Alumni Careers Begin to Cluster and Excel
Jack Sims
Vice President
for College Advancement
This issue’s cover story, “Virginia Wesleyan enjoys surge as alumni ride waves of success,” brought you closer to 39 Virginia Wesleyan alumni. In researching this article we found that alumni have begun to cluster and excel along specific career paths.
921 teachers
110 church employees
102 presidents
89 business owners
82 vice presidents
53 accountants
51 in media and communications careers
46 in medical careers
41 attorneys
Business and Accounting
Virginia Wesleyan alumni have made it in the business world. 89 alumni are business owners. 8 alumni are CEOs and 102 are presidents, including the Presidents of C&P Tug & Barge Co. in Portsmouth and Professional Insurance Solutions in Virginia Beach. 82 alumni are Vice Presidents including VPs of Countrywide Mortgage in Virginia Beach and Wachovia Residential Mortgage in Richmond. Others in business include the Managing Director of Ornstein-Schuler Realty Co. in Atlanta, Ga., and the Executive Director of HR at Estee Lauder Cosmetics in Bristol, Pa. Virginia Wesleyan alumni are watching the bottom line with 53 in the field of accounting or serving as CPAs, including the Bursar of The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.
Sciences
The field of science, engineering and technology features a Systems Engineer at Northrop Grumman in Newport News, a Lab Technologist at Virginia Tech and a Chief Scientist at Scentczar Corp. in Richmond. 18 alumni are medical doctors including an Oral Surgeon from Williamsburg, a Gastroenterologist at Centra Care Health Systems in Saint Cloud, Minn., and the Resident Physician at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. 8 alumni are dentists, 9 are pharmacists, 7 are veterinarians and 12 are nurses. Alumni are also medical administrators, including the Medical Director of Addiction at the Pikeville Methodist Hospital in Pikeville, Ky.
Communications, Marketing and Media
Communications, marketing and the media are represented by the Editor of Financial Executive Magazine in Morristown, N.J., the Director of Marketing for Star Wars at Hasbro Toys in North Attleboro, Mass., the Director of Communications at the United Way in Lancaster, Pa., and a Disc Jockey at WIND-FM in Ocala, Fla. 51 alumni have job titles like Editor, Reporter, Sports Editor, Staff Writer, Marketing Analyst, Graphic Designer, Photographer, Arts Writer or Ad Account Executive.
Sports
Sports have drawn our alumni with the Director of Club Development with Beach FC Travel Soccer in Virginia Beach and a Professional Ski Instructor at Vail Resorts in Vail, Colo. Two alumni athletes are in Class A minor league baseball with the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers and the Jupiter (Fla.) Hammerheads. Another alumnus is a Professional Basketball Player with the Washington Generals and has toured the U.S., Europe and the Orient playing the Harlem Globetrotters.
Public Service
Many alumni are in public service, including the Executive Director of the Delaware Department of State in Dover, a Senior Customs Inspector in Newark, N.J., and a Legislative Assistant for Virginia State Delegate Robert Tata. A number of alumni are in the social services, including a Case Worker at White Mountain Mental Health in Littleton, N.H. Law and criminal justice is a favorite, too, with the Criminal State Investigator for the State of New Jersey in the City of Brielle and a Police Lieutenant in the City of Norfolk. 41 alumni are attorneys.
Alumni also serve through religion and ministry. 110 alumni work for churches with titles such as Pastor, Director of Youth, Organist, Missionary, Bookkeeper, and Choral Director. An alumnus serves as the Bishop of the Methodist Church of Nigeria.
Education
Higher education boasts many alumni, with a Librarian at the University of Hawaii, Chair of the Political Science Department at Radford University and Director of Special Programs at Duke University Divinity School and Archivist at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachuetts. Finally, and most significantly, 921 Virginia Wesleyan alumni are School Teachers in elementary, middle and high school, by far the largest occupation segment for our alumni.
We have found Virginia Wesleyan alumni careers so interesting that we plan to feature four to five alumni in each Wesleyan Magazine. We hope you agree and will please submit the Alumni: Update Your Information form on the back of this magazine today.
Alumni job titles come primarily from data collected for the 2005 alumni directory, published newspaper articles and information self-reported to the alumni office.