Hannah Walters, Princeton, and Emily Stever, St. Paul, are working with Billingsly to develop a complete marketing plan for the book.
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“Working with Dorothy has been such an amazing experience,” Walters said. “We started in mid-July and had our first conference call and I remember thinking ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to work with such an intelligent and obviously passionate person.’ Getting to meet her in person was truly a highlight.”
The students first met Billingsly in person when she spoke at St. Cloud State in August for the Herberger Business School’s C-Conversations series and held a book signing at the Husky Bookstore.
Billingsly is CEO of Billingsly Associates LLC, an executive search and consulting firm. She and Joel Rado, her husband and COO of Billingsly Associates, met with the students to review a website the students are developing to promote the book.
“Chart Your Course” is an A-Z guide to career-building and the job search process for college students just starting out and people early in their career.
Walters and Stever are both leaders in the business school and are interested in getting real-world experience in branding and marketing through the project.
“Having the opportunity to work with a CEO and COO as a student is truly such a great opportunity,” Walters said. “I am always so grateful for the opportunities that St. Cloud State provides to their students. Dean David Harris … really strives to meet and connect with the students here and provide them with opportunities to get real-world experience.”
The students met with Billingsly when she was on campus to talk to students for the C-Conversations series and took what they learned in that initial meeting to develop a marketing plan. They worked with Billingsly to give her weekly updates culminating in a formal presentation of their marketing plan in December.
“I have done this before with students, and it’s a terrific win-win opportunity for all of us,” Billingsly said.
Through their efforts, Walters and Stever are learning how to be consultants and manage a project with a client in a real-world setting.
In August Billingsly expressed confidence that the students would come up with some winning ideas.
“It will be a world-class presentation by students,” she said. “It will be just as good as many of the presentations that I’ve witnessed from other professional consultants.”
