#SmealWeeklyRecap featuring Jayana Garvey, '07 Finance
It has been so inspiring to hear the great stories shared by alumni on how their companies are reacting to the current pandemic. Thank you for providing positive news! Make sure you sign up for one of our Smeal Lifelong Learning Webinars or download a Smeal Lifelong Learning Podcast episode to continue your professional development. To view articles on the travel industry for the past months, visit this link. Learn about alumna Jayana Garvey and how Marriott International is supporting their alumni during COVID-19!
Featured Alum: Jayana Cali Garvey ('07 Finance), Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition Strategies + Solutions at Marriott International
Recruited on campus at Penn State, Jayana first joined a finance leadership development rotation program within the federal government in Washington, DC at the U.S. General Services Administration. There she spent two years rotating to seven departments working on some of the agency’s most pressing projects from financial analysis, revenue management, and real estate to strategic planning, HR, workplace transformation, and change management. The finance leadership development program offered great exposure early in her career, working on top priority projects directly for the CFO and other senior executives. The breadth of work across multiple areas made her realize she had a passion for talent. She spent subsequent years leading on-campus recruiting activities and a nationwide entry-level leadership development program across a variety of discipline areas at the agency. In 2015, Jayana took a turn in her career and joined Marriott International’s corporate headquarters as the director of university programs leading the strategy and program development for Marriott’s global leadership development program, Voyage, in addition to the corporate summer internship program. In this role, Jayana was no longer recruiting but had the opportunity to shape new curricula, branding, strategy, and technology behind Marriott’s premier leadership development program as it grew exponentially around the world. In 2017, she took on a new role outside of the university space. As Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition Strategies + Solutions, Jayana is on a team that thinks big, broadly, and boldly about all things in the Talent Acquisition space to keep the world’s largest travel company ahead of the curve and positioned to attract the absolute best talent. It entails many things from providing internal consulting advice, developing and evolving new strategies and solutions, to identifying and deploying new technology and tools. Jayana loves that her role exercises both the “left and right” brain, affording her the opportunity to work on creative projects spanning areas such as branding, writing, and video content to making business decisions behind the configuration and build of complex technology solutions. There is no doubt that the travel industry has been among the hardest hit during this global pandemic. Jayana has been inspired by Marriott associates around the world – whether by providing a place to stay for healthcare workers, lighting up windows in our hotels with hearts and hopeful messages, or coming up with next-level solutions to provide the cleanest environment possible for guests when we can travel again.
Jayana’s Career Advice
1. Take on the projects no one wants – the ones people are afraid of because they are too big, too complex, or failed before.
2. Take something and think about how you can make it better (i.e. can it be more efficient, can it visually look better, can the user experience be improved, can it be done another way) The details matter and can take something from mediocre to great.
3. Get outside of your comfort zone – that’s where the real learning happens, and new opportunities emerge. Once you get comfortable for too long, it’s time to move on!
Topics for the week!
Travel: If you follow #travel in the news, you can see how the pandemic evolved. Back in September 2019, we saw articles like, "How to get paid to travel" by The Washington Post. In October 2019 Bloomberg reported, "Overrun by Tourists, American Cities Are Taking Aim at Hotels." In November 2019, Bloomberg reported "The world’s biggest cruise ship has robot bartenders, a water slide with a 92-foot drop, and a nine-story zip-line." By January 2020, The Washington Post reported that travelers at 3 U.S. airports were being screened for a new, potentially deadly Chinese virus. In February, we were seeing, "Limit Travel to Fight Coronavirus? The Pros and Cons" from Bloomberg, and March, Recode brought us "How the coronavirus has affected airlines, hotels, and cruises in one chart." Bloomberg also reported the "State Department Tells Americans Not to Travel Overseas." In April, we are still getting reports on the negative effects this has had on the travel industry. Now for some positive news! Goldman Sachs is teaming up with JetBlue to help you book vacation now, and pay later., Here's a look at why it's a growing trend for travelers, Lights for Hope: Marriott Hotels Spread A Message of Positivity and Airbnb Is Banking on a Post-Pandemic Travel Boom. NBC News reported The coronavirus will change how we travel. That will probably be good for us. The author says, "We have never been so connected as a world, and we have never been more isolated than most of us are right now. We will get back to traveling, but when we do, we have to do it right."
Smeal Lifelong Learning Webinars!
Sustainable Growth Tactics for Entrepreneurs - Presented by Joe Witte ('95 Marketing), Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at TagOne LLC
Survey comment: “Joe was clearly knowledgeable and experienced and was successful at communicating a large amount of information in a timely and effective manner that could be taken back and made actionable immediately. Well done.”
Venture Capital: Tales from the Trenches - Presented by Salomon Sredni ('87 Accounting), Managing Director of Ocean Azul Partners
Survey comment: “Very well designed and delivered webinar concerning the seemingly simple concept of ethical cultural awareness, development, and support, but one in which many organizations do not do effectively.”
Strategic Commitment to an Ethical Culture - Presented by Dr. Michelle Darnell, Associate Clinical Professor in Management and Director at The Tarriff Center for Business Ethics & Social Responsibility and hosted by Dr. Jamey Darnell, Assistant Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at Penn State Smeal College of Business
Survey comment: “Very well designed and delivered webinar concerning the seemingly simple concept of ethical cultural awareness, development, and support, but one in which many organizations do not do effectively.”
Upcoming Smeal #Lifelonglearning Webinars - Secure your spot today!
The webinars are LIVE on Wednesdays at Noon ET. Register for Spring/Fall 2020! Everyone is welcome!
Smart Startups: Views from the Legal and Experienced Business World - with Smeal alumnus David Blackledge ('79 Management), Of Counsel at Davis Miles McGuire Gardner - May 6th
New Developments in Digital Marketing - with Smeal's Dr. Arvind Rangaswamy, Anchel Professor of Marketing and former Senior Associate Dean for Research - May 20th
Watch for our June webinar announcement offering help to small businesses during COVID-19!
LinkedIn Optimization and Networking Best Practices - with our Smeal Alumni Career Services Career Coaches, Dr. Jenifer Nicholas and Doreen Glenning - September 9th
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Career Coaching Session for Smeal Alumi find out how we can assist in your career transition, working from home and career resources!