Business Careers

Gina Schaefer epitomizes the liberal arts tradition. After trying several different careers, she now owns a chain of businesses and has written a book, Recovery Hardware, about her experiences. In the spring 2023, she gave a Tiger Talk at Wittenberg, sharing the story of building her chain of hardware stores. The title of her book comes from her hiring practices. She invested in her community by hiring many people who would not appear to be ideal job candidates, including some in recovery from substance abuse.

Chris Fillmore
Class of 2001
CEO, VRC Engineered Solutions
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Advice: "Enjoy your time at Wittenberg, it really is a special place. Build your network and make sure you challenge yourself to spend time outside of your comfort zone. If you pursue higher education I suggest spending 2-3 years out in the workforce to better appreciate how companies operate."

Roger Davidson
Class of 1974
Senior Vice President at J P Morgan Chase
Columbus, Ohio

Rick Hueholt
Class of 1974
Construction Inspection, Administration and Management
Berwick, Pennsylvania

I am Rick Hueholt, and I graduated in 1974. My career was construction inspection, administration, and management, where indeed I used political science as a tool. My present location with my wife and family is Berwick, Pa., roughly between Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre. I am now retired.

Advice: Get your news from multiple sources. Do not depend on little blurbs hurled out at you. Read editorials on all sides of an issue. Look at world events from all perspectives including the perspective of the entity that you despise.

Learn a foreign language. I learned German at Wittenberg and used it in travel. I listen to the ARD Tagesschau 5 days a week. Germany is a leading country in the EU and also in NATO. There are other languages to be learned, but again languages do not translate exactly so this is another part of getting another perspective.

Picture is of me and some running friends just as pandemic was ending. More advice: exercise several times a week. Thanks for the opportunity to reconnect with Wittenberg University.

James Miller
Class of 1964
Entrepreneur
Lake Oswego, Oregon

Started in large corporations (Ford and IBM) and then transitioned to smaller high tech companies and ultimately to start ups. Started three high-tech, data communications companies and one green building materials company over a 30-year entrepreneurial period.

1964 -1965 Dearborn, Michigan
1965 - 1967 White Plains, New York
1967 - 1974 Canton, Ohio
1974 - 1977 Dearborn, Michigan
1974 - 1977 Mission Viejo, California
1977 - 2023 Lake Oswego, Oregon

My Wittenberg education was very instrumental in my business career. I was taught how to seek conflicting points of view and then make decisions based on my analysis of the information. My mentor at Wittenberg was Dr. Laatsch and he excelled at preparing his students for the real experiences they would face. We were expected to attend class and be prepared because he asked questions. We were expected to 3 read articles with differing views on any topic we were studying and then be prepared to discuss our point of view.

My advice for students is to be open to hearing multiple views and then using that information to determine what you believe. Seekeing diverse information and then being able to critically evaluate that information will lead to success in business and life.

My Wittenberg education was critical and set me on a path to a successful and happy life.

Bruce Kirkpatrick
Class of 1973
Business Owner
Santa Barbara, California

Career: Sales, marketing, public relations, advertising. Ran my own firm, Kirkpatrick Communications, for the last 22 years of my career. Retired in 2016. Now I write books: https://bkirkpatrick.com

Location: We retired to Santa Barbara, CA

Advice: Craft your career using your God-given gifts and talents. If you pursue your passions, the money will follow.

Aric and Megan Stano Megan (Clark) Stano
Class of 2010
Insurance Agent
Wadsworth, Ohio

Advice: "Explore options outside your comfort zone. Study abroad! Even if it delays graduation."

Gina Schaefer
Class of 1993
Business Owner & Entrepreneur
Washington, DC

I graduated in 1993 with a Political Science degree and now live in Washington, DC. I moved here in September after graduation to work for a large non-profit organization, then spent some time in tech, and have now been the CEO of my own retail business for 20 years.

I never used my degree in the truest sense, but I have used my voice to be a political advocate for topics like minimum wage increases, paid family leave, and anti-trust legislation.

Wittenberg #LifeAfterWitt Feature

Advice: "My advice would be that you don’t have to BE a politician to make a substantial impact on politics and the communities where you live. Find a voice and use it."

Paul Siker
Class of 1983
Business Owner & Entrepreneur
Waterford, Virginia

My career has been in the executive search arena where I’ve been responsible for identifying and placing key professionals within technology firms and large nonprofit organizations. I also operate a talent acquisition consulting firm that works with clients all over the world. I’ve owned and operated multiple businesses and have enjoyed being an entrepreneur. At this point in time, I’m semi-retired. In 2021, I ran for a House of Delegates seat in the Virginia General Assembly. While I did not win, it was a tremendous experience, and brought me back to my political science roots.

My advice to college students is:

Pursue subjects you are passionate about – if you can figure out what interests and excites you, you will be far happier in whatever career you ultimately choose.
Don’t be one-dimensional – I left Wittenberg with a Poli Sci degree and a vague notion that I might want to be an attorney. I had no real career plan and unfortunately for me, the job market in 1983 was dismal for new college graduates (the U.S. unemployment rate was over 8%). I ultimately landed a Manager Trainee job with a large retail company. After a few successful years (and multiple geographic moves), I joined a fledgling recruiting and executive search firm where I worked my way into a partnership role.
While my professional experiences required me to learn a great deal about operating a business entity, in hindsight I wish I had picked up a second major in business, marketing, entrepreneurism or strategic communications. Having other relevant and applicable skills outside of my political science major would have made me far more marketable to a much broader cross section of employers. Perhaps more than at any point previously, in today’s marketplace, companies value versatility, and tend to prefer individuals who they perceive can “hit the ground running.” Today, I would highly recommend students consider picking up a second major, or a minor that has a technical aspect to it. The bottom line is that the world is not becoming “less technical.” Even if you know that you don’t want to write software for a living, understanding and utilizing contemporary tools and technologies will open doors and lead to additional pathways or options.
Quality Internships/thoughtfully written resumes can make a big difference: I have made my living evaluating and promoting the careers of other people. From a headhunter’s vantage point, I can assure you that having high-quality internships and/or work-related experiences during your college years can be extremely beneficial. Meaningfully incorporating these experiences into your resume and demonstrating how you were able to make a difference will help you stand out from the crowd. At the end of the day, competitive employers hire difference makers.

Amanda Speirs
Class of 2018
Business Consultant

Super excited to have to opportunity to report back on how my Wittenberg Education in Political Science has shaped who I am today! I have done a couple things since graduating...

Volunteered a year abroad through the Young Adult in Global Mission Program (YAGM), this was fun to do since I had an international studies minor and wanted to dip my toes in the water to see if it was something that I would like to do on a more permanent basis.
Worked for a State Agency in Iowa managing a pandemic related program for schools (The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Program). This was a whirlwind of a two year and am grateful for my experiencing but working for the government and all the red tape was extremely frustrating! I quickly realized I enjoyed the learning about how things worked vs. actually implementing things and making it work.
I am currently a certified trainer and client strategy consultant for Dale Carnegie and I love it and plan to stay for a very long time. I am loving this position and line of work. One thing that drew me to this career is I love helping people and over the course of the years since graduating I have learned that this can look differently than what one thinks it looks. I now get the opportunity to work with clients and participants worldwide and help them achieve their goals by increasing their self confidence, improving their communication skills, enhancing their people skills, becoming a more effective leader and learning ways to reduce stress and fatigue!

Two things that I would share with current students include...

Take chance and if someone asks you to do something/you are given an opportunity say yes! You never know when your yes will be your next opportunity or a new found passion.
I was told this my junior year during and internship and it was so profoundly impactful to me. It is okay to not know what you want to do with your future. A lot of the times, myself included, you get caught up on trying to figure out the perfect thing to do or say before you graduate. Often times this leads a person to think going to grad school is the best course of action, in reality it is a way to kick a can down the road. When I was graduating I had no clue what I was going to do and thought about applying for law school or a masters programs for public administration or public policy. Did I really want to do that? Not really but it seemed like a quick way to resolve my problems. The advice I was given was to take a year or two off from school. Grad school will still be there in a couple of years and if it is truly what you want to do, you will know for sure AND you will have more passion and take your studies seriously.

Eric Westendorf Eric B. Westendorf
Class of '92
Business Management
Seattle, Washington

Managing Director at Nuveen

Advice: Don’t be too proud to accept a lower job than you originally expected after your esteemed graduation and even into your 20s; then once you do, work your hands off and you’ll quickly get ahead. The harder you work the luckier you get!

William Vollrath
Class of 1971
Financial Management

Graduated cum laude in 1967 during a time of great political and social unrest.
Decided not to attend any of the several law and graduate schools I was accepted to, but instead spent two years traveling the US and reevaluating my life goals.
Eventually decided to obtain a Masters degree in journalism from Ohio State.
Spent several years as a marketing consultant to mid-market newspapers for a NYC based consulting firm.
At age 34, decided to transition to a more entrepreneurial career as an Investment Advisor with Paine Webber in Chicago. Later merged into UBS Financial.
Retired at age 55, after a mostly enjoyable and rewarding career.
Spent time since fishing, traveling, playing concert euphonium and writing/publishing/reading poetry.

My advice to students is learn to think critically and pursue wisdom, not just knowledge. Expect life to bring both joy and sorrow...

Mike Sobul
Class of 1980
Financial Management & Consulting
Columbus, Ohio

I was a double major in Poli Sci and Economics. Have a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Michigan (1982). I am mostly retired as of last May, but still doing a little bit of consulting and still active as a member of the Ohio Fair School Funding Workgroup, which was created in 2017 by State Representatives Bob Cupp and John Patterson.

Career Information:

1982-1984 Budget Analyst for the City of Cleveland
1984-1986 Research Associate, The Urban Center, Cleveland State University
1986-2011 Assistant Administrator and then Administrator, Tax Analysis Division, Ohio Department of Taxation
2011-2019 CFO/Treasurer, Granville Exempted Village Schools
2012-2019 Partner, Public Finance Resources consulting firm
2019-2022 Senior Advisor, Forecast5 Analytics/Frontline Education
2017- Member, Ohio Fair School Funding Workgroup (volunteer)

Matthew Shay
Class of 1984
President & CEO, National Retail Foundation
Washington, DC

Matthew Shay is president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. He serves as chief advocate and spokesman for the nation’s largest private-sector industry employer, responsible for supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 52 million working Americans — and generating $3.9 trillion in annual GDP. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Television.

Learn More About Matthew Shay