March 23, 2006
Quentin Fussell - Current Student Spotlight
Name: Quentin R. Fussell
Employer: HCA
Position: Sr. Financial Analyst
Contact Info: anquentin.fussell@hcahealthcare.com; (615) 344-5985
What did you do before you came to the Massey School?
I was a staff accountant for HCA.
What is unique about your current job? Will this change after you earn your degree? If so, how?
What's unique about my job is that I work with 12 CFOs. Earning my MBA won't change anything about my current position.
Complete this phrase, "I'd rather retake Dr. Smolira's finance class than."
You're kidding, right? If I knew that Dr. Smolira was waiting for me in the MBA program, I would have stopped when I got my MAcc.
What quote guides your life?
"A wise man will hear, and increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain onto wise counsels." Proverbs 1:5.
February 15, 2006
Heather Vessey - Current Student Spotlight
Name: Heather Vessey
Employer: Belmont University/Vessey Vision's
Position: Graduate Assistant/Marketing & PR Concept firm
Contact Info: Heather Vessey, Vessey's Visions
(615) 477-2414, heather@vesseysvisions.com
What did you do before you came to the Massey School?
I did marketing in the comestics industry. In Denver, I worked at the Museum Store Association as a liasion between museums and vendors, who sell their products into museum stores.
What is unique about your current job? Will this change after you earn your degree? If so, how?
It is part-time, lots of fun, I actually get to learn how to do strategic planning and brand analysis. Given I'm a graduate assistant, I will no longer need to be one once I finish. My goal is to find a job with a salary in an industry I can be passionate about.
Complete this phrase, "I'd rather retake Dr. Smolira's finance class than."
Have surgery.
What quote guides your life?
If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, we should begin to wonder is perhaps we were created for another world. -C.S. Lewis
January 24, 2006
Gregg Colson - Current Student Spotlight
Name: Gregg Colson
Employer: National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
Position: Director, Project Management Office
Contact Info: 615-872-5862 work; gregg.colson@nfib.org
What did you do before you came to the Massey School?
I’ve worked in various middle and senior management positions since graduating from Belmont in 1984 with a major in Marketing. I also taught high-school math for 4 years (Overton, Hillsboro). Managing in call centers (Comdata Networks), technology retail (Micro Mart), government (Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee), and banking–related services (Private Business, Inc) added breadth to my experience. In 2001, I attempted to make a job change after managing the post-merger integration of two public companies. I found it difficult to get interviews for senior positions without an MBA. That’s what brought me back to Belmont for another degree nearly 20 years after getting the first one. Coming back to school has been a reaffirming and confidence-building experience for me.
What is unique about your current job? Will this change after you earn your degree? If so, how?
I was recruited to start a formal Project Management Office (PMO) in a technology department that needed project structure. After more than two years here, my team and I are still working to build a lasting culture of project management. My goal is that the project methodology will take root as the way to do technology projects at NFIB and will outlive my tenure here. My role at NFIB probably won’t change after I complete the degree, so I plan to look for opportunities that take me out of technology. I want to be able to use my general and operations management skills in the service or entertainment industries after graduating in August.
Complete this phrase, “I’d rather retake Dr. Smolira’s finance class than…”
Sorry, there would be nothing worse than having to retake Dr. Smolira’s finance class.
What quote guides your life?
“Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
November 10, 2005
Current Student Spotlight
Name: Andy Jones
Employer: Deloitte (Hermitage Practice Center)
Position: Intern / Senior Coordinator International Accounting
Contact Info: 615-882-7065 work; andjones@deloitte.com
What did you do before you came to the Massey School?
I graduated with a finance degree from the University of Kentucky in 1992. My first brush with accounting came while working in my hometown of Glasgow, Kentucky, when I met a cute, young accountant as she was performing an audit on our company for Deloitte. We started dating and soon were married and I relocated to Nashville. Meredith left client service and moved into the position of HR Manager for Deloitte. I guess I probably have some first-hand knowledge of the inner workings of a Big 4 firm, and yet I still wanted to enter the profession. I recently went through the Summer Accounting Institute and plan to finish the MACC program next August. I am thrilled to say I will be working as an auditor with Ernst and Young in September.
What is unique about your current job? Will this change after you earn your degree? If so, how?
Nashville is very fortunate to have three of the Big 4 firms in town. Deloitte also has its practice service center in Hermitage where its Operating System and Technology Group performs a variety of functions for the firm such as firm payroll and taxes, financial reporting, IT, and also manages the firm’s call center. I work in the International Accounting Department that provides support to the Deloitte & Touche, Deloitte Consulting, and Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu member firms. It is very unique to work on a daily basis with Deloitte professionals from South America, Africa and the Middle East, as well as from various U.S. member offices. My duties will change dramatically as an auditor with Ernst. I will be working in client service as an external auditor rather than in an internal function as I do now.
Complete this phrase, “I’d rather retake Dr. Smolira’s finance class than…”
Take another class on Entrepreneurship. I guess it is the future “Bean Counter” in me that has a hard time focusing on a class that says repeatedly that numbers don’t matter.
What quote guides your life?
Proverbs 3:5-7: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.