Collegiate Women in Business (CWIB) is so excited that Power Panel is just one week away! The organization has four accomplished, talented, and inspirational businesswomen coming to speak to us, so please attend if you can. We promise that you will leave feeling empowered, prepared, and connected!
Danielle Fazio
Danielle Fazio, Manager at Ernst and Young (EY) , graduated from Virginia Tech in 2010 with a master’s degree in Accounting. With experience providing audit and attest services to clients in the financial services industry (with a focus in private equity/asset management), she is responsible for the planning, execution, and management of a multi-national public company audit, which involves handling multiple technically complex and/or specialized issues. Danielle is actively involved in various EY initiatives, including the Professional Women’s Network as well as Virginia Tech recruitment. She has also stayed involved here on campus by becoming a member of the Virginia Tech Recent Alumni Board. She is looking forward to hear “experiences from [other panelists’] career journeys that are very diverse, inspirational and empowering as they showcase examples of why your professional career is truly limitless and why you can ‘have it all’”.
Danielle is also looking forward to “getting to know the CWIB members better, as they are headed to go do great things in the professional world and [wants] to be a resource in CWIB members’ paths to success.” She regrets not knowing to “build stronger relationships with my peers [or] take advantage of mentorship programs when I was at VT. You never know what path you or your peers will take – many CEOs will tell you that they used to be the class clown.” Since joining the Virginia Tech Recent Alumni Board, Danielle has been exposed to a whole new network of connections and opportunities. She said, “One of those opportunities being able to expand my network to CWIB!”
“Keeping an open mind” is important to Danielle, as her “most exciting and rewarding experiences have been the ones that I was least expecting or hadn’t planned. Have the confidence to step outside of your comfort zone to take on those experiences, as it’s those experiences that are transformative and highly valuable in your professional career.” For the upcoming Power Panel, she hopes to “instill confidence in and empower CWIB members to not limit themselves in their career experiences, to be themselves, and to not be afraid to ask [questions] and to know their value.” We are excited to meet you and hear more about your experiences, Danielle!
Jay Veeramachaneni
Jay is a Federal Cyber-Risk Consultant at Deloitte, currently wrapping up her second year with the firm. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Business Information Technology (BIT) degree in December 2015. During her time at Tech, she was a Pamplin Ambassador and heavily involved with both Beta Alpha Psi and the Pamplin Leadership Development Team. Prior to joining Deloitte full-time, Jay also completed an externship and internship with Deloitte during her sophomore and junior years, respectively.
A fun fact about Jay is that she attended the 1st annual Power Panel, so for her “it is very exciting to have the opportunity to come back and be a part of the panel this year!” Looking back at her years at Tech, Jay wishes she had joined CWIB and valued her priorities and time. She says, “There are so many opportunities and events always happening [in college], that if you are unclear about your goals and what you need to do to achieve them, you can get lost saying yes to everything! Having clear goals that were a top priority for me helped [me to] make decisions on how I spent my time a lot easier.
When she attends the 4th annual Power Panel, Danielle hopes that “through attending the event and interacting with [the panelists], CWIB members are able to see that all of us on the panel were in their positions not too long ago! Often times, people we aspire to be fill a role that seems unattainable. By putting in the work, it’s definitely possible to reach your goals.” She advises, “Recognize the amount of effort it takes to achieve a goal. For example, it can seem like those who get internships or job offers just happened to walk in and nail the interview. What most people don’t see is the countless hours spent editing a resume, attending networking events or practicing interviewing. It’s surprising how things start falling into place when you start to consistently put the work in.” Thank you to Jay for the advice, we are excited to meet you at the Power Panel!
Kerry Wekelo
Kerry Wekelo is the Managing Director Culture Infusion (HR/Operations) at Actualize Consulting. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 with bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Marketing with a minor in Psychology, and also earned her MBA in Information Systems from the University of Phoenix. She is looking forward to “sharing with others how to go into their careers” at our annual Power Panel event. She hopes that after the panel, people gain confidence to know that “they can achieve anything they are passionate about”.
After her years at Virginia Tech, earning her master’s, and experience at work, she shares her most important piece of advice, which is to create a good work/life balance. Aside from being a successful woman in business, she is a yoga instructor, award-winning author of children books, and founder of the company Zendoway which encourages holistic wellness. She states that she does not regret any choice in her life, and that “all my experiences are a part of me and I learn from every challenge, I believe all challenges are opportunities.” Thank you Kerry for sharing and we can’t wait to to hear what else you have to say!
Brittany Jacks
Brittany Jacks graduated from Virginia Tech in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance then stayed another year to receive her master’s in Human Development, and then proceeded to receive her MBA from the University of Alabama. She is an Associate Consultant at Microsoft, where she works within the Azure and Identity space for commercial and public sectors. Brittany is so excited to be joining us at Power Panel, and expects it to be a great event where she can “provide myself as a connection and resource to members of CWIB who need/want help with interviewing and entering into predominantly male dominated work areas. She hopes that CWIb members “gain valuable insight into the technology industry and that they see challenges they encounter as turning points to greater things”.
She also advises to “never let someone define your success and what you can or cannot do, that is up to you to decide”. After her journey through school and working for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and now at Microsoft, she says that the one thing she would have changed is to not be stuck onto something, “I was die hard [into] investment banking and would not look at any other options. I would be more open to opportunities and focus more so on having a routine”. We are so excited to hear what else Brittany has to say about her career journey at our Power Panel!
See you all at Power Panel!