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Excellence and Impact: Young Alumni Use Business to Make a Difference

From big tech and politics to veterinary medicine, sustainable supply chains, and housing, these five College of Business alumni are changing how business is done and positively impacting their communities along the way.

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Eric Byington

Owner, Queen City Collective Coffee

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Amanda Ledesma

Amanda Ledesma

Executive director, Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity

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Buck Marshall

Buck Marshall

Risk advisor, YouTube

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Cynthia Patterson

Cynthia Patterson

Regional strategic veterinarian for Southeastern U.S., Zoetis

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Celine Wolff

Celine Wolff

Deputy digital director, Office of the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi

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Eric Byington

eric Byington
Eric Byington

Eric Byington is the owner of Queen City Coffee Collective in Denver. Byington graduated from the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA program - now the Impact MBA - in 2014.

Q

Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?

AMy brother, Scott, and I spent nearly a decade working together in international development, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Through our work there, we got to know farmers and leaders in agricultural communities in Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. Scott and I took a couple of years to pursue graduate degrees after we had shut down a development organization we had been running together and our youngest brother, Luke, went to live in Nicaragua during that time, where he spent a lot of time in the coffee growing region.

Collectively, we had some great connections and resources to farmers and producers that produce incredible coffee. Luke and Scott both had experience on the roasting and retail side of coffee and the three of us felt like there could be an interesting opportunity to use our network and experiences to build a business in coffee. We explored a few different models and approaches and ultimately landed on starting our own coffee roasting business with wholesale offerings and a strong retail presence

Amanda Ledesma

Amanda Ledesma
Amanda Ledesma

Amanda Ledesma is the executive director of the Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity in Watertown, New York. Ledesma graduated from the Online MBA in 2016.

Q

Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?

AI worked in the finance industry for 16 years, mostly in retail branch management. As part of my commitment to the community, I joined the Jefferson Leadership Institute where I had an opportunity to join the board of directors for Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity. Serving on the board helped me find passion for work that I had been missing in finance. In 2018, the Executive Director position became available. I am blessed that the selection committee chose me for the position.

Buck Marshall

buck marshall
Buck Marshall

Buck Marshall is a risk advisor for YouTube working in the San Franscisco Bay Area. Marshall graduated with his Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration in 2015, completing a concentration in computer information systems

Q

Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?

AUntil my recent move, I was working in business software. I started learning about business/enterprise software while at the College of Business and during my internship with Woodward, Inc. I started with Woodward my junior year as an intern on their business systems team, learning about enterprise resource planning systems – essentially the nervous systems for businesses today.

After graduation, I continued with Woodward in Los Angeles, learning more about how these systems worked and were implemented. I was able to further this experience when I joined SpaceX, and I was also able to apply some of the more technical skills I had learned at the College of Business such as SQL scripting and database design. The support that the College provided me with, along with the recommendation for my first internship at Woodward, was a huge factor in my ability to gain experience.

Cynthia Patterson

Cynthia Patterson
Cynthia Patterson

Cynthia Patterson is a regional strategic veterinarian for the Southeastern U.S. at Zoetis. Patterson earned her MBA in 2008. 

Q

Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?

AWhen I was a teenager, I had my first real job working with the animals that were under the care of our family veterinarian just down the street from where I lived. I always had a cat and birds as pets growing up but didn’t have a lot of exposure to other animals. This job was really a “coming of age” experience for me. In addition to learning how to walk dogs and care for them, I learned how to do laundry, mop, help the groomer make dogs look absolutely beautiful, soothe people who were afraid for their pets when they were sick or injured, and take pride in my work. It wasn’t until one situation with a dog who was developing cognitive dysfunction, or “doggie dementia,” that I realized I wanted to be a veterinarian.

I was really amazed that a pharmaceutical company like Pfizer would manufacture a medication to help dogs with cognitive dysfunction … and that the medication really worked for this dog! The family was so relieved that they were given more time with their beloved pet. I was then in awe of all the things that veterinarians could do, and I realized it was the best option of all the healing sciences. It wasn’t planned out, but I actually work for that pharmaceutical company now (Zoetis was formerly a part of Pfizer Animal Health). I enjoy being on the forefront of veterinary science and that I have a role where I can educate other veterinarians on new science of diseases, breakthroughs in technology, and new medications.

Celine Wolff

Celine Wolff
Celine Wolff

Celine Wolff is the deputy digital director in the Office of the Speaker of the House in Washington D.C. Wolff graduated with her Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration in 2018, completing a concentration in marketing

Q

Why did you decide to pursue your current career path?

AI’ve always been naturally drawn to digital marketing and online advertising. In college, I loved creating things, from starting a style blog to hosting a podcast through the Career Management Center. I didn’t consider digital marketing and online advertising a career path until I came to Washington, D.C., to intern for Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon. There, I learned offices have digital directors who worked to highlight what members of Congress are doing for their constituents through graphics and videos for social media. I was immediately drawn to the chance to combine my love of creating digital content with serving the public.

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