Students invited to network with alumni leaders Oct. 9 at “Schmooza Palooza”

We’ve all heard it before: It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. And in reality, it’s not just who you know, but who knows you!

Elon students will have an opportunity to get to know well-connected alumni from a wide range of career paths at the new “Schmooza Palooza” networking event on Thursday, Oct. 9, from 6-7:30 p.m. in McKinnon Hall (Moseley Center).  The event, co-sponsored by Alumni Relations and Career Services, will provide Elon students with the opportunity to learn more about how to network effectively and meet with 15 to 20 alumni in a casual setting.  There will also be great food for all!

The event kicks off with an interactive panel discussion featuring alumni who will address key strategies for networking and mistakes to avoid. Students are encouraged to ask questions.  The second part of the program allows students to put networking into action by engaging with alumni from a variety of backgrounds and occupations.

Alumni include:

Walt Lotspeich ’98, Relationship Manager, Proxytrust
Drexel Hill, PA
Walt’s responsibilities are to manage and maintain relationships with
current clients and to generate new sales with prospects. Proxytrust
provides a web-based software platform for voting proxies to financial
institutions nationwide.

Sam Troy ’67, Executive in Residence, US Department of Commerce/UNC-Greensboro
Greensboro, NC
Sam’s responsibilities are to increase international awareness among
students, faculty and the Piedmont Triad business community in addition
to bringing a global focus to UNCG’s economic development initiatives.

Dorson White ’73, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, East Carolina Bank
Greenville, NC
Dorson is the Chief Operating Office of a $750MM community bank with
responsibility for implementation of the bank’s strategic growth
initiatives, management of resources and personnel to achieve corporate
objectives, and oversight of the bank’s product delivery and operating
lines of business.

Gary Evans ’74, Director of Circulation Marketing, USA Today
Reston, VA
Gary manages the subscription category of the circulation department of
USA Today. Responsibilities include sales, marketing, customer service
and revenue management of $50 million.

Bill Courtney ’86, Senior Vice President, e-Commerce Consumer Loans Sales and Fulfillment Executive, Bank of America
Charlotte, NC
Bill’s responsibilities include building and leading the online sales,
lead generation and fulfillment organization selling consumer loans
products, including First Mortgage, Home Equity, Unsecured Lending,
Dealer Financial Services and services directly to consumers and small
businesses.

Bo Hamrick ’02, Financial Advisor, AXA Advisors
Hampton Rhoads, VA
Bo’s responsibilities are to cultivate and manage client relationships and assist clients in managing their personal finances.

Cam Tims ’00, Assistant Vice President and Financial Reporting Manager, BB&T Corporation
Raleigh, NC
Cam’s responsibilities include oversight of all financial and
accounting components of a $500 billion line of business, including
involvement with contractual negotiations, Sarbox governance processes,
new product development and pricing.

Brett “Coop” Cooper ’05, Political Director, National Democratic Redistricting Project
Arlington, VA
Coop develops, coordinates and implements technical, political and
legal strategies for redrawing Congressional and Legislative districts
nationwide with congressmen, legislators, state parties, unions and
progressive organizations.

Caroline Sage ’02, 3rd Year Law Associate, Jones Day
Atlanta, GA
Caroline
is an associate in the Firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions group. She has a
broad range of corporate law experience including: drafting purchase
agreements and ancillary documents for deals ranging from $6 million to
$65 million; coordinate due diligence for cross border transactions for
clients and targets located in the U.K., China, Germany, Canada and the
U.S.; corporate governance counseling; and securities regulation and
compliance. Represent an array of clients in the banking, staffing,
chemical, radio and retail industries. 

Christian Wiggins ’03, Assistant Executive Director/Chief Operating Office, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity
Charlotte, NC
Christian is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations for the
national fraternity, including leadership development, communications,
expansion, student services and alumni and volunteer services.

David Beahm ’83, Event Designer/Owner, David Beahm Designs, Inc.
New York, New York
David owns and operates his own design firm located in New York
City. He and his staff design and deliver corporate and
personally-oriented events including weddings.

Darris Means ’05, Assistant Director of the Elon Academy, Elon University
Elon, NC
Darris is responsible for the planning and implementation of the
programs and activities of the Elon Academy. The Elon Academy is a
college-access program for academically-talented high school students
with a financial need and/or no family history of college. The Elon
Academy was started by Elon University in the summer of 2007.

Josh Felix ’00, CEO/Publisher, Oak Publications LLC; CEO/President, JF Events
Atlanta, GA
Josh serves as the CEO of Oak Publications, LLC. Oak Publications
currently publishes Chicago Hospital News and Atlanta Hospital News,
the monthly health care newspapers for the respective regions, which
are distributed to over 36,000 people per city. Each issue reports
in-depth on the trends, issues and people that impact the Chicago and
Atlanta area health care industry. Josh is responsible for the
management and strategic direction of Chicago Hospital News and Atlanta
Hospital News. Along with Hospital News, he also oversees Kenzie –
Atlanta, a parent’s guide to pediatric healthcare that is distributed
to over 50,000 people throughout the city of Atlanta.