The Jepson Update

A newsletter for alumni and friends of the Jepson School • Winter 2025

From the Dean

Dear Jepson School Alumni and Friends,

February has been an exciting month, marked by two winter storms that transformed our campus into a snowy wonderland. But even more exciting was the return to campus of 40 alums who led the school’s annual Jepson EDGE Institute on Feb. 16. During this daylong professional development program for juniors, alumni frequently mentioned how their leadership studies education benefits their careers.

Indeed, it does! This issue of The Jepson Update offers stories of remarkable alumni using their leadership education daily: A UPS executive leading a company-wide transformation, a lobbyist advocating for a premier research and teaching hospital, a filmmaker racking up national and international awards for her first short film, and a financial planner building a nationally recognized wealth management practice.

Our faculty, too, are leaders. Take, for example, Dr. Terry Price, a philosopher who researches leadership ethics. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia recently named him a recipient of its Outstanding Faculty Award, the highest honor for faculty at Virginia's public and private colleges and universities.

Our students continue to thrive by embracing the many curricular and co-curricular opportunities afforded them, including faculty-mentored research, study abroad, and credit-bearing internships. This month alone, seven students have presented or will present their research at conferences in Los Angeles, Denver, and Richmond.

Also, this month, we welcomed the McDowell Institute’s inaugural practitioner-in-residence, Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO of the civil liberties nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). He engaged students and faculty from across campus in lively discussions about free speech in higher education.

Jepson remains an exciting place to be! You contribute to our success through your gifts of time, talent, and resources, for which I am most grateful. Please stay engaged with the school by attending our upcoming Jepson Leadership Forum presentations and McDowell Institute public lecture, donating to the Jepson School during UR Here Giving Day on April 9-10, following us on social media, and of course, reading this latest issue of The Jepson Update.

With gratitude and best wishes,

Sandra J. Peart
Dean and E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies
President, Jepson Scholars Foundation

Jepson EDGE Institute

On Feb. 16, 2025, 40 alumni returned to campus to lead the daylong Jepson EDGE Institute, the school's professional development program for juniors.
Dean Sandra Peart welcomed 40 alumni and 60 students to the Jepson EDGE Institute, held at the Jepson Alumni Center.
Melissa Cramer, '11, Benedict Roemer, '19, and Erin Price, '17, served as co-chairs of EDGE.
Kate Rezabek, '02, led the Elevator Pitch session, where students crafted and then practiced their own succinct explanations of the value their leadership studies degree brings to their prospective places of employment.
Alumni sat at tables with students who shared similar career interests.
EDGE provided many opportunities for networking.
Alumni shared their experiences in fields as diverse as investment management, human resources, education, law, journalism, cybersecurity, and more.
Students rotated through three workshops during the afternoon.
They attended the workshop Acing Your Interview.
The After Cap and Gown workshop focused on the first five years post-graduation.
The third workshop, From College to Career, explored the key competencies a new professional needs.
Alumni from the Class of 1995 all the way through the Class of 2023 returned to campus to share their insights.
Alumni from six of the first seven years of Jepson classes participated. Thanks to David Lynn, '00, Zuri Walker, '97, Adam Travis, '99, Renee Macbeth, '00, Chris Smith, '98, Erik Kornmeyer, '95, and Lisa Sheldon, '96!
Thanks to all the dedicated alumni who came from near and far to make this year's EDGE a resounding success!
At EDGE, students EXPLORE career interests and goals, DEVELOP skills and strategies, and GAIN valuable insights from Jepson alumni in a variety of fields. This enables students to EXCEED expectations in their pursuit of internships, jobs, and graduate school.