Felician University’s School of Business & Information Technology held Triple Threat, the second panel event in its Women in Leadership Series.

Triple threat is a term used to describe an athlete or performer who excels at three important skills such as a theatre performer who can sing, dance, and act. No one took to the stage at the April 21st virtual panel discussion, but three accomplished women executives from diverse backgrounds shared powerful career advice, strategies, and insights from their interesting career journeys. 72 participants logged into the free virtual event and were treated to more than an hour of candid career building talk with time left over to take questions from the online audience. The program was organized by Associate Professor Dr. Joy De Los Reyes who also moderated the event.

Retired AT&T NJ President Charlene Brown started her career as a news reporter before serving for a decade as the press secretary for the NJ Department of Health and Human Services. After leaving state government she eventually became responsible for all external relations at AT&T which now owns Direct TV and Warner Sales & Marketing, and is involved with cyber security on the federal level. When asked what information would have been helpful to her when she was starting out, Ms. Brown said she wishes she had known the difference between a mentor and a sponsor early in her career saying, “A mentor is somebody who can work with you, talk you through things, watch you pretty closely, and work with you, whereas a sponsor is somebody who doesn’t have time to mentor you directly but is in the room, with some of the higher- level professionals who can really put your name out there.” Ms. Brown also emphasized the importance of developing and building relationships early and throughout a career.

Gail Gordon is an attorney specializing in government & community relations, and is also involved in political, hospital, and non-profit fundraising. She started her career working with the press staff of Pennsylvania’s Governor Dick Thornburgh. It was a kind of baptism by fire because, the day she arrived in Harrisburg the accident at Three Mile Island happened, and within a day and a half, there were hundreds of media members in Harrisburg, “And as the youngest member of the staff it was two and a half months of absolute terror, panic, and on the job learning.”

The distinguished trio was rounded out by Sara Harmelin, Vice President of Digital Innovation for Allied Beverage Group, the largest wine and spirits distributor in New Jersey. Ms. Harmelin is also a member of the Women of the Vine and Spirits, a worldwide women’s leadership initiative in the industry. Her sights were initially set on Hollywood and she worked for nine years getting deep experience in the film and television industries before finding herself at a crossroads wondering, “Is this what I really want to do for the next 30 years of my life?” She threw out plans for Business School and enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and as a student about 10 years older than most of her classmates, earned a degree in Merchandise Marketing, focused on retail buying and fashion. After the economy collapsed and the “retail apocalypse” happened she worked for two fashion firms that went out of business and started a personal shopping business before heading back East where she was presented with an opportunity to join Allied in a training program. “It felt like a step back to do a training program, but I also knew this was the best opportunity to get my foot into the size company where I might actually find my place, after trying to be a big fish in a big pond” She got her feet wet and learned a lot about a very complicated industry through sales and marketing, and operations and found it to be a good fit.

Other advice shared with those logged into the panel discussion included the importance of being willing to admit what you don’t know, developing a growth mindset, being ready to network for the rest of your working life, and making sure you double check the grammar and writing on your resume, and to always so some research on the company you hope to interview with. Gail Gordon also suggested adding something extra that you do on your resume. “Something that pops on your resume, whether it be singing opera, horseback riding, or something else, so when somebody looks at your CV, they have something else to talk to you about. You know we’re all like blocks of vanilla ice cream, and the more interesting things about you, the more you get those little chocolate ripples, it’s certainly much tastier,” and by extension more interesting to a perspective employer. Ms. Brown agreed saying “there may be five or six people in the room, with the same skill set, what is it about you, that makes you stand out from the rest?” Ms. Harmelin suggested, “never stop learning as you move up, find those strengths, and exploit them.” The panelists also discussed how to use fear to your best advantage, while accepting that things will not always work out in your work life the way you hope they will. The panelists also acknowledged that humility, humanity, and humor are important leadership skills to learn and hone.

The powerful Triple Threat event proved in real and tangible ways that Felician University remains committed to the principles of empowerment and diversity in shaping the leaders of tomorrow.