Alumni Statements
Mark Smrecek, class
of 2000
Dmitri Demin, class of 1999
Shelby McCulley, class of 1998
Steve Carroll, class of 1992
Patrick O’Leary, class of 1991
Octavio Camarena-Villasenor, class of 1990
Sean Scanlan, class of 1990
Jon Hofer, class of 1985
Claus Meyer, class of 1979
I am a senior actuarial analyst for the global consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide in Chicago. Some projects that I am currently working on include, but are not limited to determining funding requirements for pension plans of several Fortune 1000 companies, redesigning pension plans to save long and short term cost to companies, and setting expense assumptions based on current economic conditions using both macro and micro-economic principles learned at LU. I recently passed Course 1 of the Society of Actuaries exam series and am currently working on Course 2 which includes corporate finance, interest theory, and micro/macroeconomics. LU has provided a solid base in economic theory as well as the resourcefulness to go and research that which is not evident.
I was hired by Deloitte Consulting, Chicago office, my senior year at Lawrence. After graduation, I moved to Chicago and started with Deloitte the following month. My responsibilities at Deloitte include helping companies reengineer their Sales and Marketing business processes and implement the German ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) package SAP, specifically the Sales and Distribution module. As of winter 2002, I have been at 4 different clients: BP/Amoco, SC Johnson, Bayer and Graybar, as well as participated in internal projects.
While I would not say any particular course I took at Lawrence prepared me specifically for what I do at work today, as a whole my Lawrence experience has been very helpful in a number of ways. First, the habit to exercise quality writing. This one becomes very useful when you work for a company such as Deloitte, where you need to do quite a bit of writing: presentations, various project deliverables, or even e-mail. Secondly, experience of handling a variety of unfamiliar subjects, and being able to understand them good enough to pass the course. In consulting, you change your projects very often and need to quickly learn about the new project and all the issues associated with it. After Lawrence, you are more prepared than some of your other peers to successfully operate in an unfamiliar territory. Last but not least, the Economics classes I took helped me better understand the events that occur at my company, and our clients, and thus make better decisions when I needed to respond to those events.
Shelby McCulley, class of 1998
After graduation I worked as a Business Analyst (and later
Senior Business Analyst) for ACUITY, a property-casualty insurer
based on Sheboygan, WI. My job responsibilities included project management,
systems analysis and design, and workflow reengineering. While it was a great
job and a great place to work, my passion has always been public
policy, so after three years I decided it was time to go back to school. I'm
currently in my first year of the Master of Public Policy program at the Goldman
School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. My long-range
plan is to work in policy implementation and public management at the local
or state level.
My Lawrence education has been a tremendous help in my career and in my graduate studies. The broad range of skills acquired through a liberal arts education (writing, critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative analysis) have been consistently valuable, and the economics program in particular sharpened my quantitative and analytical skills. The economics major was also excellent preparation for my current work in public policy analysis because of the emphasis on concepts such as opportunity cost, efficiency and equity, and the inevitable tradeoffs involved with public policy-making. All of these things gave me a strong foundation on which to build as I continue my graduate work and my career.
Since graduating from Lawrence in 1992, I worked with four different organizations. I believe that Lawrence prepared me for success in each organization not because of specific knowledge gained. Rather, my Lawrence education, by exposing me to different disciplines and approaches to understanding and solving problems, helped, and continues to help me, approach complex business issues in a variety of contexts with an adaptable toolbox. Also, Lawrence afforded me the opportunity to participate in varsity athletics (baseball team) which provided many valuable lessons about teamwork, success, and failure.
My first employer was Fidelity Investments. During my three years with Fidelity, I played several roles, including customer service, team management, and retirement plan administration. After Fidelity, I consulted with both Andersen Consulting and Deloitte Consulting, and I worked on business reengineering engagements in several different firms. Each firm also employed different approaches to solving clients' business challenges. For the past six years, I have been with Cerner Corporation. We provide a wide range of healthcare information technology solutions. My Lawrence experience prepared me to think and communicate effectively with clients at many different organizational hierarchy levels from systems operators to CEOs and many different industries.
Patrick O’Leary, class of 1991
After graduating from Lawrence in 1991, I took a position as a financial analyst with a regional investment banking firm in Minneapolis. I moved through the various training programs, on to become a vice president responsible for deal production, and am currently a Senior VP. I am engaged in the underwriting and structuring of municipal bonds for a variety of clients including multifamily (apartment) owners, acute care facilities, long term care facilities, economic development and governmental purpose clients.
I have spoken on a couple of occasions with students in St.
Thomas' real estate/municipal finance program. I have described the value
of me liberal arts education as follows:
It is my firm belief that a liberal arts education from Lawrence University
provided me not only with the economic and business skills necessary to my
industry, but a broad and diverse background in a variety of disciplines.
The ability to speak on multiple levels with both prospective and existing
clients has proven invaluable. The focus and attention of the Lawrence education
on communication - both verbal and written - provides a clear cut advantage
in competitive situations.
Octavio Camarena-Villasenor, class of 1990
For my part, I started one year ago an Application Service
Provider (ASP)
Masnegocio.com . We handle PeopleSoft´s ERP software aimed
at the middle market. We are opening an industry in Latinamerica and as you
know, every time you start an industry there are many hurdles. We funded the
company with a VC company and currently are in the second round process. We
already have revenues. Before that, me and another partner started Mexico
Analytica a company similar to Bloomberg specialized on the Mexican market.
The company gives real time quotes, news and analysis. Before that I was a
consultant dealing with Public Policy issues on health, and transportation
primarily. Before that I got my Masters at Harvard at the Kennedy School
of Government. Before that I was a stubborn econ student studying Macro
and coaching soccer with some guy named Merton Finkler. Well, that has been
my professional life.
Like a bad term paper, my career began with the familiar, meandered midway, and soon, ran out of steam. Along the way I confused "experience" with "employability" and pursued fancy rather than fact. Of all the un-economic decisions that I have made, becoming a freelance writer must have been the worst. With more foresight, I would rather wish myself a deer in the cross hairs of Professor Azzi's hunting rifle, or a D-grade which he would promptly stomp underfoot.
But alas, there are no second chances, and as American teenagers like to say, no regrets. I continue to think the macro, the micro, and whatever rational expectation that may come to mind as I produce articles pertaining to business and economics for the China Post, the European Council of Commerce and Trade (Taiwan), and the regional magazine, Asian Business. Along the route, I have confused and confounded, but like Prof. Azzi, never bore.
After graduating from Lawrence in 1985, I went to work the Management Information Consulting Division of Arthur Andersen. I worked for the company for more than 16 years as it transitioned to Andersen Consulting, and then Accenture. I practiced primarily in the utility and banking industries. Most of my work was serving clients on systems implementation projects, but I also did a few up front, strategic planning projects. I was let go by Accenture in October, 2001 and accepted a new position as the Vice President, Head of Application Development Services for Aetna in January, 2002.
I believe that my Lawrence education has served me very well since graduation. Less than ten percent of what I learned at Lawrence has been directly related to my career, but there in lies the strength of my Lawrence education. Since most professionals go to college rather than technical school, what you learn is only applicable at the beginning of your career (unless you are stagnating in your career). To grow as a professional (especially in a consulting career), you need to constantly learn, developing and adapting your skills. My Lawrence Economics major provided me with a strong analytical foundation. The fact that it was part of a liberal arts education meant that I also had to be successful in other disciplines. By conquering Freshmen Studies, Biology, The History of Chinese Philosophy, and a variety of other classes in college, I was better prepared to adapt to changing technology and a variety of industries. This was never more evident then when I lost my job this past Fall and was faced with working my way through a difficult transition. The ability to think on my feet and adapt to new situations was crucial in my job search. After I started my new job, I was faced with learning the complexities of the health care industry and stepping up to the challenge of leading a department of 1,300 people. At Lawrence I "learned how to learn", which has allowed me to get the next phase of my career off to a good start.
After graduating from Lawrence I went to the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, graduating with a major in Marketing in 1981. My first five working years I spent with Leo Burnett Inc., a major Chicago advertising company, which transferred me to Frankfurt, Germany in 1983. As an account executive I handled accounts such as Procter & Gamble and Philip Morris. From 1986 until 1988 I was at Young & Rubicam, another advertising agency in Frankfurt, handling Kodak.
After having decided to cover the entire Marketing spectrum, not just advertising I went as a product manager to VISA Card Services, a subsidiary of the Spanish Banco Santander (today : Santander central Hispano, one of the top ten banks in Europe). I am still there, as Director Marketing, having helped extend the product spectrum to loans, funds and full-fledged brokerage.
Lawrence helped me to see issues with a broad perspective, not just financial, or pure Marketing, but for example also the intra-company effects. Actually, my economics courses with Jim Dana certainly helped me, when it came to develop certain products (accounts in Polish Zloty) where an understanding of the economics of Poland in relation to Europe is necessary. And I will never forget in the late ´80, as the Sowjet Union imploded, remembering Hittle´s "History of Russia", which already gave us an understanding of why this would happen
