Four alumni served as guest speakers for Executives-in-Residence, a three-credit course for graduate students enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at Saint Peter’s University. This course brings senior executives to the classroom to exchange ideas on the goals and strategies of companies and industries and identifies issues related to current trends in business strategy.
Offered twice a year, the Executives-in-Residence program was developed by John Hampton, Ph.D., professor of graduate business, who emphasized what a great impact this program has on students. By bringing successful alumni to campus, Dr. Hampton explained, the program creates an environment where ideas are shared rather than students simply receiving lectures.
“It’s easy to see that this kind of program fulfills the University’s commitment to Jesuit education. The executives were visibly transformed by their experiences at Saint Peter’s and they give the University credit for much of the success they had and are having,” added Dr. Hampton.
This fall semester, Executives-in-Residence began with Frank D’Amelio ’79, CFO and senior vice president of Pfizer Inc., a leading pharmaceuticals company. The students had the exclusive opportunity to visit Pfizer’s headquarters in New York City where they participated in an executive panel discussion facilitated by D’Amelio, who is responsible for Pfizer’s finances as well as its business development and business operations. D’Amelio also spoke about his life and career and shared his advice on the steps to take toward having a successful career. Prior to Pfizer, D’Amelio was the senior executive vice president of integration and chief administrator officer of Alcatel after it had merged with Lucent Technologies. Before the merger, he had served in a variety of leadership positions within Lucent such as chief operating officer, executive vice president, chief financial officer and president. Additionally, D’Amelio has been ranked among Institutional Investor Magazine’s top CFOs in America five times and has been named one of the top 10 leaders in his field by Treasury & Risk Management Magazine. D’Amelio earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Peter’s before earning a master’s degree in finance from St. John’s University.
James Hufnagel ’85 came to campus and discussed the executive positions he’s held at Food Service Properties Corp since joining the company in 1982. Hufnagel worked his way up the ladder, starting as director of human resources before becoming the general manager and ultimately the president of the company. As president, he is responsible for overseeing a string of Burger Kings, 270 employees and accounting services for 23 other franchised restaurants. During his 33-year tenure at Food Service Properties, Hufnagel was also a financial partner of Pyramid Search Group, Inc. as well as president and general partner of Salvage G.P., Inc. where he rescued negative cash flow properties. Prior, he was an engineering recruiter for The Tower Agency as well as a store manager at a Burger King restaurant. Additionally, Hufnagel has served on a variety of professional boards such as Restaurant Services, Inc., National Franchisee Association and Interchange State Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Saint Peter’s and a master’s degree in human resource management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The students also welcomed David McIntee, CPA, CVA ’77. With the exception of six month as an internal auditor, McIntee explained how he has devoted his entire career to public accounting. For the last 21 years, McIntee has been the managing partner of the firm McIntee Fusaro Del Corral, PLLC. In addition, this year he became an advisory representative for HD Vest Financial Services. Prior, he was a partner at Kinzel McIntee & Co. for 11 years and also worked as a manager for Durborow Kinzel & Company as well as a control analyst for Baker Industries. McIntee’s leadership in the accounting profession ultimately led him to be elected to the governing council of the AICPA where he served in a variety of executive positions. He has also served on various other boards for organizations and companies such as Metropolitan State Bank, New York Mercantile Exchange and Carolina Theatre of Durham. McIntee is a founding member of the Carolina’s Chapter of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, actively participating in continuing education programs both as a participant and speaker. He has been and continues to be a speaker and panelist on topics such as business valuation and succession planning. Additionally, he is currently the president and board member of Durham/Orange Estate Planning Council and a board member of Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill. McIntee earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University.
Gina Reo ’84 ’09, vice president of food safety at Weston Foods, Inc., also addressed the students, answering questions regarding the food industry both domestically and internationally. Throughout her more than 35 years of experience in the food industry, Reo has been promoted to high level executive positions at companies such as Cadbury and was the quality assurance chocolate director for Europe. She was also vice president of Unilever where she was responsible for safety, health, environment, quality and continuous improvement. She has fostered cross-industry partnerships with organizations such as Daimler-Chrysler and Du-Pont as well as with universities and local community groups. Additionally, Reo received the Tribute to Women in Industry Award in 2000 and has authored several white papers and a leadership column, Managing Up. Reo earned a bachelor’s degree in business management as well as a master’s degree in international management at Saint Peter’s.
“The experiences the alumni shared were amazing,” said Dr. Hampton. He remembered how on the last day, one of his students made a comment that stood out to him. “The student spoke out, ‘when I started this week, I wanted to learn how to make money. My goal has changed — now I want to enjoy my job and my personal life,” recalled Dr. Hampton. “She said it all.”
Interested in participating in Executives-in-Residence? Contact Sharon Morrissey at (201) 761-6126 or smorrissey@saintpeters.edu.