Profile: Sandra E. Brummitt

Some children dream of being astronauts or firefighters or rock stars. Sandra Brummitt, director of investor relations for Constellation Energy, always knew she wanted to be an accountant. But the executive MBA program at the Smith School helped Sandra take her skills in a new direction and pursue some career-stretching opportunities.

Brummitt joined Constellation Energy in 2001 in a tax role, building on her early career doing public accounting in California and then in Baltimore, Md., for KPMG. She found the energy sector fascinating and enjoyed her role as director of tax planning for Constellation.

But Brummitt also hoped to grow into a broader leadership role within the company. “When I joined the new energy group I knew I wanted to get an advanced degree because I wanted to be part of the leadership team,” says Brummitt. She originally considered pursuing a masters of taxation, but with three children, two stepchildren and a full-time job, scheduling class time was a concern. Brummitt heard about the Smith School’s Executive MBA from her boss, who suggested that the every-other-weekend class schedule might fit Brummitt’s life, and that the MBA curriculum would help her career development goals.

“The Smith School’s EMBA allowed me to continue my career progression within the company. I didn’t have to choose between career and education. I didn’t want to take a step back in my career to pursue a degree,” says Brummitt. “And my leadership felt like they could commit to me being out of the office on Friday and Saturday.”

Six months into the EMBA program, Brummitt says she was thinking more broadly about the issues her company and industry were facing, but discovered that “there was so much more I needed to know to run an organization.” Brummitt told her boss that she was interested in pursuing opportunities outside the tax realm to widen her experience, and she transitioned to a role in investor relations in early 2011, just before Constellation Energy merged with Exelon. Brummitt was able to work on the organizational restructuring process with leadership from both Constellation and Exelon. She served as the finance integration lead, preparing for the close of merger process. “It allowed me to leverage so many of the things I’d learned as I was learning them,” says Brummitt. “And it was amazing to have a front-row seat and get a birds-eye view of what was happening at the company during such an exciting time.”

Brummitt continues to leverage her EMBA skills at Constellation—and while she still loves taxation, she’s delighted to be able to have a broader impact on her company.

For more information about the Smith School’s Executive MBA program, contact Shelbi Brookshire.