The University of Virginia Department of Economics
Presents
The 2022 Economics Undergraduate Career Forum
Economics at Work
March 24 and March 25, 2022
Charlottesville, Virginia
Program Description and Format:
The Economics Undergraduate Career Forum brings together professionals who hold undergraduate economics degrees with current students and faculty through networking events and educational programming to expose majors and prospective majors to potential professional experiences. The program combines informal networking opportunities with more structured career panels, talks, and office hours. Our hope is that these programs will provide valuable career-related information for students while facilitating and strengthening relationships between all participants.
By the end of the program we hope that students will have an understanding of the industries, workplaces, and job functions of the panelists and some familiarity with entry level jobs and career paths. Students will learn how to prepare to be strong entry-level candidates in the participants’ fields, which may include guidance about classes and extracurriculars, building industry-focused professional materials, and relevant networking and interviewing. We hope that students and alumni will have fun and will emerge with new connections and ideas for next steps.
UPDATED Program Schedule:
March 24
- 5:00-6:00 pm Industry Talk: Monroe 130 (Open to Students, Faculty, Guests)
- 6:30-8:00 pm Dinner (Guests, Invited Faculty, Selected Students) The Local in Belmont, Charlottesville
March 25
- 8:45-9:45 am Breakfast, Monroe 120 (Faculty and Guests)
- 10:00-11:00 am Panel 1, Monroe 130; Office Hours, Monroe 110, 235, and 236
- 11:15-12:15 pm Panel 2, Monroe 130; Office Hours, Monroe 110
- 11:15-12:15 pm Panel 3, Newcomb Hall Commonwealth Room; Office Hours, Monroe 235
- 12:30-2:00 pm Networking Lunch, Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room (Guests and Students)
- 2:15-2:30 pm Gift Ceremony before Departure, Newcomb Hall South Meeting Room (Guests, Steering Committee)
Program Descriptions Follow in Order. Please use the Event Schedule you will receive on 3/20/22 for Your Assignments:
Industry Talk
Before the dinner at The Local, there will be an industry talk given on Grounds. Students, faculty, and alumni are invited to attend.
Meal and Break Room
Drinks and snacks available all day. Tables available for work. Another work-room for guests will also be available. If you are seeking a more private environment, we have reserved Monroe Hall, Room 120.
Breakfast
Fresh Bodo’s Bagels, pastries, coffee, tea, and assorted juices will be available. Please drop in at any time. Faculty have been invited.
Panels
Part I: Intro and Panel Responses, 25 Minutes
Moderator and panelists will meet 10 minutes before the start of the panel in a location TBD. The group will be escorted to the space for the panel. If an emergency arises, please contact Kaitlyn Ockerman or Jen Jones by text. Their contact information is listed below.
After a brief introduction, the moderator will be introduced.
The moderator welcomes and launches with the following questions:
- Briefly, share your job title and employer, how you came to be in your current job, a description of what your organization’s business is, who its clients are and what your job title means within the context of your organization. (2-3 minutes)
- How has an economics background been helpful to you in your career? Is graduate school necessary to advance in your field? (1-2 minutes)
- Aside from your undergraduate degree, what kind of training/experience has been helpful to you? What kind of knowledge/skills do you expect recent graduates to come in with now?
- Take us through a project that illustrates your employer’s work and your role in it.
- How is data literacy relevant? (2-3 minutes)
Optional questions if the clock has not hit 11:40:
- What interested you in this organization/field? Anything from your time here at UVA that led you to this field? (1-2 minutes)
- How may students here today pursue opportunities in your field? What opportunities may be available in your organization for entry level that are not in your particular field? (1-2 minutes)
- What do you regularly read in your field? (Blogs, journals, websites, association newsletters) Who are the influencers in your field/your employer?
The moderator uses his or her discretion to redirect and pull from any questions in the question bank below.
Part 2: Student Q&A, 20 Minutes
Part 3: Last Question (The moderator may choose any of the following or ask you to choose)
- How may students here today pursue opportunities in your organization/field?
- What do you see as the coming trends in this career/field that we should know about?
- What’s next for you? (If this hasn’t been asked)
- Final piece of advice or information that you would like to share with our students but haven’t had a chance to do so/What do you know now you wish you had known while you were a student?
- What job would you choose if you didn’t do what you do now?
Past student questions at career programs have included:
- Do you have/have you had a mentor (formal or informal)? Have you been a mentor (formal or informal)?
- What does a “typical day” of work look like for you? What kinds of projects are you involved in?
- What projects have you loved and why? What projects/aspects of your work have you enjoyed less?
- How would a student approach an internship or job search with your employer? Is graduate school necessary?
- What are the most challenging and rewarding parts of your job?
- What are next steps for you?
- What skills/traits are beneficial for work in your field?
- What should students do to prepare for an internship and/or full-time position in this field?
- If you are familiar with the interview process for entry level candidates in your organization/industry, kindly share your insight.
- How may students best convey their economics backgrounds as an asset to potential employers?
- What career paths are available?
- What kind of financial returns are available for those making this their full-time career?
Office Hours
Office hours provide an opportunity for students to seek feedback about their career plans or contemplations and to ask questions about a guest’s background one-on-one. Some slots may be pre-filled and others open for drop-ins. Your schedule will be included in your packet on 3/20. Each guest has 3-4 slots for appointments, scheduled during a time when you are not sitting on a panel. Office hours occur in Monroe Hall or Newcomb Hall, unless you arrange to meet elsewhere with your students. Student contact information will be listed on your attached schedule. We will provide opportunities for you to connect with your students before the Forum, which generates much enthusiasm.
Students may ask:
- For feedback on their resumes.
- What is it that you do and how is your job (or past jobs) related to your major?
- What is an interesting project you’ve worked on?
- Why study economics/Why did you study economics?
- What course/professor was influential and why?
- What made the economics department attractive to you/what made it special/worthwhile?
- What advice do you have for students about their time in the department in relation to preparing for next steps?
- What do you know now that you wish you had known while you were majoring in economics/at UVA?
- Who (or what) has been influential in your career and why?
- What is on the horizon for you/other career goals you have in mind?
Networking Lunch
Part 1: Set up and Introductions (20 minutes)
Cocktail tables will be arranged around the room and each guest will be stationed at a table as a “host.” Students will grab a lunch and find their way to a table for the first 5 minutes. Alumni will have a chance to eat (we hope!). Then, the event organizer will announce the program structure. Then, each guest will have 1-2 minutes minutes to introduce him or herself to the room. Please begin by stating your name, your organization, industry, and a project that is indicative of your work/a fun fact about you.
Part 2: Organized Rotations (2 at 10 minutes each for 20 minutes total)
Students will have a chance to rotate between two different alumni tables. They should introduce themselves with their names, major, year, and a fun fact.
Part 3: Informal Networking (20 minutes)
Students will have a chance to freely move about the room and visit alumni tables.
Please be prepared to share any information you have about internship and entry-level recruiting for students with your organization/relevant past organizations. This may include information about diversity/affinity group hiring. The ECO will set up your recruiting materials at this event if you ship them to us ahead of time.
Miscellaneous – but Important – Information!
Surveys, Bios and Photographs
The Alumni Logistics Survey will ask for you to send us your bio and a photograph, preferably a headshot. Sample bios are included on the last page of this document. We will use your LinkedIn photo as a default.
We also ask that you fill out a second survey to confirm that your marketing materials are correct. Please see the email from Kaitlyn Ockerman for this survey link.
Student Engagement
We have found that it is helpful for students to connect with our alumni before the event through email. Once students sign up for your office hours or panels, we would like to send an email from you to the students or for you to write directly to the students. We will provide you with text to send to students or send this on your behalf. You may indicate your preference in the Alumni Survey accompanying this document. Please let us know if you prefer not to participate in this communication.
Accommodations
All out-of-town guests, the Draftsman hotel has your email and will be sending you a confirmation. If you would like to extend your stay to Friday night, please call The Draftsman Hotel (434) 984-8000 or email them at the email address on your confirmation. They will ask you for a credit card to secure the room. (The ECO covers your Thursday night stay and wish we had the budget to cover a full weekend.) Please let us know by February 1st if you will not be using your room so that we may cancel the reservation and avoid incurring a charge for the room.
COVID-19 Guidelines
https://uvapolicy.virginia.edu/policy/SEC-045
Reimbursement process for out-of-town guests whose employers do not reimburse for expenses:
All guests’ accommodations will be covered by the department. Hotel rooms are reserved at the Draftsman hotel in Charlottesville (434) 984-8000. Thursday night is paid for by the department. If you would like to extend a second night, you can reserve Friday night. An additional $200 stipend is available as a reimbursement for your travel. All meals will be covered by the department.
Please review the instructions below and contact the Economics Business Administrator, Ashley Watkins with questions.
(434)-924-6590
1) For reimbursement, you will receive an invitation to register as a vendor from Debby Stanford. If you have not heard from her by 4/21, please write to her at her contact information below. Once you have registered you will send your reimbursement forms to Debby.
2) Travel reimbursements are required to be submitted within 30 days of your completed trip. Please submit:
- All original receipts and boarding passes
- If you use your personal car to drive here, proof of mileage
- If you are foreign national, a copy of your passport and/or Visa
3) Email/mail all of the above to:
- Debby Stanford (djb4c@virginia.edu) or
- University of Virginia, Department of Economics, Monroe Hall
- P.O. Box 400182
- Charlottesville, Virginia 22904‐4182
We are incredibly excited for your visit. Please let us know how we may help along the way.
Contact Information:
Jennifer Jones, ECO Assistant Director 434 825 2858; jlh7b@virginia.edu
Kaitlyn Ockerman, Career Forum Chairperson 561 245 0155 kco2zf@virginia.edu
Complete List of Alumni Attending:
Jack Barnes (BA Economics, 2009). Jack graduated from UVA in 2009 with a major in economics and concentration in financial economics and participated in the DMP program. After graduation, Jack joined Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division covering Financial Services firms. In 2011, he joined Samlyn Capital, a $7 billion long-short equity hedge fund based in NYC. Today he runs their financial services and fintech investing effort.
Meghan Cover (BA Economics, 2014). Meghan is a Wealth Management Professional in Goldman Sachs’ Consumer and Wealth Management Division. She joined the Washington DC Private Wealth Management office in June 2014. She is a member of the largest team in the DC office and is responsible for all aspects of day-to-day client service. She has taken on various leadership positions in the office throughout her tenure, including office lead champion for the firm's Community TeamWorks program. Prior to GS, Meghan attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in May 2014. She spent the fall 2012 semester studying international economics at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy. Outside of work, Meghan enjoys playing squash and serving the local community. Prior to the pandemic, Meghan volunteered with the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project in Washington, DC and is looking forward to working with the kids again very soon.
Alex Gromadzki (BA Economics, 2018). Alex is a Senior Data Scientist at the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Innovation Lab in Washington DC, where he leverages data science to enhance operational and oversight capacity in the Federal Government. He graduated from UVA with a BA in Economics (2018) and a MS in Data Science (2019). While he was a student at UVA, he was a member of The Virginia Gentlemen and served as the admissions liaison for the Data Science Institute (now the School of Data Science). After graduation, he joined Guidehouse and was a Senior Consultant before moving to his current role at GAO in June 2021.
Landon Henderson (BA Economics, 2017). Landon is a consultant at Deloitte's Government & Public Services group. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, he interned two summers in Finance at a Hedge Fund & Investment Bank in San Francisco & Baltimore respectively. He then graduated from UVA with a major in Economics and completed pre-medical requirements as an Echols scholar. While at Deloitte he served as a financial analyst for a multi-hundred-million-dollar project, conducted project management work, and currently is doing advanced analytics work for the State Department's Center for Analytics.
Kelsey Johnson (BA Economics, 2018). Kelsey is currently a Business Manager at Capital One. She works in Card Acquisitions on the Affiliates team, where she leads the data infrastructure and new affiliate agendas. Prior to joining Capital One, Kelsey spent three years at Cornerstone Research, where she worked on financial research and data analysis for use in commercial litigation, including in the market manipulation and fintech spaces. At Cornerstone, Kelsey also served as Analyst Recruiting Head. Outside of work, Kelsey is an avid restaurant-goer and enjoys board games, baking, and bike rides through DC and Arlington (especially when they’re downhill).
Laura Lee (BA Economics, 2008). Laura is a Partner in the Atlanta office of McKinsey & Co where she is a member of the Transformation and Advanced Industries practices. While at UVA, she was Vice President of her class and actively involved in her sorority. In addition to UVA, Laura is an alumna of the Wharton School. She is married to another 'Hoo (Tim, CLAS '07) and they share two boys (Davis, age 4, and Crawford, age 2).
David Nadolski (BA Economics, 2014). David is the Senior Vice President of Finance for Cosaic in Charlottesville, VA. Cosaic is a revolutionary fintech firm with offices also in London, New York and Hong Kong. Prior to Cosaic, David worked with Solovis, a fintech firm focused on Cloud software where he moved from data management to implementation. David’s first job after graduation was as a Finance Associate with Kayo Advisory, where he managed sell-side M&A transactions.
Tayo Odusanya (BA Economics, 2005). Tayo is the Head of Global Operations and Analytics (Supplier Acquisition and Onboarding) at Wayfair. She joined Wayfair in 2019 after graduating from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. In her role, she is responsible for the development and execution of Wayfair's data, product and process improvement strategy for new suppliers in North America and the EU. Prior to business school, Tayo spent over a decade in education as a middle school teacher and an administrator. She is a triple Hoo, having graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and advanced degrees in Special Education and School Administration. Tayo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria prior to moving to Charlottesville as a teenager. She currently lives in Boston with her partner Sam and son Jaylen, and spent more time playing Settlers of Catan and less time on the Peloton than anticipated during quarantine.
Jason Pan (BA Economics and BS Systems Engineering, 2009). Jason is a lawyer whose practice focuses on financial services. His work experiences include financial institution supervision at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, structured transactions at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, and banking law at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He received his BS in Systems Engineering, BA in Economics and JD/MBA from the University of Virginia. Jason has served on the boards of the Asian and Asian Pacific American Alumni Network of the University of Virginia (AAPAAN) and Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Washington, DC (APABA-DC).
Abhisheik Sharma (BA Economics and Government, 2017). Abhisheik Sharma graduated from UVA in 2017 with a double major in Economics and Government. Sharma has worked at Freddie Mac for 5 years. He began as a rotational analyst, and was promoted to financial analyst professional, and now Data Analyst Senior. In his current role, he runs a software development team and creates dashboards on Freddie Mac's AWS and cloud infrastructure.
Francesca Wahl (BA Economics and Foreign Affairs, 2010). As part of the business development and public policy team at Tesla, Francesca Wahl focuses on managing regulatory policy engagement on transportation electrification in North America and electric vehicle charging infrastructure issues with key agencies, utilities, and cities across the country. Previously, she was the Senior Associate for Energy and Environmental Policy at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy trade association representing more than 390 companies in Silicon Valley. Francesca has also worked on federal energy efficiency policy at the Alliance to Save Energy in DC, analyzed state recycling regulation and legislation, assisted governments and small businesses with implementing sustainability principles in their management plans, and served in the White House Liaison Office at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Derrick Wang (BA Economics and Mathematics, 2020). Derrick is a consultant at Bates White Economic Consulting in Washington DC, where he works in the Environmental and Product Liability practice area. His work involves economic analysis of complex legal and regulatory cases, including antitrust cases, merger review, long-tail liability forecasting, and estimation of mass tort liabilities in bankruptcies. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Derrick graduated from UVA in 2020 with a double major in economics and math. As a student, he was involved in many organizations on Grounds and interned at Bates White before returning as a full-time consultant after graduation. Derrick works in the intersection of law and economics, using data analysis and statistical programming to apply economic modeling to legal cases across a wide array of industries.