Hello!

I am a fourth year senior in the Organizational Leadership program. This is my last semester, and after one summer class, I will graduate this (August) and go on to pursue an MBA.

I live in Northeastern CT, and am a full-time student enrolled in 18 credit hours this semester. I was self-employed from 2009 to 2014 when I began PSU full-time. Last semester I took 15 credit hours and worked a temporary full-time job at an insurance company.

Most of my leadership experience comes from starting my small business which is still in operation and is run by my partner. As a self-funded small business owner, I was charged with leading over 200 independent contractors who worked as sales people. I developed our website, marketing strategy and materials, our training program, wrote our proposals, negotiated our supply contracts, and projected our sales volume. I also led, trained, and developed our sales team. I plan on either working in marketing or HR when I graduate.

My long-term plans include a leadership development company that helps individuals and organizations develop stronger skills, self-awareness, and their professional brand; and an executive role leading a marketing, product development, or talent development program for a large corporation.

My interests include listening to NPR podcasts, cycling, binge watching a really good series, hiking, and kayaking. Most of all I enjoy date nights with my husband and family time with my 2 daughters and stepson. Something interesting about me is that I routinely “go way down the rabbit hole” researching and learning about things that make me curious. This can happen multiple times per week, and serve the purpose of filling my “mental trough” of useless information. For that reason my favorite leadership quote comes from Diane Sawyer who once said in an interview, “Wake up curious, and determined to find an answer”

Good luck to all this semester!

Best,

Ericka