On Thursday Feb. 6, University of Richmond graduate Cammie Dunaway, Westhampton College '84, spoke to students and members of the Richmond community at the third installment of the Robins Executive Speaker Series. Each year, the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business invites four to six high-level business executives to meet with students and share their experiences.
"University of Richmond was the place that I first gained a sense of who I was and what I was good at," Dunaway said toward the beginning of her speech.
She received her bachelor's degree from Richmond and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1990. She worked for 13 years in various roles in the marketing world at Frito-Lay, Yahoo! and Nintendo. While working at Frito-Lay, Dunaway was named one of the top 100 marketers by Advertising Age, a marketing and media magazine.
"Three years ago I took a leap of faith and joined a small, privately held company based in Mexico called KidZania," Dunaway said. Today, Dunaway is the U.S. president and global chief marketing officer at KidZania Inc., "a global business built around the belief that interactive play can build kids' confidence, creative thinking and social skills," according to the event information on the university's website.
Dunaway urged those in the audience to find a job that they love. "You need passion," she said. "If you don't love what you do, you won't do it well."
Senior Lauren Morse, a business school student, introduced Dunaway's speech. Morse was referred to introduce Dunaway by Dana Lascu, chairman of the marketing department. Morse said she thought it was important for students to hear from alumni.
"It is a great opportunity to learn about potential career paths and to ask the speaker one-on-one questions about their experiences," she said. "Dunaway's point about not being afraid to go after something you are passionate about spoke to me the most."
Each summer, the business school administration plans which people they will bring in to speak the following year, said Nancy Bagranoff, dean of the business school.
"We aim for a diverse group, representing different industry sectors," Bagranoff said. "We look to alumni and sometimes parents as potential speakers. For example, David Hall of Hallmark, a UR parent, was the first speaker of the year."
Contact reporter Mary Rossiter at mary.rossiter@richmond.edu
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Support independent student media
You can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking the button below, which takes you to our secure PayPal account. The page is set up to receive contributions in whatever amount you designate. We look forward to using the money we raise to further our mission of providing honest and accurate information to students, faculty, staff, alumni and others in the general public.
Donate Now
