Charlie Wasson (MBA鈥�21)
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 Techstars鈥� 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 Est鈥�21)
Retail Banking Intern, KeyBank
Oluwabunmi had no plans of staying in-state after graduating from high school in Aurora, Colorado. Yet, after participating in Leeds鈥� Summer Bridge and Business Leadership programs before her freshman year, she changed her mind.
鈥淲ithout 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.鈥�
Nick Light (PhD Candidate鈥�21)
Consumer Behavior Researcher
One increasingly popular marketing strategy is to suggest that products or companies are simple. PhD candidate Nick studies the strategy鈥檚 effects on consumers鈥� 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 (Mktg鈥�16)
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 master鈥檚 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.
鈥淎s business leaders, there is nothing more inspiring than being led by people who lead authentically,鈥� says Mark. 鈥淟eeds equipped me with the tools and skills to be that type of business leader.鈥�
Sarah Stafford, DVM (MBA鈥�21)
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. That鈥檚 when she decided to pursue her MBA at Leeds.
鈥淚 realized a business degree would open opportunities to work 鈥榖ehind the scenes鈥� in the veterinary industry, shaping how veterinary organizations function and infl uencing how we provide compassionate veterinary care,鈥�
Louise Ronaldson (Mktg鈥�18, MS SCMN鈥�20)
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 Boulder, where she played varsity tennis while pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 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 Tax鈥�95)
State & Local Tax Partner, TaxOps, LLC
Just hearing the word 鈥渢axes鈥� 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 learned鈥攁nd her professors鈥� wisdom and encouragement鈥攍ed to a more than 25-year career in tax doing exactly that. As a tax professional, she focuses on taxes鈥� positive impact. 鈥淒o you know that a key equal protection case was a tax case argued by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Denver, Colorado? Don鈥檛 ever think that tax issues cannot affect society in a positive way!鈥� says Judy.
To students, she says, 鈥淕et 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.鈥�
Chase Byers
(Mgmt鈥�23 & Ent鈥�22, Global Business and Leadership Certificates)
Commercial Model, Wilhelmina Denver
鈥淵ou can do anything you want with a little business in your back pocket,鈥� says alumna Ann Mashburn (Fin鈥�83). This philosophy summarizes Chase Byers鈥� 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.
鈥淏eing 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. It鈥檚 entrepreneurial, and Leeds is giving me the skills I need to succeed.鈥�
