Web Chat
Vanderbilt MBA Chat
We will have current students, CMC staff and Admissions staff on hand to answer all of your questions about life at Owen and the Admissions process.
This chat took place on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 but the transcript below is still available for viewing
Blake Gore
Senior Associate Director, Career Management Center
Early in his career, Blake realized that vocation is more than a job - it's an expression of your life's calling. Fascinated with this reality, he helps students discover where their gifts intersect with the world's needs and supports them as they transition into meaningful, fulfilling careers. Since joining Career Management Center at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management in 2010, Blake splits his time between working with MBAs and students seeking the MS Finance degree. He is a National Certified Counselor and a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Mississippi, where he earned his BA and an MEd in Counselor Education from the University of Mississippi. After serving as a Career Planning Specialist and Course Instructor at the University of Mississippi's Career Center, he became the Director of Huntingdon College's Center for Career and Vocation in Montgomery, AL. Before joining the career services team at Vanderbilt, he was recruited to Nashville to be an Associate at Stanton Chase International, a top 10 global retained executive search firm. A husband and father of three, Blake spends a lot of time attending soccer games and dance rehearsals. However, he sometimes is able to slip away to do non-profit work and explore hole-in-the-wall eateries around Nashville.
Jill Dunham
Associate Director, Admissions
Jill Dunham earned a Bachelor of Arts in Human and Community Service from Lenoir-Rhyne University. For two years, Jill served as a college recruiter and admissions officer for the University of Tennessee's incoming freshman classes. She then went on to the University of Edinburgh for graduate school and spent three years in Scotland living and working. After returning to the States, Jill began working for Harvard Business School coordinating and implementing the Learning Teams Initiative, a program for first-year HBS students with a focus on team building and collaborative working models. After HBS, Jill joined the Cradlerock Group, a boutique-consulting firm, overseeing and facilitating domestic and international leadership development workshops for a $25 billion corporation, a leading worldwide consulting firm and a top U.S. business school. Jill joined the MBA Admissions team at Owen as Associate Director in August 2009. She enjoys rock climbing, reading, making pies, listening to live music, finding "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants and traveling.
Suzanne Feinstein
Senior Associate Director, Marketing and Communications
Suzanne joined Owen's Marketing and Communications team in 2005. She leads marketing for the Vanderbilt MBA program, the Career Management Center and Alumni Relations. She began her career in book and magazine publishing, earned an Executive MBA from Owen in 2001, and has worked in editorial and marketing roles for Athlon Sports, Smallbusiness.com, LEGO and Education Networks of America. In her spare time, you can usually find Suzanne hanging out with her musician husband and their baby girl. Suzanne enjoys sewing plush animals out of recycled fabrics, reading, playing guitar and documenting her family history.
Danielle Jones
MBA Class of 2013
Danielle is originally from Lexington, KY and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Accounting.After graduation she joined General Electric's financial management program working for the Energy and Oil & Gas divisions. While on the leadership program, she completed rotations in Houston, TX; Greenville, SC; and Atlanta, GA.She then settled permanently in Atlanta, GA and joined the GE Energy Services Commercial Finance organization as a financial analyst for the Southern region.While living in Atlanta, Danielle volunteered in the school-based program of Big Brothers Big Sisters and worked with young girls in the DeKalb County school district.Experiencing the challenges of "urban education" sparked her interest in human capital strategy and the education industry, which ultimately influenced her decision to pursue an MBA at Owen with concentrations in Human & Organizational Performance and Strategy.At Owen, Danielle serves as a Recruiter Hostess for the Career Management Center, first year Board Member for the Owen Black Students Association, Event Planning Director for the National MBA Human Capital Case Competition, and holds membership in the Human & Organizational Performance Association and Education Club. Outside of Owen, she works as a HR Strategy Intern with Metro Nashville Public Schools. This summer she will be interning with Procter & Gamble in corporate HR based in Cincinnati, OH.
Hal Snyder
MBA Class of 2012
Hal Snyder grew up in Houston, Texas and received a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Texas Tech University.After graduating from Texas Tech, Hal relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota to work in public relations for Northwest Airlines.He then moved to the marketing department to work on passenger marketing communications strategies and later transitioned to the advertising department where he managed Northwest's advertising initiatives in North America.When the long, cold Minnesota winters finally got the best of him, Hal returned to Texas where he worked in public relations for Southwest Airlines in Dallas.Shortly thereafter, he moved to the marketing department where he was a Brand Manager.Balancing his business career with his music career, Hal has also sung with symphony orchestras and opera companies across the country and has performed on two Grammy-nominated recordings and a Hollywood film soundtrack.Hal decided to attend business school to broaden his overall business knowledge and chose Owen for its strong academic program, its geographic location and connection with the local community, and most importantly, its culture.He is concentrating in marketing and strategy and is interested in a career in brand management.Over the summer, he worked as a marketing intern at Hanesbrands, where he developed pricing strategies for their men's underwear category.At Owen, Hal is an elected member of the Owen Student Government Association and is also involved with the Vanderbilt Marketing Association, the Global Business Association, and Cork & Barrel.
Fulltime Employment: Marketing Strategy Analyst – American Airlines
Clark Bosslet
MBA Class of 2012
Clark is a second-year student from Houston, where he spent two years in the tax practice at KPMG and two years in the strategy group at Texas Children's Hospital. At Owen, he is pursuing a Health Care specialization, and will will join ECG Management Consultants upon graduation. Clark is a Digital Marketing Consultant for the Marketing Department, a co-founder of the Owen Podcast Series and Owen Student Survey, and is the VP of Content at OwenBloggers. In his time at Owen, he has served as the Co-President of the Vanderbilt Health Care Conference, a teaching assistant for Project Pyramid, and on the board of the Owen Consulting Club. In his spare time, he tends to interview and pitch ideas to unsuspecting bystanders.
Bailey Garrett
Operations Manager, Admissions
Bailey Garrett earned a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) in Johnson City, Tennessee, where she served as the Orientation and Preview Assistant, coordinating the first-year orientation program. While working in the Office of Student Affairs, she went on to pursue her education earning a Master's Degree in Higher Education Counseling in the spring of 2009. Prior to joining the Admissions Team in March 2011, Bailey worked in Student Services at a career college in Nashville where she was responsible for student retention, tracking students' academic progress and planning student activities and graduation. Bailey is an avid college football fan and can often be found cheering on her favorite teams in the fall. She loves Mexican food, music, running, coffee and sending cards.
