Published: 03/24/2023
Gannon business students enjoyed a networking lunch with local industry leaders as part of the Annual Business Professional Development Day.
Gannon’s Dahlkemper School of Business and the Office of Career Exploration and Development presented the Annual Business Professional Development Day today.
Students from the university’s more than 10 business concentrations engaged in this half-day series of professional development events that included professional headshots, panel discussions and a networking lunch with regional business leaders and entrepreneurs.
One panel discussion focused on topics of professionalism and communication, and was led by Janae Alexander, Strategic Communications Specialist at Erie Insurance; Emily Fetko, Creative Director at Erie Downtown Partnership; and Mark Majewski, Sales Manager at Great Lakes Insurance Service Group, LLC. Here they shared the importance of effective communication across different industries and organizational structures and engaged in questions with the students regarding internships and coordinating informational interviews.
The second panel shared insight on leadership and critical thinking and was led by Greg Coleman, President of the Erie Seawolves; Emily Baker, Investment Analyst at Erie Insurance; Mitch Kalkhof, Partner for McGill, Power, Bell and Associates; and Rachelle Martin, Founder/CEO of Alex & Thea. Students learned ways to quickly think on their feet and what they can begin doing now to cultivate leadership and critical thinking skills through their classes, internships and extra-curricular activities.
From connecting with local entrepreneurs to learning more about career pathways in their fields, students who attended Business Professional Development Day gained invaluable first-hand networking experience and built upon their professional portfolios.
“I chose to come today … to network with people in different fields and see how I can progress my future after I graduate," said Tinashe Katsande, a senior who is dual major in accounting and sports marketing and management.