Kathryn Barber ‘23 | Gianna Trala ‘23
The Alumni Office launched the Engage Episcopal series as a way for students, alumni, and members of the Episcopal community to listen and learn from alumni and their experiences. These zoom webinars occur on Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There are four installments of Engage Episcopal, each centered around a professional field or theme: CEOs/entrepreneurs, journalists, exonerations, and EA’s first graduates of color. The first webinar, on November 19, discussed companies, current events, and careers; it also included a question and answer session at the end, where each speaker offered advice for current students and provided insight as to how their EA education and network aided them in navigating their jobs as entrepreneurs and CEOs.
The sessions seek to connect the EA community, especially in response to the pandemic. The director of Alumni engagement at EA, Lauren Maloney ‘10, notes that “The pandemic and our virtual environment have forced us all to think really creatively about how we do our jobs and foster connections that typically take place in person at our events.”Maloney explains that a silver lining of this pandemic is that “with alumni being in their homes, it is easier than ever for alumni to attend an event, so we knew this would be a good time to pilot whether these events and conversations are interesting to our alumni – so far, they are! We have had great attendance.”
Maloney notes, “Networking is so powerful and through these conversations, I hope the community sees who they are connected to and knows that there are so many interesting alumni out there willing to offer professional advice and share their stories.” Maloney continues by retelling the story of how Courtney Banks Spaeth ’92 helped her classmate, Geoff Walker ’92, find a job once he returned from serving in the military. These two alumni were part of last week’s seminar, and Mrs. Maloney recalls that “Geoff has been tremendously successful, and part of that success was based on an EA connection. I think that is so powerful and that is one of the dozens of connections that have happened based on sharing an EA education. Events like Engage Episcopal open community members’ eyes to the power of our community and the vast array of professional experiences they have.”
The past webinar conversation included Rob Wright ‘95 in addition to Banks Spaeth and Walker and was led by Caroline Waxler ‘89. A key topic was how leaders can overcome obstacles and show resilience. Banks Spaeth explained, “I think as a leader the number one thing you have to do… is set the culture…I wanted to create a company where it was the intent that mattered, not that you made a mistake.” On the topic of leadership, Walker said, “I don’t think the fundamentals of leadership change much over time. I think moments like this [the pandemic] have underscored the importance of it, and expose strong leaders and not so strong leaders…there’s a lot of uncertainty out there…for me, this is an opportunity for us to help the people we work with and care about.” Wright talked about the importance of transparency as a leader, saying, “To me, bringing people into those strategic conversations, shows them that I value their input…Everybody knows everything that’s going on: the status of our investors, the status of the capital in the company, the status of revenue growth…It’s been quite a benefit to be that transparent.”
The entrepreneurs also reflected on their time at EA. Banks Spaeth commented, “For me, it gave me enormous self-confidence without arrogance. And it gave me a sense that to whom much is given, much is expected, regardless of your circumstance.” Wright added, “To me it was everything…To me, it was those foundational years at Episcopal [that helped me get to where I am today].”
Walker discussed the fundamentals of being an entrepreneur. He detailed, “[Entrepreneurship] is a way of thinking. Entrepreneurs are wired to look at what’s happening around them and pay attention.” Banks Spaeth added, “To encourage entrepreneurship, you have to teach hard work.”
The series has received much positive feedback and the next events will take place on December 9th and 16th at 7 pm.