for a more central location, because my stepdad traveled a lot,” said Maeve, who was an active student in Pi Beta Phi, the CoLab initiative and elsewhere. “So they made plans to move to Denver the same time I was moving to Boulder.”

And while she loved California, Maeve today lives in downtown Denver, giving her opportunities not just to explore the local restaurant and pickleball scenes, but also to stay connected with Leeds, especially the personal financial planning program.

“I really do love meeting the students and sharing the different levels of the business,” said Maeve, who was among the first students to complete the PFP program—securing a high-profile internship at Charles Schwab on the way. “Sometimes, being a financial advisor has this reputation where you have to figure everything out yourself. I love sharing what Mercer does with them, because I know coming out of college that I didn’t know all these things.”

“Learning their life stories and appreciating where they came from … is my favorite part of the job.”

Maeve Schmid (Fin’18)

Maeve was recently promoted to her current role at Mercer, where she takes seriously her responsibilities of building relationships, and trust, with her clients.

“People want to share who they are with you, and they want to answer your questions and have you understand who they are,” she said. “Learning their life stories and appreciating where they came from, and what money and investing means to them, is my favorite part of the job.”

She’s now working to instill that passion in future generations, through active involvement in Leeds’ Young Alumni Mentors program and continued involvement with the PFP program, including regular speaking events and networking sessions. “I love having those relationships with Leeds students,” she said. “I remember being in that position where you have questions—like, what’s the etiquette for email or sending calendar invites—that you maybe don’t want to ask a parent or professor.”

Maeve also is working as a mentor at Mercer, where she’s involved in the company’s InvestHers initiative, which helps empower female clients and employees. That’s something she wants to continue to do as her career advances—“to give new employees the kind of great experience Mercer gave me when I started.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds Undergraduate Programs

The financial planning program at Leeds help shape Maeve's early career path, so she's eager to give back.

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John Quinn (Fin’89)

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 06:00:00 +0000

John Quinn (Fin’89) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/04/2022 - 00:00

John Quinn enjoyed incredible success in his career with JPMorgan Chase, and one thing he knows for sure is that no one gets there alone.

It’s why, following a 33-year career with the bank, he remains an active mentor and a supporter of important causes, including need-based scholarships for bright students accepted to Leeds.

“Mentorship is a gift that everyone can give,” John said. “I really appreciate the Leeds School and the lessons I learned there, but I also learned so much through my family and mentors.”

John “joined” JPMC the same way many professionals do—as part of an acquisition by the investment bank and financial services giant. His first job out of Leeds was at First National Bank of Boulder, where he met his wife, Naomi, before the bank was bought out. But his early career, he said, included a lot of guidance from leaders who gave him insights and perspective that helped him rise to divisional director for eight western U.S. states, following his work leading Chase Wealth Management, the investment arm of the business.

“I really appreciate the Leeds School and the lessons I learned there, but I also learned so much through my family and mentors.”

John Quinn (Fin’89)

“I was fortunate to have some great leaders and mentors right away,” John said. “An executive vice president at the first bank I worked for took me under his wing, and helped me develop a broader perspective beyond my role.”

John has consistently paid that back by being a mentor to rising stars at the company, as well as supporting causes like ethic and gender diversity in business. Though he didn’t receive scholarships as a Leeds student, he and his wife established the John and Naomi Quinn Scholarship Fund Scholarship Fund “because it’s important to us to help people who don’t have the means to go to the University of Colorado, who did grow up with as much as I had.”

“There’s a lot of very successful alumni from Leeds,” he said. “We should be reaching out to help—we need to be that support system to get people to the next level, whether that’s as students or professionals.”

An emphasis on ethics

Though he’s retired from JPMC, he still serves as a mentor, and is in regular contact with nearly a dozen professionals. While he’s not formally mentoring any Leeds students, he’s happy to share his perspectives on what made him successful: hard work, personal accountability, and honesty and integrity.

The last two points you could actually trace back to John’s favorite Leeds class, which focused on business ethics.

“It was outstanding,” he said. “The professor was a former CEO, and he shared a lot of firsthand experience from his career, which led to great conversations. Something I really enjoyed about Leeds and the faculty were how direct and honest they were with people, with positive feedback as well as where they saw opportunities for criticism.

“At one point in my career, I had 15,000 employees under me. You want to always give that consistent feedback that will help them reach the next level of their career—even if it’s not something they want to hear. That was important at Leeds, as well.”

More Faces of Leeds Finance at Leeds Burridge Center for Finance

John Quinn had a long leadership career in finance. Today, he pays back all the support he got by mentoring others.

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Shay Cardenas (MBA’22)

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:50:25 +0000

Shay Cardenas (MBA’22) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/23/2022 - 10:50

HR Business Associate, Ford Motor Co.

Shay Cardenas has long been driven to succeed. So it makes sense that she works in human resources for an automaker.

“What I enjoy most about my work is the opportunity to creatively problem solve, because every day, there’s a new challenge,” she said.

After completing an internship with Ford, Shay started part-time while she was enrolled in the Leeds MBA. It’s been a major career shift—she worked mostly in nonprofits before completing her graduate degree—but one she has embraced wholeheartedly, despite the challenges she faced in enrolling in the program.

“Making the decision to go to grad school and forgo income is a hurdle for a lot of people in my position, but I always looked at this as investment in myself,” she said, adding that for the first time, she’s making more money than she owes in loans. “Without this degree and the support I got from Leeds, there’s no way I would have been able to get this job at Ford.”

That support included scholarships that allowed her to be very involved in the Leeds community—important, she said, because building a network was so important to her.

“At Leeds, you become part of this community that gives you a network and connects you to mentors,” she said. “I didn’t have a mentor before. Now, I have people I can call for career advice, or help solving problems.”

At Leeds, Shay was president of external relations for the Net Impact Case Competition, co-president of Women in Business and served on the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee—a serious lift for someone working part-time and raising three children during a pandemic that kept schools closed.

“I stayed busy,” is her modest way of putting it.

While her ultimate goal is to start her own business, Shay said she’s looking forward to advancing into a more strategic role at Ford as her career progresses, and said the analytical nature of her MBA will help her develop as a decision-maker and leader.

“I come from humble means, so it was a struggle for me to even get to where I was in my career,” she said. “Sometimes I look back and I’m like, ‘Wow, I’ve come a long way.’ And Leeds really gave me such a boost and helped me find my path.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds Leeds MBA

Leaving work to pursue an MBA full time was a scary proposition for Shay, 'but I always looked at this as investment in myself,' she said.

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Taylor Hartley (Comm’20; MBA’22)

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 18:31:56 +0000

Taylor Hartley (Comm’20; MBA’22) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/19/2022 - 12:31

Network Security Solutions Architect, Ericsson

Even for those who go directly from commencement to a master’s degree program, there’s usually an opportunity for at least a few weeks of R&R.

Taylor Hartley had 48 hours.

Following her service with the U.S. Navy, Taylor was living with her partner in Japan and finishing her undergraduate degree from ��Ƶ Denver when the pandemic brought life to a standstill. Unsure of what to do next, she followed the advice of her academic advisor.

“He said, ‘Get your semester done over the summer, you’ll graduate summa cum laude, you’ll get in anywhere you want,’” she said. “And so, I crammed in a whole fall semester over the summer, had my last final on a Saturday, flew from Japan to Florida and that Monday, started the MBA.”

Taylor credits her military service for helping her make it happen.

“Adaptability and flexibility are two things the military definitely emphasizes,” she said. “That’s where I learned to roll with the punches.”

In another sense, she’s been rolling with the punches her whole life. Taylor had a modest childhood, growing up in a broken home in Alabama; she left high school at 16 to work full time and better support herself.

“I was working as a waitress, and I just didn’t see a way out,” she said. “That’s when I started going to recruiters’ offices.”

“Adaptability and flexibility are two things the military definitely emphasizes.”

Taylor Hartley (Comm’20; MBA’22)

Taylor served in the Navy until the fall of 2018, rising to the rank of petty officer second class, as a cryptological technical collector (CTR). In that role, she did airborne reconnaissance, penetrating networks to gather intelligence. Now, she’s on the other side of the keyboard, helping keep 5G communications secure at Ericsson.

“I have the bad-guy perspective, I know what it’s like to be on the other side, so I know what to look out for,” she said.

Her naval service also brought her to Colorado for the first time. She did her first tour here, and would occasionally visit Boulder to hang out with people her age.

“I had so much responsibility, and all the other kids my age were in college, living this normal college life,” she said. “I would hang out with them, I went to a few parties, and it felt like an alternate universe—like, this is what a normal life might have looked like.

“And, then, 10 years later, I finally got to do it.”

More Faces of Leeds Why Leeds Leeds MBA

Taylor Hartley dropped out of high school to wait tables and support herself. How she got from there to her MBA is an incredible story.

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Ryan Adzima (MBA’22)

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 21:00:47 +0000

Ryan Adzima (MBA’22) Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/18/2022 - 15:00

Vice President of Acquisitions and Finance, Meriwether

If you ask Ryan Adzima for one word—other than skiing—describing why he left northern New Jersey for Denver, the answer would probably be innovation.

“In real estate, change comes slowly in Manhattan, because if you’re getting those rents, you’re happy with the money you’re making,” Adzima said. “If you want to do something different, you come to a place like Colorado, where you have room to develop new products and assets, and try something different.”

He found both the geography and industry shift he sought in the Leeds MBA.

“Whether I spoke to someone like Mike Kercheval (executive director of the ��Ƶ Real Estate Center) or Helen Zucchini (graduate admissions director), they would always tell me, ‘Here’s another person you should talk to,’” he said. “It helped me feel very comfortable and familiar with the real estate program.”

Ironically, when it came to internships, Adzima found himself back in New York, working with prestigious SL Green Realty. He had a great experience with the underwriting team, but most enjoyed the chance to opportunity to work on a marketing effort.

“If you want to do something different, you come to a place like Colorado, where you have room to develop new products and assets.”

Ryan Adzima (MBA’22)

The landlord’s iconic Summit One Vanderbilt had just opened, and Adzima hit on a low-cost way to compete with the other skyline experiences available in New York—hire a bunch of social media influencers to do the heavy lifting. Presenting that strategy to the marketing team was a highlight, though he’s more excited by redevelopment projects in Colorado than the bright lights of Manhattan.

“The ballpark district in lower downtown sold me on what I want to do in real estate—the way they redeveloped all those old warehouses into something that’s still functional and adds to the sense of community,” Adzima said. “That’s something I took away from my experience at SL Green—the idea that you’re there to build a better community.”

His education is helping him in his search as well as his part-time work with Pure Development. Through ��ƵREC, he was able to complete the Adventures in Commercial Real Estate, or A.CRE, financial modeling accelerator—an ambitious extracurricular experience that he feels will be required to work in the field 10 years from now.

“The Real Estate Center connected me with the most incredible opportunities,” Adzima said. “I go to every event they post, because it’s always a great opportunity to meet people or learn something new.”

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Why leave New York City for Denver to chase a real estate career? For Ryan Adzima, moving offered access to innovation.

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