Charlie Wasson (MBAā21)
Strategy and Management MBA
Intern at Bank of America and Managing Director of the Deming Center Venture Fund
In his first year at Leeds, Charlie worked as an investment associate for Techstarsā Western Union Accelerator program. He also interned with Bank of America as a strategy and management associate.
Looking ahead, Charlie hopes to join an organization in the financial industry that promotes economic empowerment for small-and mediumsized businesses.
Oluwabunmi (Victoria) Arije (Acct & Real Estā21)
Retail Banking Intern, KeyBank
Oluwabunmi had no plans of staying in-state after graduating from high school in Aurora, Colorado. Yet, after participating in Leedsā Summer Bridge and Business Leadership programs before her freshman year, she changed her mind.
āWithout these programs, I would have not been familiar with KeyBank. I got to learn about their culture and values even before I started my internship with them.ā
Nick Light (PhD Candidateā21)
Consumer Behavior Researcher
One increasingly popular marketing strategy is to suggest that products or companies are simple. PhD candidate Nick studies the strategyās effects on consumersā judgments of risk and ultimate satisfaction.
After completing his PhD in 2021, he will pursue a career in higher education as a marketing professor.
Mark Yabut (Mktgā16)
Entrepreneur and Founder of Free Malaya
As a first-generation student from an underresourced community, Mark was awarded a full scholarship to study at Leeds. After graduation, he worked for Teach for America and earned two masterās degrees: one from Loyola Marymount University and the other from the University of Pennsylvania. Recently, he founded Free Malaya, an organization that provides teacher training to support LGBTQ+ youth.
āAs business leaders, there is nothing more inspiring than being led by people who lead authentically,ā says Mark. āLeeds equipped me with the tools and skills to be that type of business leader.ā
Sarah Stafford, DVM (MBAā21)
Small Animal Veterinarian and Aspiring Veterinary Business Professional
While working as a veterinarian on the Front Range, Dr. Sarah Stafford realized she wanted something more. Thatās when she decided to pursue her MBA at Leeds.
āI realized a business degree would open opportunities to work ābehind the scenesā in the veterinary industry, shaping how veterinary organizations function and infl uencing how we provide compassionate veterinary care,ā
Louise Ronaldson (Mktgā18, MS SCMNā20)
Business Analyst at Impendi Analytics
A tennis player since age four, the sport brought Louise to the United States from London in 2014 on a full scholarship to play Division 1 tennis. After a year, she transferred to CU Ā鶹¹ŁĶų, where she played varsity tennis while pursuing her bachelorās at Leeds. This year, she completed her MS at Leeds while working as an Olympic Sport graduate assistant for CU Athletics.
Judy Vorndran
(JD in Law, MSBA in Taxā95)
State & Local Tax Partner, TaxOps, LLC
Just hearing the word ātaxesā is enough to bring on a headache, but Judy dares to simplify complex state and local tax issues and make them fun! Her foresight to concurrently pursue a JD and an MSBA at CU, along with the problem-solving, research and real-life applications she learnedāand her professorsā wisdom and encouragementāled to a more than 25-year career in tax doing exactly that. As a tax professional, she focuses on taxesā positive impact. āDo you know that a key equal protection case was a tax case argued by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Denver, Colorado? Donāt ever think that tax issues cannot affect society in a positive way!ā says Judy.
To students, she says, āGet involved. Be curious, listen, learn, look around, pay attention to history, wonder why things are as they are, and if they are broken, be a change agent.ā
Chase Byers
(Mgmtā23 & Entā22, Global Business and Leadership Certificates)
Commercial Model, Wilhelmina Denver
āYou can do anything you want with a little business in your back pocket,ā says alumna Ann Mashburn (Finā83). This philosophy summarizes Chase Byersā journey at Leeds, but in his case, that pocket happens to be couture.
As a full-time Leeds student and model for Wilhelmina Denver, a modeling agency, Chase finds his two worlds often collide. From developing communication skills that transfer easily to castings and agency meetings to working on a semester-long project with an internationally renowned model, his education and modeling pursuits have blended well together.
āBeing a model is comparable to being an independent contractor. You have an agent, but a lot of marketing, networking and content is reliant on you. Itās entrepreneurial, and Leeds is giving me the skills I need to succeed.ā
