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As students, the Class of 2023 overcame plenty of adversity鈥攕o when it rained, grads were prepared to take it in stride.鈥�

If you鈥檙e interviewing for your dream job on a great team, who better to give you advice than the two-time president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee?听

In her keynote remarks to the undergraduate Class of 2023 at the 精品SM在线影片鈥檚 Leeds School of Business, Jay Parry (Fin鈥�80) shared how her own experiences as a student prepared her for the leadership roles she鈥檚 held in finance and sports.

鈥淲hen I look back on what I鈥檝e been doing since graduation, my journey feels very serendipitous,鈥� Parry said. 鈥淵ou may not always be able to see the road ahead, but literally anything is possible if you鈥檙e willing to put in the work and plow forward in the face of fear.鈥澨�

It was a message tailor made for the Class of 2023, which overcame great challenges鈥攑andemic, fire, and economic and political instability鈥攚ith the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs, the optimism of future leaders and the perseverance of the battle-tested. That came in handy during a pair of rain-soaked ceremonies that, while dampening the views of the nearby Flatirons, did nothing to temper the joy of graduates and their families.听

MORE: List of Leeds awards winners at commencement ceremonies

鈥淭he world has changed since I graduated from CU,鈥� Parry said, 鈥渁nd I鈥檓 envious of the opportunities you will have to create impact on the world.鈥澨�

Parry was an executive vice president at Bank of America before a chance connection sent her from banking to basketball. That second career saw her play leadership roles with the Phoenix Mercury, of the WNBA, and Suns, of the NBA, along with leading Super Bowls XLIX and LVII in Arizona. She鈥檚 currently leading the host committee for the 2024 NCAA Final Four, to be held in Glendale, AZ.听

No surprise then that, along with sharing lessons she learned in building and leading teams, Parry encouraged the graduates to build their networks deliberately as they start their careers.听

鈥淭he most influential drivers in your life will be relationships. And relationships in your early experiences in the workplace are exceptionally important,鈥� she said. 鈥淣etworking is not connecting with everyone you can think of on LinkedIn, so you have the absolute biggest universe鈥攖hough of course, I鈥檒l be disappointed if you don鈥檛 connect with me on LinkedIn and mention this keynote as the best ever.鈥� 听

Taking on the big problems

Comfort embracing complexity was a major theme of the graduate ceremony, which took place in the evening May 13. Liza Yasemin Barnes (Phd'23) invoked Boulder鈥檚 chancy weather鈥攋ust as an unseasonable rainstorm was raging outside鈥攊n sharing graduates鈥� comfort navigating the unpredictable.听

鈥淏y embracing the complexity of such a simple thing鈥攖he weird weather in Boulder鈥攚e have developed a sense of adaptability,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are prepared for unforeseen scenarios and can embrace an unexpected snowstorm in the middle of a seemingly sunny day.鈥�

Barnes also spoke about choosing the right path amid countless options. Both topics were further discussed in Ellen Balaguer鈥檚 keynote address, which challenged graduates to think differently about business, relationships and negotiation鈥攃omplex issues but, as she noted, 鈥淎lbert Einstein said that the definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.鈥澨�

Dealmaking, she said, has become about winning, not about a result that satisfies both sides and is ethical.听

鈥淲hen Mike Leeds envisioned all of us daring to do business differently, he was striving to empower and inspire the same,鈥� said Balaguer (Fin, Psych鈥�82), a philanthropist and retired executive at Accenture.听

鈥淵ou will encounter people in life and business who may not take this approach,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 challenge you to be the ones that do.鈥�

Why Leeds听 Undergraduate programs听 Graduate programs

Degrees of Distinction

Leeds graduated an especially notable class of doctoral candidates this year, who are going on to posts at particularly notable universities and companies. Here鈥檚 the PhD Class of 2023 at Leeds:听

Liza Yasemin Barnes has been hired at Drexel University. Her dissertation title is 鈥淎 Multi-Perspective Exploration of Employee Medical Leaves of Absence.鈥澨�

Sandip Bisui accepted a role with Purdue University. His dissertation title is 鈥淓ssays on the Implications of Information Disclosures on New Ventures鈥� Technologies.鈥澨�

Elizabeth Embry will join the University of Kansas in the fall. Her dissertation is titled 鈥淏uilding Change: A Multi-Level Analysis of Resilience through Sustainability, Health and Entrepreneurship in the Built Environment.鈥澨�

Andrew Garofolo has been hired at Georgia Southern University. His dissertation is 鈥淭he Time Dynamics of Acquisitions and Entrepreneurial Exit.鈥澨�

Matt Meister has accepted a position at the University of San Francisco. His dissertation is titled 鈥淚nherent Issues with User-Generated Star Ratings.鈥澨�

Hasti Rahemi has been hired at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. Her dissertation is 鈥淭o Look Good or to Do Good: Three Essays in Nonprofit and Humanitarian Operations.鈥澨�

Jessi Mariah Rivin will be on the faculty of San Diego State University in the fall. Her dissertation title is 鈥淒ynamics Between Mental Health and Curiosity in Employee Well-Being.鈥澨�

Fan You accepted a role as an applied scientist with Uber Technologies. His dissertation title is 鈥淒ynamic Stochastic Matching, Customer Choice Modeling and Assortment Optimization in Online Marketplaces.鈥澨�