What does it take to be a good business leader?
It’s a question that sits top of mind for most graduate business students, no matter their specific field of study. And it’s the ongoing quest for answers that motivated 16 members of the newly formed Chapman International Students Association (CISA) to gather on January 17, 2012 to hear speaker Mary Cheddie, SPHR, senior vice president of human resources for Interval International, a leading vacation services company with U.S. headquarters in Miami, Florida.
Students are eager to hear—and learn from—the voice of experience.
Cheddie has more than 25 years of domestic and international experience in all aspects of human resources and training. She also has extensive experience with strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and in starting and turning around businesses. Business Leader Magazine recently named her one of the 2011 Women Extraordinaire.
“Cheddie shared insights on how she got where she is today. It was a very inspirational presentation and I think we all learned a lot from it,” said Amir Vasquez, CISA president.
Barbara Jimenez (BS ’10) attended the event because she was interested in being exposed to a powerful female speaker who is a recognized leader in human resources management.
“I wanted to hear about Cheddie’s accomplishments and the struggles she went through to achieve a vice president’s position,” Jimenez said. “She made me realize that we have to appreciate the short-term wins and overcome the unforeseen obstacles encountered along our career paths.”
Events like this one are a good reason why Jimenez joined CISA.
“CISA is helping me gain experience and move ahead when it comes to networking, integrating ideas and sharing knowledge across all areas of the business world.”
With support from the Chapman Graduate School of Business in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU), CISA also encourages students to become involved on campus and in the community.
