University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

2008 Executives in Residence��������������
At a time when few schools were
accepting female MBA candidates, Sarah
Armstrong Gregg ’48 wasn’t about to
back down. Encouraged by a former
professor, Gregg rolled up her sleeves
and enrolled in New York University’s
business program.
“He was right,” she said about
the Mary Washington professor who
urged her to push the limits. “I wasn’t
intimidated at all.”
Gregg went on to take the business
world by storm, becoming the first
female vice president of Federated
Department Stores, which later became
Macy’s.
Success stories like these and the
lessons they convey are at the core
of UMW’s Executive-in-Residence
program, which teaches students about
free enterprise by introducing them
to corporate leaders. In past years, the
program has brought to the school
some of the biggest names in the
business world, including billionaire
investor Warren Buffett; former Circuit
City Chairman Richard Sharp; and the
head of the Ukrop’s supermarket chain,
James Ukrop.
This year, as part of UMW’s
Centennial Celebration, the 20th annual
program included a panel of four Mary
Washington alumni – all accomplished
entrepreneurs – whose graduation dates
spanned the past six decades, from 1948
to 2007.
During the two-day March event,
panelists met with students, faculty,
and area business leaders to discuss the
challenges of the corporate world and
the qualities they believe contributed
most significantly to their success.
All agreed that their early
experiences in the classroom topped the
list of positive experiences.
“The first quality was my education
from Mary Washington,” said Gaynelle
Parrish Grizzard ’50, who co-owns with
her husband Georgia’s Southeastern
Mill, which manufactures grits, flour,
cornmeal, and specialty mixes. The
company holds contracts with such
noteworthy businesses as Kellogg, has
about 230 employees, and boasts yearly
sales of about $250 million.
In addition to Gregg and Grizzard,
the panel included Iris Harrell ’69 and
Doug Simpson ’04, MBA ’07.
Harrell founded Harrell Remodeling
Inc. in 1985 and is president of the
award-winning San Francisco Bay
area design-and-build residential
remodeling company, which earns $11
million in annual sales and employs
a staff of 50. Harrell has appeared in
several periodicals, received multiple
awards, and frequently makes corporate
presentations.
Simpson, who established the
Charlottesville-based technical solutions
development company Adasphere in
2006, mentioned how fortunate UMW
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MAGAZINE��������������� �
ON CAMPUS
Iris Harrell ’69; Sarah Armstrong Gregg ’48; Doug Simpson ’04, MBA ’07; and Gaynelle Parrish
Grizzard ’50 were the 2008 Executives in Residence. The annual program is designed to
teach students about free enterprise by introducing them to corporate leaders.
students are to receive a liberal arts
education. Having an understanding of
multiple disciplines is advantageous in
the business world, he said.
While at UMW, the panelists spoke
both at the Stafford and Fredericksburg
campuses, addressing MBA students and
members of three upper-level business
administration courses.
Additionally, the executives engaged
in a question-and-answer session with
community members and local business
leaders during a breakfast gathering at
the Jepson Alumni Executive Center.
The Executive-in-Residence program
aims not only to bring recognized
business leaders to UMW, but also
to promote interaction between the
University and local companies. Funding
is provided by an endowment started in
1989 by Dominion Bank and the former
Southland Corp.
– Erin Leach-Kemon ’08
3
Robert A. Martin