BLP Alumni

Chelsea Zarnowski '07

Chelsea moved from Montana to Washington to enroll at University of Puget Sound. She knew she wanted to double major in mathematics and something else, but she was unsure what that should be. A student in the Honors Program, Chelsea had a freshman core class with Dr. Matthews, and he introduced her to the Business Leadership Program (BLP). Through the program she landed her first internship at Mohawk Northern Plastics in accounting, followed by a summer internship at Boeing. Chelsea is currently in a program called the Business Career Foundations Program, a leadership development program in finance at Boeing. "The BLP taught me about the real business world, not just balancing accounts and managing time, but about the people aspect.

Kara Christianson '06

Kara moved from Bellingham, Wash., to be a Business Leadership and Honors Program student. She was supported by Jeff Matthews, Ph.D., as her thesis advisor, writing on a new vision for the Tacoma Actors Guild. After graduating from Puget Sound Kara became a Teach for America Corps Member in Los Angeles, where she taught sixth grade math and science. Currently she is the vice president of Iridescent, a science education nonprofit organization that trains engineering undergraduates to teach workshops in inner-city schools. Kara plans to move to New York in summer 2009 to pursue an MBA. She says the best thing about BLP is the opportunity to "be challenged and engaged by the stellar students in the program. And, of course, Dr. M's awesome leadership instruction."

Benjamin Zamzow '05

At Puget Sound Ben was an active member of student government, the debate team, and the Sigma Nu fraternity. He graduated summa cum laude from the Business Leadership Program with an emphasis in finance and a minor in economics. Since graduation Ben has returned to his hometown of Boise, Idaho, where he applies the skills he acquired at Puget Sound as a retail analyst at Thornton Oliver Keller Commercial Real Estate. Ben serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Idaho, volunteers with the International Rescue Committee, and is a member of Leadership Boise and Boise Young Professionals. Ben's study abroad experience in Germany has inspired subsequent trips to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Nicaragua, Colombia, Costa Rica, and other locations around the world.

Class of 2004

David Koppy '04

One of the influencing factors for David in attending the University of Puget Sound was admission into the Business Leadership Program. The program's commitment to excellence prepared him well to enter the business world with high expectations for the quality of his work and his career. While at Puget Sound, David was also in the Honors Program, a member of the baseball team, the ASUPS Director of Business Services and a DJ on KUPS. He studied abroad at the University of Auckland in Auckland, New Zealand as a junior, an experience which was pivotal to the rest of his life. That experience laid the groundwork for his desire to earn his MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2010. David is currently a Senior Consultant at the management consulting firm Arryve in the Seattle area.

Stacy Shepherd '03

In the fall of 1999, Stacy arrived at Puget Sound from Yakima, Wash. Congruent with her focus on international business within the Business Leadership Program (BLP), Stacy spent a semester abroad in Granada, Spain, where she experienced firsthand the diversity of the business world. After interning at both Smith Barney and Frank Russell, Stacy accepted a position with the Seattle-based alternative asset manager Quellos Group in 2003. Two years later, she began to co-mentor a trio of BLP Class of 2008 students. In early 2008, shortly after Quellos was acquired by Blackrock, Stacy relocated to Blackrock's Hong Kong office to focus on client service in the Asia-Pacific Region. "The experience, knowledge, and contacts I have gained through the Business Leadership Program, both before and after graduating, have been absolutely fundamental in accomplishing the goals I've set for myself."

Tim Floyd '02

Tim began his journey to Puget Sound in 1998, moving from Minnesota to Washington to join the Business Leadership Program (BLP). The uniqueness of the BLP was one of the deciding factors in Tim's decision to attend Puget Sound. As a student he formed lasting bonds with a number of professors, utilizing their expertise to help him plan his future after college. Since graduating from Puget Sound in 2002, Tim has worked for Wells Fargo, Dresdner Kleinwort, and Hastings Funds Management in San Francisco and London, UK, primarily in the fields of investment banking and infrastructure private equity. In addition to his degree from Puget Sound, Tim holds a master's degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science, is a CFA charter holder, and volunteers as a board member of Camden Plus Credit Union. "The Business Leadership Program was an ideal way to unite traditional classroom-based business courses with practical, real-world challenges faced by business leaders. The program was an integral part of my Puget Sound education and has helped me excel in many endeavors since."

Betsy Myers Tsukimura '00

Originally from Spokane, Wash., Betsy joined the Business Leadership Program in 1996. Through coursework and team projects, the program taught her leadership and teamwork skills. As a student she interned at Weyerhaeuser. Upon graduation she worked as a coordinator for international relations on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program in Shimane-prefecture, Japan. She is currently a procurement agent working with Japanese suppliers for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Everett, Wash.