Not many executives can say they helped a company pivot from Chapter 11 bankruptcy to one of its best earnings years ever in their first two years, but Kenny Cheung ’05 can.

“I recently became familiar with some new language in the people and HR space called a zig-zag career.” Meredith LaBonte, Vice President of Corporate Business Solutions at Novant Health Digital Products and Services, thinks she’s a pretty good example of it.

There’s a book entitled “The Velvet Hammer” that describes the moniker of a woman who gets things done and done well by leading with grace and eloquence. Author Elaine Allison says this woman has let go of trying to make what works for her male counterparts work for her. 

Lisa Kidd Hunt didn’t exactly leave Smith after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in finance. Not in a Matthew Mcconaughey à la “Dazed & Confused” kind of way, but she’s the kind of person who sticks around, cultivating the relationships and roots she’s planted. She’s a football season ticket holder, she’s served as a commencement speaker and as a board member, and she continues to stay involved, partly because, as she puts it, she’s “jealous” of how much Smith students get out of their education these days.

Want to know how to climb the corporate ladder? Bet on yourself and take risks early in your career, says Neal Shear ’76.

As an African American woman CEO and working mother – in information technology, an area heavily dominated by men - Holbrook understands the weight of her words. One thing she’s learned is that “companies and clients are really all about people.”

Ava Cyruli ’22 needed an outlet to fill the void left by stepping away from her dancing career, so she turned to weightlifting. Now, she’s sharing what she’s learned along the way with thousands of people online.

The Master of Science in Business and Management program felt like the best foundation for me to gain more business knowledge, while also easing back into talking to people face to face in a professional way again. I would have been too nervous about doing that if I’d chosen to work right after getting my bachelor’s degree.

“I let things happen and the jobs came to me. I did not seek them,” that’s what Richard O’Neill says about his path to success.

Most successful people wake up no later than 6 a.m. and Long Jiang is no exception.  He usually wakes up at 5:30, works out for 45 minutes then heads to his office. Jiang is CEO of Goertek, one of the largest China based companies in the world that designs and manufactures smart devices.