Fords Look at Careers in Business

Alumni business professionals connected with current students at the “Fords in Business Conference” organized by the Center for Career and Professional Advising, and the Department of Economics.

A panel of alumni discuss the MBA experience at the Fords in Business Conference. The panel included (L-R) Constantinos Coutifaris '06, Caroline Boyd Kronley '02, Iris Colon '06, Quang Lam '04, Evan LeFlore '06, Arden Miller '02, Jonathan Rossman '05, Samir Shah '03, and Natalie Wossene '08.

A group of alumni who are leading professionals in the business field returned to campus on November 1 to participate in the Fords in Business Conference: The Road from Haverford to Business School. Co-sponsored by the Center for Career & Professional Advising (CCPA), the Department of Economics, and a dedicated group of alumni, the half-day conference featured alumni speakers, panel discussions, and a networking reception.

Constantinos Coutifaris ’06 and Anne Preston, chair of the economics department, created the concept for the conference which aimed to engage alumni with current students interested in and preparing for business school. Alumni included keynote speaker David Maue ’92, managing director and CAO of American Securities LLC; Paula Steisel Goldfarb ’95, assistant dean of  NYU’s Stern School of Business; and Caroline Boyd Kronley  ’02, associate director for strategy at the Rockefeller Foundation.

A panel of alumni discuss the MBA experience at the Fords in Business Conference. The panel included (L-R) Constantinos Coutifaris ’06, Caroline Boyd Kronley ’02, Iris Colon ’06, Quang Lam ’04, Evan LeFlore ’06, Arden Miller ’02, Jonathan Rossman ’05, Samir Shah ’03, and Natalie Wossene ’08.
Students listen to Paula Goldfarb’s talk on MBA admissions.
Quang Lam ’04 speaks about MBA admissions at the Fords in Business Conference.
Constantinos Coutifaris ’06 chats with students at the networking reception.
Natalie Wossene ’08 speaks with Catherine Wen ’15 at the networking reception following the conference.
Pratap Mukharji ‘ 91 talks with a student at the networking reception following the Fords in Business Conference.

The panelists offered their own perspectives on the MBA experience, and also discussed social entrepreneurship and recruitment for a first job in business after college. NYU’s Goldfarb also led a workshop on MBA program applications. More than 40 Haverford and Bryn Mawr students, who had to pre-register for the free conference, attended the Saturday event, along with more than two dozen Haverford alumni.

Pratap Mukharji ’81, senior partner at the Atlanta office of Bain & Company, and one of the panelists at the event commented on the CCPA blog: “I have a very selfish interest in seeing more Fords pursue careers in business. They will do very well. They will make a difference in where they work and where they live. And, I also hope they will give back, not just to Haverford, but also to their communities.”

 

—By Hina Fathima ’15

Photos by Brad Larrison