This week SMU CCPA students had the extraordinary opportunity to engage with key leaders in the communication industry including CCPA Advisory Board members, for two hours of power networking.
More than 35 students met with executives from corporate, agency, and non-profit organizations, gaining insight into careers in those fields. Some of the professionals onhand offered critiques on resumes and answered questions about student LinkedIn profiles.
Direct interaction with professionals in an informal environment is actually rare for many students. So this event was a rare opportunity to get important advice from successful communicators.
Everyone attending the CCPA Networking Event was impressed with the active engagement by the students and their inquisitive and thoughtful questions. Students wholeheartedly agreed that the event was an incredibly rewarding experience and that they learned a lot about the various companies and valued the opportunity to grow their networks.
What the Pros Said
Nan Banks, “Keep working hard (yes, good grades do matter) and continue to take advantage of all the opportunities SMU affords. Before you know it, two or three years will have passed and you’ll all be seasoned professionals.”
Katherine Bradford, “The students were articulate, intelligent and delightful! Thank you for the opportunity to meet with our excellent CCPA students!”
Jane Koenecke, The engagement was active and deep – the impression you all made on these students will pay dividends for a long time. I’m so appreciative of this group and its contributions to CCPA and SMU!
Susan Staub, “I thoroughly enjoyed meeting your students. They always amaze me! And I can say that I also benefited from the conversations with my teammates. Thank you Brie and Katie!
Linda Beheler, “The engagement was active and deep – the impression you all made on these students will pay dividends for a long time. I’m so appreciative for this group and its contributions to CCPA and SMU!”
Marvin Singleton, “It was a wonderful evening! The students were well prepared and asked engaging questions. This was a great evening.”
Jim Savage, “Hear, hear! I’m delighted to learn that the students found the event useful. The whole experience was enjoyable, and every one of the students was impressive.”
Regina Moldovan, “What a great group of talented and inquisitive students.”
Greg Artkop, “What a fun evening! It was energizing to meet with our students, reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Thank you for the opportunity.”
A Heartfelt Thanks
Thanks to all the current and former Advisory Board members who participated and to Linda Behler for orchestrating the CCPA Networking Event.
Greg Artkop
Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages
Nan Banks
Toyota Motor North America
Laurie Barnett
Southwest Airlines
Katherine Bradford
Acceleration Consulting
Jane Koenecke
Real Communicating
Taylor Cole Longacre, APR
Amazon Prime, MPN Global
Stan Levenson, APR
Levenson Strategic Communication Advisors
Regina Moldovan
Southern Methodist University
Katie Mudd
Vokol Group
Marvin Singleton
Hill + Knowlton Strategies
Susan Straub
Alliance Data
Betsy Orton
Mi Esuelita Preschool
Tara Ford Payne
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Jim Savage
Pierpont Communications
Cindy Strand Yared
Corps Team Dallas
Brie Strickland
Southwest Airlines
