News

Leeds Remains in the Top 6% of Public and Private Business Schools in 2027 U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Jane Majkiewicz — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:26:10 +0000

Leeds Remains in the Top 6% of Public and Private Business Schools in 2027 U.S. News & World Report Rankings Jane Majkiewicz Mon, 09/21/2026 - 11:26

Jane Majkiewicz

Leeds continues to shine in the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges Rankings, adding real estate to the school’s recognition.

Leading in Business Education

#33 Undergraduate Business School (among U.S. public and private institutions)
#21 Public Undergraduate Business School
#14 in Undergraduate Real Estate Specialty

U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges Rankings

U.S. News & World Report is out with its undergraduate 2027 Best Colleges rankings, showing Leeds holding steady in the No. 21 slot for public business schools, joining Michigan State University, University of Arizona and University of Iowa. For combined public and private institutions, Leeds ranks No. 33 out of 535 business schools in the 2027 rankings, placing it among the top 6% nationwide.

“Maintaining a top-tier ranking among both public and private undergraduate business programs is a significant accomplishment,” said Vijay Khatri, Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean of Leeds. “As we continue to lead in business education, we remain committed to our Strategic Plan and to preparing students to succeed in a rapidly evolving world,” he added.

“That focus is producing exceptional results,” said Jennifer Bone, Stone Family Faculty Scholar and associate dean of Undergraduate Programs. “The undergraduate Class of 2025 achieved a 99% career outcomes rate (measured in accordance with NACE standards), while Leeds celebrated its largest graduating class ever in spring 2026, with more than 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students crossing the stage,” she added. Meanwhile, Leeds continues to attract world-class faculty and produce influential research that shapes scholarship, informs practice, and earns recognition in leading journals and media outlets.

Raising the bar in real estate

The 2027 undergraduate rankings include standalone specialty areas, highlighting Leeds as No. 14 in the real estate category. Leeds also ranked No. 16 for real estate in the latest MBA rankings.

The strength of Leeds’ real estate programs underscores the impact of the Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate. By connecting students with professionals in real estate development, capital markets, valuation and law, the Klump Center bridges classroom learning and industry practice. Opportunities such as the 2026 Los Angeles Real Estate Trek, the Bascom Undergraduate Real Estate Competition and the Annual CU Real Estate Forum give students direct exposure to the industry while helping them build professional networks.

“Being ranked among the top undergraduate real estate programs in the nation is a testament to the robust, comprehensive ecosystem we’ve built here at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��,” said Julie Gibson, Sherman R. Miller Executive Director of the Klump Center. “Our students don’t just study real estate; they benefit from an expansive network of expert faculty and CU alumni, as well as phenomenal resources and applied learning from the center,” she added.

“With close to 600 real estate majors actively engaged in our program, this ranking reinforces our position as a premier destination for real estate education and as a vital pipeline for future industry talent," said Christophe Spaenjers, professor and Michael A. Klump Endowed Chair of Real Estate and faculty director of the Klump Center.

Leeds continues to shine in the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Colleges Rankings of Undergraduate Business Programs, adding real estate to the school’s recognition.

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Michael Steinberg Set to Lead Burridge Center for Finance

Jane Majkiewicz — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:26:44 +0000

Michael Steinberg Set to Lead Burridge Center for Finance Jane Majkiewicz Tue, 09/15/2026 - 15:26

Following a comprehensive national search, the Leeds School of Business is pleased to announce the Burridge Center for Finance’s next executive director, Michael Steinberg, CFA.

With more than 30 years of experience across the investment industry, Michael Steinberg brings a wealth of knowledge to this leadership position. After graduating with degrees in mathematics and economics from the University of Colorado Boulder, he began his career as an actuary in New York City and Washington, D.C., before earning his MBA from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Over the course of his career, he has served in a wide range of roles, including portfolio manager, director of research, COO, CFO, CCO, chief risk officer, and investor relations. Most recently, he served as managing director of business development at Deer Park Road Management Company. He is also a CFA charterholder.

“Michael sits naturally at the intersection of practice and academia,” said Shaun Davies, faculty director of the Burridge Center for Finance and associate professor of finance. “He has spent his career at firms that have incorporated academic research into their investment strategies, has regularly written white papers and investor letters, and has contributed a chapter to a finance textbook. That combination of industry experience, intellectual curiosity and connection to CU makes him a particularly exciting fit for the Burridge Center.”

“Through Michael’s leadership, we hope the Burridge Center continues to bring together our exceptional students, world-renowned faculty, alumni, industry partners, and academic programs across the Leeds School of Business.”

Vijay Khatri, Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean

Since 1997, the Burridge Center for Finance has worked to enhance and elevate finance at the Leeds School of Business, building superior innovation and talent through student, alumni, industry and partner networks.

“As we look to the center’s next chapter, we’re excited about the opportunity to continue strengthening its role as a bridge to the business community,” said Vijay Khatri, Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean. “Through Michael’s leadership, we hope the Burridge Center continues to bring together our exceptional students, world-renowned faculty, alumni, industry partners, and academic programs across the Leeds School of Business.”

Following a comprehensive national search, the Leeds School of Business is pleased to announce the Burridge Center for Finance’s next executive director, Michael Steinberg, CFA.

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Leeds Students Connected with Industry Professionals at Business Leaders-in-Residence and Leeds Professionalism Summit

Jane Majkiewicz — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:19:40 +0000

Leeds Students Connected with Industry Professionals at Business Leaders-in-Residence and Leeds Professionalism Summit Jane Majkiewicz Mon, 09/14/2026 - 11:19

Jane Majkiewicz • Photos by Nathan Thompson

Friday, Sept. 11, was a busy day at the Limelight Boulder, where more than 1,000 Leeds students participated in a full day of professional development, career exploration and networking through the Leeds Professionalism Summit and Business Leaders-in-Residence program.

As part of Leeds’ fall Career Week, the combined event brought together students and more than 200 industry professionals for a day of career-focused learning and meaningful connections. Held at the Limelight Boulder Hotel, the program featured professional insights, career advice and networking opportunities tailored to students at every stage of their academic journey.

The day featured three tailored experiences, beginning with the Leeds Professionalism Summit for sophomores in the morning, followed by a networking lunch for graduate students, and concluding with afternoon roundtable discussions for first-year students.

Building on the success of the inaugural Business Leaders-in-Residence in 2025, this year’s event was designed to give students direct access to accomplished business leaders in an environment that encouraged candid conversations, thoughtful questions and authentic relationship building.

The morning program opened with keynote remarks from Kate (Minnihan) Strohl (Mgmt’18), former senior employer relations manager at Leeds and founder of Enneagram with Kate. A certified coach and longtime contributor to Leeds’ career programming, Strohl encouraged students to reflect on their values, challenge themselves to step outside of their comfort zones, and consider the long-term impacts of their career decisions.

She highlighted the many resources available through Leeds, including career treks, mentorship programs and networking opportunities, while emphasizing the importance of authenticity and investing in relationships. Before concluding, Strohl challenged everyone in attendance, students and professionals alike, to identify one meaningful goal for the day.

"Walk away with one thing you did today," she said.

That spirit of connection and support was evident throughout the event. Industry professionals generously shared their experiences, insights and advice with students eager to learn about potential career paths. Their engagement reflects a broader culture of mentorship at Leeds, where thousands of students and alumni participate in mentoring relationships each year.

With strong career outcomes and a commitment to experiential learning, Leeds continues to create opportunities that help students build confidence, expand their networks and prepare for careers after graduation. Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean Vijay Khatri shared his heartfelt gratitude on LinkedIn, reflecting that the success of this event “takes a village, and we have an incredible one at Leeds.”

Kate Strohl (Mgmt’18) set the stage with the morning keynote’s supportive advice for the day, encouraging sophomores to overcome nerves, step outside their comfort zones and make the most of every opportunity.

The Limelight Boulder’s Flatirons Ballroom buzzed with conversation as students and professionals exchanged ideas, experiences and plenty of smiles throughout the day.

Earnest conversation and real advice were built-in components of the day’s events. Tables were set up throughout the ballroom to promote roundtable discussions.

Chris Bentley (pictured in the white shirt) has mentored many Leeds students who have an interest in sustainability. As a self-described “ecopreneur,” Bentley shared insights from his career spanning 13 businesses.

While industry professionals shared advice and insights throughout the day, students also learned from one another, exchanging experiences, encouragement and ideas for navigating their career journeys.

Students learned practical strategies for navigating today’s competitive job market, including networking effectively, tailoring applications and making the most of Leeds’ career resources.

Darrell Zechman, senior director of career development and experiential learning at Leeds, walked students through helpful steps in the job search and interviewing process.

Ann Lerner, a Leeds undergraduate career coach who specializes in the finance and real estate fields, explained the recruitment application process and timeline, sharing valuable tips on conducting research, networking and employer expectations.

Beyond the large group sessions, students had opportunities for individual conversations with business leaders, creating space for thoughtful questions, honest guidance and meaningful professional connections.

As the day unfolded, the ballroom was a hub of conversation, curiosity and connection, bringing together hundreds of Leeds students and industry professionals for an unforgettable day of career exploration and community building.

More than 1,000 Leeds students and 200 industry leaders convened at the Boulder Limelight for a day of career insights, networking and professional development.

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More Than a Summer Break

Jane Majkiewicz — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 21:03:57 +0000

More Than a Summer Break Jane Majkiewicz Thu, 08/27/2026 - 15:03

Ariana Kozlowski (Mktg’28) worked as a creative media intern at Hendrick Motorsports through the NASCAR Next Internship Program.

Jane Majkiewicz

Far from slowing down for summer, Leeds students accelerated their professional and personal growth through internships, global experiences and hands-on learning that made a lasting impact.

Ariana Kozlowski (Mktg’28) worked as a creative media intern at Hendrick Motorsports through the NASCAR Next Internship Program.

Forever lessons

Ariana Kozlowski (Mktg’27) will remember one moment from this summer for years: content she created for the Carolina Panthers was picked up by the NFL and ESPN. “It was awesome being able to see my work on such a big stage,” she said.

Among many memorable moments, her internship supporting digital content initiatives with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports solidified her goal of building a career in sports marketing and media. She discovered she thrives in a fast-paced environment.

“I also realized how much I enjoy the combination of creativity, collaboration, and the energy that comes with working in sports,” Kozlowski said.

Daniela (Dani) Saldana (Mktg, Fin’29) had an equally transformative experience, spending five weeks in Cape Town through the Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in South Africa (EESA) Program.

“EESA taught me so much that a traditional classroom experience simply cannot teach. I learned how to navigate living independently across the world and applied everything I had learned in business school to real businesses where our work had real consequences,” she said.

The program’s closing ceremony will remain etched in her memory.

“In addition to the two entrepreneurs my team of six worked closely with, my roommate Isabela (from Notre Dame), and I helped another entrepreneur, Phathiswa Gaga, formalize her early childhood development center,” Saldana said. “At the closing ceremony, watching Phathiswa jump up and down with excitement and tear up as she received her certificate filled me with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that I will never forget. Working with her taught me just how selfless and beautiful people can be.”

Growth opportunities

Colton Sontrop (Mktg’27) spent the summer working as a marketing intern with airport systems design firm BNP Associates.

Colton Sontrop (Mktg’27), who writes for the Deming Center during the academic year, spent the summer as a marketing intern with airport systems design firm BNP Associates.

“I learned to be timely, plan out checkpoints and deadlines, interact with higher-level professionals, and manage my workload on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

His most memorable moment came during his final presentation, when he shared an intern recruitment video he created that the company plans to use. “It was cool to see everyone’s reaction, knowing I made a lasting impact,” he said.

Kyle Tran (Mktg, StrEnt’28), a junior brand and content strategist for TikTok—an opportunity he got through the Badami Office of Experiential Learning—welcomed the chance to stretch outside his comfort zone.

“I had to support each decision with quantitative and qualitative data to justify business recommendations. It really tested my time management and remote adaptability. Learning to use large, uninterrupted blocks of deep-work time was an incredible life skill.”

Through her valuation services internship with Crowe LLP, Breeana Tran (Fin, Acct’27) learned the value of independence and determination while also becoming more comfortable seeking support when needed.

“Over time, I started to see asking questions less as a sign of weakness and more as knowing when to reach out and learn from the people around me,” she said.

From the classroom to the workplace

Kozlowski felt well prepared for her internship. “A lot of the marketing concepts I learned directly translated to my work at NASCAR. It was rewarding to see how the curriculum was represented in the real world, including such concepts as consumer behavior, branding, marketing strategy and analytics.”

Kyle Tran’s work focused on brand and content strategy for All Basics Uniforms (ABU). Drawing on concepts from Leeds coursework, he conducted competitor analysis, built customer personas, developed platform-specific content recommendations, established KPI benchmarks, and created a social media playbook.

“I was able to take core marketing frameworks and apply them to a real company. Rather than just throwing generic content at a social feed, I focused on analyzing how a brand could deliberately position itself to solve specific customer needs and pain points.”

Breeana Tran was glad she had completed upper-level finance courses before arriving at Crowe. “A lot of the concepts I learned at Leeds ended up being relevant. For example, I used the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method often during my internship, and I definitely wouldn't have felt as comfortable with it without taking Corporate Finance.”

She also credits Leeds with helping her build confidence. “Leeds prepared me really well when it came to networking and professional etiquette. I felt much more comfortable talking with my managers, asking questions, and knowing what questions would actually be helpful.”

Crafting real solutions

For Breeana Tran, assisting with business valuations and audit reviews revealed the complexity of valuing intangible assets such as customer relationships.

“It can be challenging because there isn’t always an obvious answer. I had to dig through data, research competitors, and look at past information to figure out what made the most sense. A lot of the work felt like being a detective, which made it really fun and rewarding.”

Saldana appreciated EESA’s emphasis on student ownership. Teams were responsible for developing and implementing several deliverables for each client, including financial systems, marketing strategies, customer retention plans, booking platforms, and sales materials.

Dani Saldana (Mktg, Fin’29), second from left, joined the summer 2026 cohort of the Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in South Africa Program.

Through Process Consulting, her team implemented seven major deliverables for two entrepreneurs, including bookkeeping systems, branding strategies, customer retention tools, and a sales workshop.

“Seeing the results after our engagement was incredibly rewarding,” she said. One entrepreneur secured partnerships with three brand ambassadors to promote her salon training academy, strengthened her social media presence, and gained a clearer understanding of her business costs and margins. Another used materials created by the team to secure new contracts.

“Sometimes showing someone how much you believe in them and their business can help relight that spark to keep fighting for its success.”

Takeaways for life

Kyle Tran left his role with a marketing portfolio of content and strategy work that will support future opportunities. “The most rewarding part was being recognized as a Top Performer, placing in the top 10% of my entire cohort based on my effort, initiative and final strategy presentation.”

For Breeana Tran, the experience broadened her view of global business. “I worked with companies in industries I didn’t even know existed, and it was interesting to see how they found their target market and provided something genuinely useful to the people they served.”

An added bonus was shaping her long-term priorities. “I now have a much better idea of the type of people I want to work with and the kind of work-life balance that's important to me.”

Saldana’s biggest takeaways?

Appreciate the little things in life and be a good person.
You are stronger and smarter than your brain tells you.
Learn how to rely on yourself.

Opening future doors

Georgia Horan (Psych’27), a Business Minor, leveraged her work as a student writer with Leeds’ marketing team to take on a summer internship with Millennium Management’s branding and communications team.

“The most rewarding part was being trusted with real ownership over projects and feeling like the work I was doing contributed to the team,” she said.

See what other Leeds students did this summer:

Observing company leaders showed her how strong relationships can shape effective leadership. “I learned that having strong relationships with the people you work with can make a significant difference in both the quality of the work and how much you enjoy doing it.”

Horan's internship led to a full-time job offer after graduation, giving her something many seniors hope for: clarity about what’s next. Rather than focusing on a job search, she can spend her senior year building skills she'll apply in her role with Millennium.

“It feels like a culmination of the work I’ve put in over the past three years,” she said. “I’m extremely grateful to have found an opportunity and a team that I’m genuinely excited to return to.”

Breeana Tran echoed that sentiment. She plans to complete her undergraduate degree now in three years, finishing in spring 2027. Crowe has already asked her back to work in a full-time role—a position she is grateful to accept.

Student Voices

In addition to gaining valuable career skills through summer internships, students also learned about their own strengths and interests.

Breeana Tran (Fin, Acct’27)

I now have a much better idea of the type of people I want to work with and the kind of work-life balance that's important to me.”

Kyle Tran (Mktg, StrEnt’28)

Learning to use large, uninterrupted blocks of deep-work time was an incredible life skill.”

Georgia Horan (Psych’27)

I learned that having strong relationships with the people you work with can make a significant difference in both the quality of the work and how much you enjoy doing it.”

Far from slowing down for summer, Leeds students accelerated their professional and personal growth through internships, global experiences and hands-on learning.

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Leeds Business Insights Podcast: Ratings, Risk and the Psychology of Choice with Ying Zeng

Kelsey Cipolla — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:29:41 +0000

Leeds Business Insights Podcast: Ratings, Risk and the Psychology of Choice with Ying Zeng Kelsey Cipolla Tue, 08/25/2026 - 15:29

Assistant Professor of Marketing Ying Zeng unpacks the hidden biases and mental shortcuts that shape consumer decision-making.

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart speaks with Ying Zeng, assistant professor of marketing at the Leeds School of Business.

Ying explains why tasks feel most exhausting near completion—because people track percentage completed rather than total effort—and suggests batching chores to experience this "end drain" only once. She breaks down common online review biases, revealing how price and platform norms distort ratings, and offers practical strategies for making smarter purchases.

The conversation also explores AI as an emerging decision shortcut for complex purchases, the hidden appeal of risky products, and why marketers must simplify their messaging for "lazy" consumers. Finally, Ying outlines a framework for distinguishing short-lived fads from lasting market trends.

Listen now

Episode transcript

Claire Stewart: Today's LBI idea is to use marketing to help consumers simplify their decision-making process. Our guest today is Ying Zeng, an assistant professor of marketing and a Dean's Faculty Scholar at the Leeds School of Business. She is an expert in inconsistencies and biases in consumer decision-making, especially in digital marketing, strategic decisions, and consumption experience.

Thanks so much for joining us today, Ying.

Ying Zeng: Thank you, Claire, for inviting me to this podcast.

Stewart: Yeah, absolutely. So, how did your interest in consumer decision-making and behavior come about?

Zeng: So, there is an official answer and an unofficial answer to that question. The official answer is that consumer decision-making is extremely important for consumers, for business, and for policymakers. We know that there are many different types of business models. We have business-to-business, we have business-to-consumers, we have platforms connecting different parties together.

But ultimately, the demand is dependent on individual consumers, their decisions collectively. So, it is a very important ultimate channel for us to understand business, to understand demand and supply, to understand how this world of business is working. The unofficial answer is, so there is a joke in our field, meaning that we as consumer experts, we don't study artificial intelligence, we study human stupidity.

So, we are stupid consumers ourselves, and that's why we become interested in this topic. We want to understand why sometimes we overconsume, we buy things that we never use, and sometimes we underconsume. We miss the deals, we stuck in a poorly designed apartment for years without the motivation to upgrade it, even if we have the ability to do that.

In many different things, we make mistakes. So, we want to understand how these mistakes are made and how to mitigate them, how to prevent them.

Stewart: Awesome. So, one of your studies examined how we experience everyday chores and errands. What did you learn about how people feel during a task, especially as they get closer to completing it?

Zeng: This project actually started from a random conversation with my friend. You know, when we are toward the end of a semester, people start to celebrate to some extent. They say, "Great, you must be feeling relaxed more now. You're getting closer to the end." But I actually feel that I'm extremely exhausted when I'm toward the end of a semester, and I cannot say that.

People say, "How are you doing?" You can only say, "I'm good." You cannot say, "I'm exhausted." Right? So, why does that happen? I start to wonder. Is that because I did so many things, or is that because I'm toward the end of the semester? And then we realized that in this paper, there are a lot of different scenarios that are like this.

So, for a traveler, a commuter, when they are on the subway, the closer they are to the destination, the more tired they feel about this trip, even when they have completed the same absolute length of the trip. So, for two travelers, one has a 10-stop trip, the other has a 15-stop trip. At the eighth stop, the person with a shorter trip actually feels worse than the person who has a longer trip.

And then we find that this happens all the time. If you're doing regular workouts, for example, you probably notice that on the treadmill, if you have a 30-minute workout goal, the 25-minute mark is the worst, compared to if you have a 60-minute workout goal.

And we find that that's because people are actually not very sensitive to how much time you have spent on the treadmill, but how much percentage, what is the proportion of this task you have completed. And that's what's causing this exhaustion in this type of everyday chores and errands.

Stewart: Wow. So, do you have any tips of how to feel less drained when completing tasks and getting toward the end of a task?

Zeng: Yes, of course. So, for these types of mundane tasks, the easiest way is to simply combine them together. So, you know, there are controversies over whether we should combine all the chores together on one day, finish them, or if we should spread them out. Our research suggests that it is probably better to combine them together, so you only experience once this draining effect that's at the end of your last task.

Compared to if we spread them out, every time we complete these chores, we will feel this draining moment. So, that could be the easiest way possible.

Stewart: That's helpful to remember. That's good. So, you've also researched something we have all experience with, and that is online reviews. So, how did you approach studying that?

Zeng: That's what comes from my experience as a stupid consumer. I'm always trapped by those things that are very well-rated but with a very low price, and that's an extremely attractive combination to me. But when I buy them, I realize that, okay, its quality is fine, it's not that awful, and that's probably what earns its 4.9 stars.

But actually, it's not as good as what I would expect for something that's 4.9. So, that makes me start to wonder what happens with consumer reviews. Are they lying at all? Or are they somewhat truthful, but they are bad on some aspects? Or are they completely reflecting the quality? So, what's going on with consumer reviews?

And the more I study this, the more I find that online reviews are helpful, but you have to use them in a certain way. You have to recognize the biases behind them, and you have to think about what information they can actually provide, just like many things in our life.

Stewart: So, what did you find out about how people write and interpret ratings?

Zeng: Yeah, that's a great question. So, in two of my research projects, I find that people who write a review are heavily impacted by what's going on in their personal life, in what's going on in the specific reviewer's life. So, for example, if you're rating something on Amazon, and you probably also purchased that on Amazon, you will be heavily impacted by the norm you feel on Amazon.

Like you see every single product there is four-point-something. You never buy something that's three-point-something, and you rarely see something that's three-point-something. That means that you would probably also give a product a very high rating, even though, for example, 4.5 means extraordinary.

And if every product is extraordinary, there's no such thing as extraordinary. But if you're reading, for example, a book on Goodreads, you will notice that most books you see on Goodreads are two-point-something, three-point-something, or four-point-something. That means books have different qualities and people have different perceptions of them, and you will feel better when you give a book a three-star, for example, because you don't like it that much, but you don't hate it.

So, this type of norm heavily impacts how people express their attitudes and rate something. So, if you just take these ratings at their face value, you just think that four stars on Amazon is the same as four stars on Goodreads. That could heavily bias your decision. The other thing that I noticed that's super important for people when they rate something is the price. Why is that? It's because when I am the consumer, I pay something to get the product, and that pain of payment is very salient in my mind. I am the person who's spending that money. But for someone who's buying something, they won't realize that the rater actually thinks about the price when they rate this product.

They will only take that rating as if it's about the quality itself. There's nothing to do with the price. So, that means people are double-penalizing products that are high-priced. So, they think about, okay, the rating is only influenced by the quality, so it's not penalized with its high price.

And then I notice the high price, it means that I should discount it even more. And that is something people might make a mistake. But the mistake is mostly on the low-price product side. People would mistakenly believe that something that's low-price and high-rating is the best combination, which is the mistake that I mentioned earlier that I often make.

Now I realize this bias existing, I might favor products with a mediocre rating of, let say, 4.2, but it used to be a high-price product, and now it's at a discount. That could be the best combination compared to something that's extremely cheap but with extremely high ratings.

Stewart: Interesting. So, has this really changed the way that you shop and the way that you look at consumer reviews?

[Zeng: Yeah, of course. So, I'm now more expertised with consumer reviews. There are several tips I use. First, if there is a communication site or a review site, I use that site. I don't trust transaction sites that much now. So, if I choose a restaurant, I probably won't use, for example, OpenTable to choose that. I probably will use Google Maps.

If I choose a book, I probably won't just rely on the Amazon rating, and I probably will rely on the Goodreads rating. If I choose a movie, I probably won't use Fandango rating, just take it as it is. I probably would go to Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb for that. For products that do not have such type of open review sites, for example, if I'm going to buy a vacuum, I probably want to go to a third-party site like Consumer Reports to look at their reviews rather than relying on the ratings, simply on the ratings on Amazon.

And I also look at the review texts, which gives me more information. And I'm also aware of the price thing, which I mentioned earlier. So, it makes my decision become complicated but increases the quality of my decisions.

Stewart: Nice. So, you've become a super shopper, really, after all of this.

Zeng: A super and tired shopper, yes.

Stewart: Yeah, I believe it. How do you see AI impacting shopping decisions and consumer behavior?

Zeng: This is, I think, a perfect question to follow up from our earlier conversation. If you're very tired with shopping, you probably want to take shortcuts, and that's just human. One shortcut people take is using branding information, brands. People have brands that they trust, and they don't think about other things like price, like other consumer reviews, like the product specifications.

There are other shortcuts people use. For example, simply relying on ratings. That's another shortcut that starts when the reputation system establishes. Now we have another shortcut that we can also customize for our own needs, which is AI. So, if you are someone who cares, who has all these principles when you select a product, AI can be a tool to help you reduce these cognitive burdens.

And I can only speak about this at this current time period, because we do not know how AI will develop in the future and how that might become another shortcut that ultimately leads to bad decisions. For example, there's very recent research in our field showing that people start to use ChatGPT to help them make decisions for shopping, and they ask ChatGPT to help them compare the models, to compare different needs they have for a complicated product.

But right now, people are mostly relying on AI for complicated decisions, for products they are not familiar with. For example, I'm not super familiar with the different specifications for a computer. I probably will ask GPT to help me do that. But people are still heavily relying on search engines for simple products.

If I'm buying a dress, I probably want to just go to a search engine, just browse it, look for whatever fits what I like. Or if I'm buying some simple office supplies, search engines are still where I'm going. So, what I would like to summarize about AI's impact is, first, it's start to impact people's behavior, just like any other shortcuts people used to take.

And second, right now its impact is limited and more within the complicated shopping decisions domain. But in the future, they may become more customized. It might learn my preferences better, it might know me better, it might have more resources to help me simplify my decisions. That can become a very powerful tool, but it can also, meanwhile, become some problematic shortcuts, just like every other shortcut we used to take.

Stewart: Awesome. So, you provided some great information for consumers to be smarter, but for executives and marketers that are reading your research, what is the biggest misconception that businesses have about how consumers make decisions?

Zeng: One idea I really want to transmit from my own research is, do not overestimate how sophisticated your consumers are. Consumers are lazy. Consumers are not that intelligent. I am lazy. I am stupid. I am a consumer. So, for business and for marketers, the key part for us to design a successful product or to design something that consumers love is to help them simplify their decisions.

Make it obviously suitable for your target consumer. Do not hide the information. Do not assume they will simply infer it. Do not assume your consumer will read your 30-page, single-spaced product information. They won't. So, highlight the most important part for your consumer, help them simplify their decision, and make sure that your strongest comparative advantage is salient enough for consumers who only need to spend one second can understand.

That would be a great, very powerful and effective marketing tool for businesses to consider.

Stewart: Great. So, one of the other areas that you've researched is risk. So, what do you see as the connection between that and consumer behavior?

Zeng: Yeah. I would like to mention what makes me start to think about risk. So, if you think about this word, risk, people think about something negative. People think about losing money, for example. People think about worse health. People think about smoking. People think about taking risky activities. People think about riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, things like that. But when we think about real-world products that we describe as risky, by risky, we mean that it might bring people with benefit, whether it's hedonic or it's utilitarian, it's emotional, or it's functional, but it might add cost of something else, then things become different.

So, in my very early research on risk, I find that during COVID, for people who were severely impacted by COVID, they are more likely to take risks. They prefer risky things more. And it's weird because when you think about COVID, you probably think about fear. You think about staying home. You think about getting sick. Why would that be related to risk? Because risk is something that people tend to think about fear when thinking about risk. And then we find that that's because these people who were severely impacted, they're more bored, they're more restricted, and they really want some stimulating activities, something exciting.

So, risky things are actually something that tends to be exciting because of the uncertainty component associated with that and that potential reward. And then we can think about, in the marketplace, what are typical types of risky activities? A lot of entertainments are risky activity. Like skiing is actually a risky activity. And skydiving is another risky activity. Even for things like mystery boxes, Labubu, is also one type of, sort of, risky activity. You might just spend money buying something you hate. They're ugly. They're not something you really want. But people like that. It's the rewarding. It's that exciting component.

So, that's what we're trying to study, like, the exciting component of risky products, of products that are associated with risk, is actually very important for certain segments of our consumers. Consumers who are bored, consumers who are seeking stimulation, consumers who are looking for another lifestyle, who are stuck in mundane everyday activities and want to have some change.

Those consumers, risk is actually a good thing for them, and designing a product that has this component of risk, of uncertainty, of resolving an uncertainty, can be something important to our consumers.

Stewart: Awesome. So, before we let you go, what's currently piquing your interest when it comes to consumer behaviors or trends, personally or professionally?

Zeng: Yeah. So, I like to study two types of topics. One type of topic is something we call immortal. So, it's something that's deeply ingrained in human nature that lasts forever. It does not change with time, does not change with culture, does not change with context. And there are many things like this. So, one project I'm currently studying on is consumer attribution.

When there is a service failure, for example, who do you blame? Do you blame yourself? Do you blame the business? Do you blame someone else? Or do you think it just happens, you blame the luck? So, these types of topics are something what we call as immortal. There is a fundamental human principle underlying that, and that guides us in different types of consumer decisions and behaviors.

And the other type of research project that I find super interesting is what you describe as trends. So, I like to briefly discuss the three distinctions between fads, fashion, and classics. So, what I said "immortal" is something like classics. It is there forever. It's there since ancient Greeks, for example.

And a fad is something that has been super popular. Everybody talks about that, but it quickly decays. Nobody talks about it a year later, for example. Everyone can think of one example. There's actually a fun anecdote I have from a colleague who shares that they have this case competition every year for their business administration students.

What they find is every year there is a key trend. Everybody studies the same topic. But across different years, the topics change so much. So, in year one, everybody studies blockchain. In year two, everybody studied metaverse. But nobody studied blockchain for two or three or four years. So, that is what we call, as for example, fads that disappear very quickly.

That's not something that I like to study, but I like to study fashion, meaning that it's something popular for a couple of years or even a couple of decades. It's something used to become something cutting edge and then start to become the foundation of human society, and then it actually nurtures new things to come up.

So, reputation systems or consumer review systems used to be this type of fashion. When they first started, it was something new to everybody. And then they started to nurture this whole business of peer-to-peer business, this digital marketing business, all kinds of things. And now I think artificial intelligence is probably the next trend because it has all the features of what we call general-purpose technologies.

It has this feature of potentially nurturing new industries, potentially nurturing new ideas, and it has this feature of potentially having this feedback loop of reinforcing itself. So, I'm currently thinking about studying things that are either a fashion, now, I could be wrong, but I would judge this as fashion, or as a classic that has been lasting forever.

Stewart: Awesome. Well, I've loved speaking with you today, and I know that I will definitely be looking at consumer reviews differently and being a better shopper now, so I thank you so much for your time. This has been a fascinating conversation, and I really appreciate you joining us, so thank you so much, Ying.

Zeng: Thank you so much, Claire.

Stewart: Thank you again for listening to Leeds Business Insights. Make sure you're one of the first to hear every episode by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts. The Leeds Business Insights Podcast is a production of the Leeds School of Business and produced by University FM. We'll see you next time.

Assistant Professor of Marketing Ying Zeng unpacks the hidden biases and mental shortcuts that shape consumer decision-making.

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Introducing Leeds’ 2026 Civic Leader-in-Residence: Mowa Haile

Jane Majkiewicz — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:10:24 +0000

Introducing Leeds’ 2026 Civic Leader-in-Residence: Mowa Haile Jane Majkiewicz Fri, 08/21/2026 - 12:10

Jane Majkiewicz

Sky Blue Builders Founder Mowa Haile will visit Leeds on Sept. 25 to meet with students and join in a fireside chat open to the Leeds community.

Meet the 2026 Civic Leader-in-Residence, Mowa Haile, in a fireside chat with Julie Gibson, Sherman R. Miller Executive Director of the Klump Center for Real Estate.

Friday, Sept. 25, 2026
12:15–1:45 p.m. | KOBL 352

Register for the luncheon immediately following the chat >>

This year has been one of significant milestones for Mowa Haile, founder of Sky Blue Builders (SBB), a 100% employee-owned general contractor and construction management firm specializing in mission-critical building and infrastructure projects. Among the highlights are receiving the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Business Award and helping launch the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation at Denver International Airport.

Haile immigrated to the United States from Eritrea with his family in 1981 when he was 9 years old. With support from the Fort Collins community, he went on to earn a track and cross-country scholarship to Colorado State University before founding Sky Blue Builders in 2007. Today, the company has 55 employee-owners and partners on major projects across Colorado, including work for municipalities, public agencies and institutions.

“We’re honored that Mowa accepted the invitation to serve as our 2026 Civic Leader-in-Residence,” said Birdie Reznicek, associate dean for culture and community at Leeds. “His story reflects so many of the qualities we value at Leeds: resilience, entrepreneurial thinking, inclusive leadership and a belief that success is measured not only by what we achieve, but by the opportunities we create for others. He is a major force in Colorado’s business community, yet he’s also remarkably down-to-earth and generous in sharing his experiences with humility and heart,” she said.

Throughout the day, Haile will share lessons on purpose-driven leadership, employee ownership, public-private partnerships and expanding access to opportunity.

“Leadership is defined in moments when the outcome is uncertain, when the pressure is immense and the path forward is unclear.”

—Mowa Haile

Ahead of his visit, Haile reflected on the experiences that shaped his career and the impact he hopes to have during his time at Leeds.

Your experience underscores a belief that business can—and should be—a force for good. How has that philosophy shaped your leadership at Sky Blue Builders and in the community?

I have always believed that business can do both: make great profits and do great for the community. I benefited greatly from the community when I came to this country as an immigrant. It was our community and church that helped clothe and feed us as we acclimated to our new environment. I made community one of Sky Blue Builder’s three pillars of our mission since day one. “Be Good, Do Great and Inspire” is our mission statement. I often quote Tony Dungy, former coach of the Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts: ‘If all we do is win championships, we have failed.’ That holds true for SBB. If all we do is maximize profits without inspiring our community, we have failed.

Every employee-owner (EO) at Sky Blue Builders is expected to volunteer a minimum of 8 hours a year, which is considered in their performance evaluations. EOs also expect their employers to have a purpose beyond profits. That has always been part of our DNA. As a company, and as leader in our community, we sponsor 8–10 nonprofits each year, not only with monetary donations, but also by volunteering our time. I am proud to say that SBB was one of 10 companies recognized as a Denver Business Journal 2026 Partner in Philanthropy.

Throughout your career, you've built a reputation for thoughtful, people-centered leadership. What leadership qualities matter most today, and how can students begin developing those skills now?

People want to work for companies with a purpose beyond profits. Yes, I learned in grad school that the No. 1 purpose of companies is to make a profit, otherwise they would be out of business. But times have changed, and businesses have proven that they can do both: make profits and inspire the community.

We are at a tipping point. The divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ continues to widen. Before the 1970s, roughly 60% of employees had some type of employee stock ownership or profit sharing (among all companies, both public and private). Researchers estimate that number has dwindled to 18–20%. Data has proven that ESOPs perform better than non-ESOP companies. It’s simple to understand why. When employees have a vested interest in a company, it leads to better production, better profits and less attrition. This is not a secret, as large private equity firms like Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company and BlackRock are acquiring companies and giving employees 10-20% ownership.

The most important leadership quality for a future leader is generosity.  

As Leeds’ Civic Leader-in-Residence, what conversations are you most looking forward to having with students and the broader Leeds community? What do you hope people take away?

I look forward to spirited conversations about how the curriculum applies to today’s business environment. I hope people take away that employee ownership, in any form, is not just a "feel-good" approach or the right thing to do for the community—it’s also a smart business decision. Part of the reason we see a rising interest in socialism is because business has gotten too greedy over the last four decades, while the federal minimum wage hasn’t kept pace. My hope is that future business leaders make this change, not the government. America must continue to be the land of opportunity and entrepreneurship, which is what makes it great.

A Snapshot of Success: Mowa Haile at a Glance

Founder and CEO of Sky Blue Builders, a 100% employee-owned, purpose-driven contractor founded in 2007; 85% of its work comes from repeat clients

Recipient, Martin Luther King Jr. Business Award (2026)

Helped launch the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation at Denver International Airport (2026)

Chair, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce (2025)

Board member, Pinnacol Assurance, Employee Representative (current)
Co-Chair, City of Denver’s Economic Relief and Recovery Council (during the pandemic)

Chair, Denver General Obligation Bond Executive Committee (2021)

ColoradoBiz Minority Businessperson of the Year (2012); finalist (2015)

Committee member, Africa Air Service Committee for Denver International Airport

Mowa Haile will share his insights on employee ownership, public-private partnerships and purpose-driven leadership on Sept. 25.

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Leeds Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2026

Jane Majkiewicz — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:28:37 +0000

Leeds Welcomes New Faculty for Fall 2026 Jane Majkiewicz Thu, 08/20/2026 - 15:28

Jane Majkiewicz • Photos by Nathan Thompson

More than 20 new faculty members join Leeds this fall, bringing expertise in research, teaching and industry practice that will strengthen the school’s commitment to world-class scholarship and student success.

New research faculty

This year's new faculty appointments strengthen Leeds' Accounting and Finance divisions.

“We’re thrilled to welcome this year’s new tenure-track faculty to Accounting and Finance,” said Sarah Zechman, associate dean of faculty. “Their research speaks directly to the concerns of investors, regulators and the businesses that rely on sound financial information. I have no doubt they will bring that same rigor to our classrooms.”

The new hires bring expertise spanning financial intermediation, corporate governance, accounting disclosure, capital markets and economic history.

Marcus Opp earned tenure this fall as an associate professor of finance. He completed his PhD at the University of Chicago and comes to Leeds from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Opp’s research focuses on incentives, financial intermediation and sustainability. His scholarly contributions have earned numerous distinctions, including the 2016 Best Paper Prize from the Journal of Financial Economics, the 2022 Bessel Award from the Humboldt Foundation and recognition in Poets & Quants'’ 2017 ”op 40 Under 40.“

Yevhenii Usenko joins Leeds as an assistant professor of finance. Drawn by the school's exceptional faculty and strong research environment, he looks forward to teaching a diverse student population at a flagship state university.

Usenko’s research centers on financial intermediation, macro-finance and economic history, with a particular emphasis on banking crises and the transmission of monetary policy through bank deposits. This fall, he will complete his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Carmen Payne-Mann joins Leeds as an assistant professor of accounting. She earned her doctorate in business administration from the University of Southern California.

Payne-Mann was attracted to Leeds because of the strong research community and shared interests in accounting disclosure and corporate governance. Her research examines the intersection of accounting disclosure and capital markets, with a primary focus on mandatory investor disclosure, corporate governance and the use of accounting information in financial statement analysis.

Earlier this year, she received the Midyear Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Management Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association. She also recently published research in Contemporary Accounting Research examining the use of path analysis in accounting scholarship and opportunities to improve its application.

Nathan Herrmann joins Leeds as an assistant professor of accounting and will complete his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin this December. He looks forward to collaborating with accounting faculty members whose research interests complement his own.

Herrmann's research focuses on institutions of accountability in capital markets, particularly the design of securities enforcement and corporate governance systems. This fall, he is teaching Financial Accounting in the BCOR curriculum.

Before pursuing a doctorate, he worked as a financial statement auditor at KPMG in Denver and became a certified public accountant. A recent career highlight was presenting his dissertation research on the effects of a broken-windows securities enforcement policy at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.

Jessica Goldenring joins Leeds as an assistant professor of finance. She earned her doctorate in finance from Columbia Business School and was drawn to the supportive community within Leeds’ Finance Division and the opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers.

Her research explores financial intermediation, asset markets, taxation and financial stability. In particular, she studies mutual funds and the ways tax policy influences investor outcomes and the broader stability of financial markets. She looks forward to continuing her research while working closely with Leeds faculty and students.

"Adding this much talent to Accounting and Finance in a single year is a real milestone for Leeds. I’m glad these talented scholars chose to build their careers here, and I look forward to the energy and enthusiasm they’ll bring to our school and the broader ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� community,” said Zechman.

New teaching faculty

Faculty Promotions

Leeds also recently recognized several faculty promotions.

Promoted to Teaching Professor

Cory Cunningham
Peter Mohr
Birdie Reznicek
Salma Shukri

Promoted to Associate Teaching Professor

Visda Carson
Scott Livengood
Denise Probert

Leeds expanded its teaching faculty across the school’s academic divisions, further strengthening the student learning experience and access to industry knowledge. Following are new assistant teaching professors joining the faculty this fall.

Accounting

Erik Olson
Jason Patrick (Fin, MAcct’05)

Finance

Daria Bottan
Rory Mullen
Quoc Phan
Robert Pyle
Andrew Scott

Marketing

Sandra Bates
Lindsay Miller
Steven Sanders
Stephanie Tripp

Organizational Leadership and Information Analytics (OLIA)

Paige Baltzan
James Stevens

Professional Effectiveness

Meghan Cosgrove
Jeffery Motter

Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SRS)

Madhav Ramachandran

Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations (SEO)

Alice Havill

See the Leeds Faculty Directory for individual bios >>

An impressive cohort of new faculty members joins Leeds this fall, strengthening the school's commitment to world-class scholarship and students’ academic success.

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Boulder Climate Ventures Kicks Off Its Second Year

Jane Majkiewicz — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:28:54 +0000

Boulder Climate Ventures Kicks Off Its Second Year Jane Majkiewicz Mon, 08/03/2026 - 01:28

Jane Majkiewicz

Calling all clean tech innovators: Boulder Climate Ventures’ programs are now available for credit and will include the guidance of new Executive-in-Residence Alice Havill.

Interested in Getting Involved with Boulder Climate Ventures?

BCV's fall seminar series is now available for credit as MBAX 6570: Business Opportunities in Climate Tech. It will be held on Fridays, Aug. 21 to Oct. 9, from 12:30–3 p.m.

The eight-week seminar series will feature top experts discussing next-generation technology and opportunities for innovation in clean tech. It is open to students, researchers and professionals interested in viable business solutions to climate change.

Like last year’s series, this year’s seminars will look at essential climate tech topics, including climate imperatives, the future of green energy, energy use and distribution, climate solutions in space, resource scarcity and more.

Learn more and register >

Building on the success of its inaugural year, Boulder Climate Ventures (BCV) is kicking off its second year with enhanced offerings and involvement of new Executive-in-Residence Alice Havill.

Breakthrough Energy has committed to continuing its support of BCV. ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� was the first public university in the United States to join the University Climate and Energy Ventures program, which also supports programs at Stanford, MIT, Oxford, Technical University of Munich, Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore, among others. BCV is a collaboration between the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR) and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, with support from the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

“��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� was a natural choice for Breakthrough Energy Discovery to support through our University Climate and Energy Ventures initiative. The university has both strong technical expertise in science and engineering and strong business education programs, both of which are important for the development of climate-focused entrepreneurs,” said Meghan Bader, director of Breakthrough Energy Discovery. “Additionally, the university demonstrates leadership in working to license and support commercialization of technologies.”

Alice Havill, previously a business fellow with Breakthrough Energy, comes to Leeds from Fractal Climate, where she is the founding partner. Havill and her team have served as fractional executives and advisors to over 300 early-stage climate tech startups across industries and around the world. Prior to Fractal Climate, she served in leadership roles at two clean tech startups and has expertise in circularity, biochemicals, waste-to-fuel and advanced manufacturing. She has also supported the investment in and management of portfolio companies through the Colorado Impact Fund.

“I’ve had the privilege of supporting the commercialization of cutting-edge innovations all over the globe, and I’ve found Colorado to be world class in this space,” Havill said.

“I’ve had the privilege of supporting the commercialization of cutting-edge innovations all over the globe, and I’ve found Colorado to be world class in this space.”

—Alice Havill, Fractal Climate Founding Partner and Boulder Climate Ventures Executive-in-Residence

“The Boulder Climate Ventures program at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� is a welcome addition to this ecosystem, bringing our state’s best innovators and entrepreneurs together and accelerating climate technology deployment for commercial benefits. I look forward to teaching the BCV class and helping students unlock viable solutions to our biggest climate-related problems,” she said.

The BCV fall seminar series serves as a pipeline to the spring Clean Tech Venture Discovery course. Last year, six student teams participated in the program, and two projects continued into the summer. One team went into the EcoGlobal entrepreneurship program at Stanford University, while another team began building its prototype with some funding from Leeds.

“Part of the goal of BCV is to take all of this fantastic research happening at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� and get it out of the lab and into the marketplace,” said Katherine Ratledge, program manager at CESR and a member of the BCV team.

In June 2026, the BCV team attended a conference hosted by Breakthrough Energy in partnership with MIT. Leeds joined representatives from more than two dozen universities.

“BCV was proud to be a presenter at the conference,” said Ratledge. “We spoke about the strength of Colorado’s clean tech ecosystem and our ability to capitalize on that at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��. Breakthrough Energy commended us for being leaders on community engagement.”

Backed by continued support from Breakthrough Energy, Boulder Climate Ventures will kick off its fall seminar series Aug. 21, with Fractal Climate's Alice Havill joining as Executive-in-Residence.

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Leeds Business Insights Podcast: Embracing AI and Student-Led Innovation with Dave Allen

Kelsey Cipolla — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:33:27 +0000

Leeds Business Insights Podcast: Embracing AI and Student-Led Innovation with Dave Allen Kelsey Cipolla Wed, 07/29/2026 - 08:33

CEO of Pure Fishing for Sycamore Partners, Leeds alumnus and Dean’s Advisory Board member Dave Allen discusses how business and students can take advantage of AI.

On this episode of the Leeds Business Insights podcast, host Claire Stewart talks with Dave Allen about his career path, from landing his first job with Unilever to leading turnarounds and seismic shifts he's seen—most recently, AI.

He details a CU internship partnership that paired business and engineering students to solve marketing and efficiency use cases with AI, generating major gains and $1.9M savings that the organization used to hire full-time AI staff to continue these trends. Dave and Claire also discuss the outdoors industry and what makes it unique.

Listen now

Episode transcript

Claire Stewart: Today's LBIdea is to think about AI as a tool that can drive efficiency and innovation for businesses and help current students stand out in the job market.

Our guest today is Dave Allen. Dave is the CEO of Pure Fishing for Sycamore Partners, as well as a Leeds alumnus and Dean's Advisory Board member. He's a turnaround specialist for middle-market private equity portfolio companies and has been in the consumer products industry for over 30 years.

Thank you so much for joining us today, Dave.

Dave Allen: Oh, my pleasure. Thank you, Claire.

Stewart: Awesome. Well, we know you're obviously here at Leeds because you are a great part of the continued work on our board as well as a high-impact alumnus. But for those that don't know you, we'd love to do a little bit of an introduction. So, could you tell us about your background and career trajectory?

Allen: Yeah, of course. I graduated Leeds, I guess before it was actually Leeds, in 1993. So, like a lot of CU students, I came from Southern California, fell in love with Boulder, and went out there. I did not get into the Leeds School of Business originally, so I had to make grades my freshman year to be able to transfer in. But I've spent the first 18 years of my career with Unilever. That took us, sort of, across the globe. And then the last 15 years, I've spent turning around sporting goods companies.

So, we've moved about 14 different times. We've been really fortunate to live in some cool places like New York, LA, London, Park City, and now Charleston. But CEO has always been a really important part of, sort of, my career journey. I got my job originally from the Career Center. So, like a lot of students that were business students in the day, I spent a lot of time in the Career Center interviewing, and I was fortunate enough to be able to get a job with Unilever.

So, I sold soap to independent grocery stores in the state of Colorado, northern New Mexico, and western Kansas, and I think, still to this day, that's the most difficult job that I've ever had. But I definitely owe my career trajectory to my start through the Career Center at Leeds.

Stewart: Amazing, yeah. So, in terms of the role that Leeds and ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� played, it really that Career Center was, kind of, connected you with Unilever originally, right?

Allen: Yeah, 100%. So, I've used a lot of different companies from a lot of different industries that came on in. They do flights, I think, of either 13 or 26 interviews, sort of, per day. I went in, was fortunate enough to get a couple of different offers, like the Unilever offer, and they ended up being just a great employer, and were wonderful to me and my family, and gave me a lot of good experience that I was able to build on for what I do now with turning around companies.

Stewart: Absolutely. So, like you mentioned, you've, kind of, become a specialist for this turnaround work for middle-market private equity companies. When you take the helm of a company that needs a strategic pivot, what are the first few things that you evaluate to determine what's working and what isn't?

Allen: From a strategy perspective, the thing that we're always taught at Unilever was, sort of, three things, cut costs, build brands, and then develop culture. So, if you take each of those, sort of, independently, cut costs, people always look at costs as a real negative, whereas I look at it as a positive.

So, it's we try and take costs out that are invisible to either the consumer or our customers. So, how do we do things more efficiently? We then take that money, and then we dump it right back into the brand. So, typically, the things that I go and turn around are brands that are wonderful brands that have just been underloved for a while, so that means either they haven't had much innovation, or they haven't had much marketing support. And so, then we dump that money back into brand building and innovation.

And then lastly, culture is very much part of our strategy. So, we want to make it a great place to work, a great place for people to go and build their careers. And so, we spend a lot of time on really defining our values, what makes us different, because ultimately, people can copy our strategy, but it's really difficult to be able to copy our culture, so we spend a lot of time there.

And then the last thing is really, sort of, talent assessment. Typically, when I go in, as I mentioned, they're quite often businesses that are in pretty dire need, so I'll typically replace most of the senior leadership team. The thing that's really interesting, usually what I find is, sort of, below that level, people at the director, people at the VP level, you know, are there, and they've been there during successful times, and it's really just about listening and asking them, "Hey, what did you used to do when this was so successful?"

And usually, it was a person that told them, "Stop doing this," or "Stop doing that." And so, oftentimes it's actually quite easy. It's just being able to listen about what made these brands and businesses so great in the past and then bringing those things back. And the beauty of what I do is, if you do the right things with these great brands, is that consumers will come running right back to you and give you a big bear hug and almost act like they haven't left, so you can turn them around pretty quickly, which is fun.

Stewart: Yeah, that's awesome. So, having 30 years in consumer products industry, what are some of the biggest industry shifts that you've seen, and how have you approached them and integrated any of those into your organizations?

Allen: Yeah, far and away the biggest shift that we've seen, at least in consumer products, is really the advent of social media. So, if you think about before how we reached people, it was really through, sort of, endemic media. So, if we were trying to reach somebody in a specific industry, we'd typically do that through TV. We'd do it through things like magazines, periodicals. You could really reach a pretty concentrated audience at that point.

Now, that audience is really fractured through social media, which is both good and bad. So, if you think about the business that I'm in now, you know, we have a lot of fishing brands. We own about 35 different fishing brands. Fishing is hyper-local, so how you go, and fish and what you fish for in Colorado is quite a bit different than what you fish for here in South Carolina.

So, we leverage our combination of our pro staff, all of our captains, and then what we call our select anglers to be able to go and then address all those specific fisheries, and then stay very, very local, because scale, like, has its positives and its negatives for us, we have to stay really nimble, because the barrier to entry on social media is so low. Like, if you have a cell phone, you know, you can have a voice. And so, it forces us to be very nimble, and if you think about how we deliver to different audiences, the audience for TikTok is quite a bit different than an audience for Facebook, using probably the two most opposites.

So, for that, we need to be able to go and then reach those people, but it allows us to be able to reach really small, like very micro-targeted niche audiences. So, for us, it's very, very effective. But it has caused a really big shift in terms of how we go to market with all of our brands.

Stewart: That's awesome. Well, talking about changes in the market, obviously AI has been a huge change for all businesses, and we're seeing how each business and each business leader is evolving with that. So, how are you thinking about AI as a business leader, and what are the challenges and opportunities that you see?

Allen: Yeah. So, AI is a huge seismic shift in terms of everything that we're doing. Initially, when we really thought about AI, I thought it would really replace a lot of jobs. That was a lot of the hype and the buzz, sort of, 18 months ago, that it would go in, replace all these jobs, and just lead to all these SG&A savings. And it's really turned out not to be the case. And instead, what we found is that, you know, it drives a lot of efficiency, so that our people can really focus on tasks that are more meaningful, where they can add more value, which is wonderful to be able to go and see.

Stewart: That's awesome. Yeah, so what would your advice be to current students and graduates? I know you've worked closely with some Leeds students, which I want to ask about in a minute. But for current students right now that may be intimidated by AI and the implications on their industry, what advice would you give to them?

Allen: Yeah, somewhat similar. Probably 18 months ago, I think students thought, "Oh no, we're really, sort of, screwed because AI's going to take all of our jobs, and then it's definitely going to take entry-level jobs." And that hasn't been the case. You know, and instead, I would encourage people to think about AI as a real gift.

So, they've grown up with AI in a way that, you know, you and I haven't, right? So, they've thought about AI in terms of how they approach everything, probably since even the tail end of high school, for the batch of seniors that we have right now. And if you take a look at it, you know, if you're probably over 26 or 27 years old, you might as well be 50, because you really haven't used the tool that often.

And so, I think their ability to be able to take it, solve problems, but also be able to go and then teach a whole generation of people within an organization how to use it, how to leverage it, will give them a huge competitive advantage in the marketplace. So, I think it's a real gift. I think they have to look at it to be able to say, "Hey, how can I get experiences to be able to demonstrate my ability?"

And hopefully some of the experiential learning and some of the opportunities that we've been able to provide through our internships have been useful in that regard.

Stewart: Yeah, absolutely. So, how do you think others should be thinking about AI and business leaders? Is there any advice that you might give to businesses that are, kind of, intimidated by AI, and they don't know how it's going to impact things?

Allen: Start. Just start. You know what? Some things will work, some things won't work. You'll find your own rhythm. I think where we started, you know, it was really around efficiency. How do we go and save money? And I think where we've evolved is, you know, to be able to push it more towards growth.

So, how can we leverage it to be able to be, you know, drive faster innovation, better innovation, and drive more sales across more channels? So, our journey has, sort of, taken us through efficiency and now into growth, but I think the most important part is just get started.

Stewart: Yeah. So, you are one of the wonderful employers that has employed Leeds students for an immersive experiential learning project. And I'd love for you to share that decision and what that took to, kind of, make the decision to use those Leeds students, to help solve some challenges with AI, and what did they do?

Allen: Yeah. Our journey was an interesting one. So, we didn't start with interns and with the University of Colorado, but we started with a couple of consultant partners that we have. And as we asked them probably about two years ago to be able to take a hard look at AI and what we should go and do, I was looking for somebody that could come in and really give us a, sort of, a full solution to our business. And what I found was they didn't really know either. They were trying to figure it out, and more importantly, they were, sort of, figuring it out on our dime, which didn't necessarily feel great.

And so, we have two daughters. We have a daughter that's 22 and a daughter that's 25. One is in finance, one's in consulting. And with talking with them, they used AI all the time. Their friends used AI all the time, and did a lot of learning from them. They both had very positive internship experiences. One had done an externship experience as well. And so, it led me back to Carolyn and Vijay to be able to say, "Hey, I think we can leverage students to be able to help us get started with our journey. So, where should we start?"

They introduced me to Al Pisano, who was helping lead a group of students start the AI Club at CU. And it was great because it was a combination of engineering students as well as business students and some arts and science students as well. And so, as Al and I sat down and, sort of, said, "Hey, here's what we're thinking about, these are some of the use cases we have," he was like, "That's perfect. I think those are great."

And basically, what we agreed was, we'd really prioritize going fast over doing this perfect, and that we'd, sort of, learn on this thing together. And that's what we did. So, we started, and we had 18 interns about a year and a half ago. And so, we solved, sort of, six different issues that we had primarily around marketing efficiency.

So, the way that we structured the teams was we had three interns. So, it would typically be a combination of business students and engineering students. So, think computer science, data science, and then a combination of, you know, whether they'd be finance or marketing or other business majors, and then we had one mentor from our team to be able to go and lead each of those projects.

And we just had an amazing experience with them. So, we run a 12-week program. Al and I developed, sort of, the process to be able to go and have, sort of, a standardized approach to the internship. And the first one, we focused on some really cool things like YouTube optimization. So, it looked out at all the YouTube videos, and then it would say, "What are the common characteristics of the YouTube videos that are most successful?" And it'd look at a combination of copy as well as the thumbnail, and then we could go and basically take a video that could be 30 minutes, and it could pick out the one thumbnail that we should go and use to be able to increase the effectiveness of that video. And we saw increases of 300, 400% in terms of views. I mean, it was just crazy. We had another project that delivered video storyboarding.

So, the way that we used to go about storyboarding was if we were going to go and brief our captains or an influencer on how we wanted to capture some content, we would go and you'd have somebody from the brand or the product team go and then brief somebody from creative, and then they would go do storyboards and say, "This is how we want to capture the scene. This is the picture from the back of the boat. We want the sun to be going up, and this is how you go out to fish," and all those things so that the person knew how to capture that image. We're able to then go and take that and then do that all through, like, video storyboarding, all that was AI-generated.

So, it almost looks real. We don't use any of it online, but we use it internally. But it makes it so that somebody really understands exactly what you're trying to go and capture. So, some really cool stuff that we did there. But from there, that gave us the confidence to be able to say, "Hey, we can do this and do it, A, at scale, and we can go do some other things."

And so, then the next round of interns we had, we had another 18 interns. We really focused on efficiency. So, basically, the objective then was, how can we leverage this to be able to go save money so that we can go and self-fund hiring people full-time? So, the thing that was wild was we ran these six groups of interns, and they saved us $1.9 million.

Stewart: Wow.

Allen: Which was amazing. We used that then to be able to go and hire four to five full-time students, to be able to go and lead our AI efforts, which has been fantastic. So, it has been a huge success. The people that we've had on our team that have been the mentors have learned a lot, and then we get people that are really just, sort of, evangelical about, sort of, AI, taking that back into the business, which is great.

Hopefully, we've given people a lot of, or the interns, sort of, this great experiential learning where they've been able to take something that was a really ambiguous issue that we had in the business and then go and work together and be able to go and solve it. So, it's been wonderful. It's been a great partnership, and hopefully it's something that we can go and scale, and they can leverage across other businesses in the Colorado community as well.

Stewart: Yeah, it's awesome. I mean, it's incredible experience for the interns themselves, and being able to put that on a resume and say the cost savings they created and the kind of innovation that they were able to do before they were even in the workforce. So, yeah, I love the impact of that story.

How have you seen this program, kind of, bridge the gap between business and engineering in how these students are working?

Allen: Yeah, it's been really fun. So, we naturally put them together in, sort of, mixed teams. So, they were either, sort of, two engineering students and one business student or vice versa. And the thing that we found on each is that, you know, if you were to generalize, the engineering students had to learn some soft skills, right?

So, they had to learn, sort of, okay, what's the issue? How do we go solve it? How do we communicate it? How do we get support for this idea? And then how do we sell it in? Whereas the business students had to learn the hard skills. So, almost every single business student had to learn some coding, right? So, they weren't the ones that ultimately did all the coding, but they had to have a working knowledge of it.

And so, it was great. I think it really pushed them to be able to say, "Hey, how do I take AI even further?" But I think most importantly is that it forced them to go and work together, that they realized the best solution is, sort of, the three of them working together to be able to go and solve something. So, I think for both sides, at least, the feedback that we've gotten is that it's been a really positive experience, sort of, working with the other school.

Stewart: Yeah, absolutely. It's a great experience. So, as a Leeds alumnus and advisory board member, when you look at the current crop of business students coming out of ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� today, what skill outside of technical AI knowledge, which we've talked about, do you think is the most critical for them to possess to succeed today in modern business?

Allen: I think about it in terms of, sort of, the what and the how. We'll teach you all the what, so we'll give you all the hard skills, right? So, unless you're an accountant coming out of business school, everything else we'll go and teach you, functionally. So, then, really, it comes down to what are the soft skills, right?

So, what's your EQ, or emotional intelligence, that you go and bring to the table? And I think, you know, a couple of things are really important. So, as you think about presentation skills, right? Somebody's ability to be able to take a ton of data, to be able to synthesize it, take it down to a couple of meaningful points that are really actionable insights. That's a big one.

Another one is just communication skills, right? So, that's storytelling with data. Can you take all that data and tell a really high-impact story to be able to influence somebody or persuade someone? And then lastly, you know, really good listening skills as well. And I think one other one to me is just have a great, can-do attitude. If you really look at people that are successful, I think they do two things. They work really hard, and that's a combination of consistency and then some grit, and then they have a great attitude. And I think if you can do those two things and work hard and have a great attitude, in my experience, you get really, really far.

And I know it sounds like a massive oversimplification, but people that are really hard workers that have great attitudes, get really far in organizations. And so, I think part of the beauty of CU, I think, is not only the in-class experience, but it's all the other things that CU and Boulder has to offer.

And so, I think, you know, I find a lot of those students are really high on the EQ side, and that's a huge differentiator and really important for people in terms of how far they can go, sort of, in their career.

Stewart: Yeah, absolutely. So, from Coleman to Igloo and now Pure Fishing, you've led businesses with really strong ties to outdoors. There's huge interest in the outdoor industry, obviously, here in Colorado. What makes that sector of business unique in your experience, and what attracts you to it?

Allen: Yep. So, a couple of things. It's a huge, huge industry, so it's about $1.3 trillion a year-

Stewart: Wow.

Allen: ... in the outdoor industry, so it's about 2.4% of the GDP. So, there's 5.3 million jobs that are in the outdoor industry. So, it's a huge, huge industry. There's also 183 million Americans that participate in outdoor activities, right? Whether that's hiking or skiing or biking or playing golf or fishing, right? Any of those type of things.

But for me, it's really the combination of, the outdoor industry provides not only, sort of, physical benefits, but also emotional benefits. And so, I think, you know, a lot of students are at CU. I know I was because of the outdoors and all the things that Boulder and the community offered. So, it's just a wonderful industry to be part of. And one of the things I find a little bit unique is that oftentimes the businesses that are run in the past have been founder-led, and they're people that are really passionate about a given sport, and they're wonderful, and they've driven great innovation. Oftentimes, they're not the greatest business people.

And so, then, you know, when we go and lay some professional management on top of that and then continue to support it with innovation, and then some spend behind it, we can do really great things on some of these businesses. But for anybody that's considering, you know, working in an outdoor industry, I'd highly encourage people to do it because it has been a fantastic place. Anytime you can, sort of, marry, you know, what you really enjoy doing outside of work, with what you do with work, that is something really special.

Stewart: Yeah, absolutely. So, what does innovation look like to you in the outdoor space and recreation space right now, and just in the future when you take a look at other companies?

Allen: Yeah. Innovation's fascinating. If you think about one thing all day long, you can have an endless stream of innovation. I think about it at Igloo, you know, in the coolers, when we looked at sustainability and said, "What can we go and do?" We launched the world's first biodegradable and fully compostable cooler. You know, it was a fantastic piece of innovation.

When I look at our business now, we have a brand like Berkley that, you know, through science studies all six senses of fish. And then we leverage, sort of, that science and those insights to be able to develop bait that is just more efficacious for people. And ultimately, it's about creating products that help people have more fun or do their hobby more effectively. And so, for us, it's really fun to be able to help, sort of, bring a little bit more joy to people's lives through innovation.

Stewart: That's awesome. Yeah. It sounds like such a fun space to be in. I love hearing all the examples of innovation in the space, as well as your experience with these different groups and, kind of, how you look at them differently every time you take over a new organization.

So, wonderful stuff. We want to thank you so much for joining us today, Dave, and we really appreciate your insights and all you do for CU and the Leeds community. So, thank you again for joining us.

Allen: No, thanks for having me, Claire. Much appreciated.

Stewart: Thank you again for listening to Leeds Business Insights. Make sure you're one of the first to hear every episode by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts. The Leeds Business Insights Podcast is a production of the Leeds School of Business and produced by University FM. We'll see you next time.

CEO of Pure Fishing, Leeds alumnus and Dean’s Advisory Board member Dave Allen discusses how business and students can take advantage of AI.

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Beyond the Resume: Summer Impact Interns Reflect on Lessons That Last

Jane Majkiewicz — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:48:31 +0000

Beyond the Resume: Summer Impact Interns Reflect on Lessons That Last Jane Majkiewicz Tue, 07/28/2026 - 11:48

Jane Majkiewicz

Through the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility’s Impact Internship program, Leeds students spend their summers applying business skills with mission-driven organizations. This year's six Impact Interns reflected on the experiences that broadened their perspectives and shaped the way they think about business as a force for good.

From left to right: Peter Murry, Bennet Burton, Lauryn Simon, Sydney Bihm, Maren Clay and Patrick Mahoney.

Sydney Bihm (SustBus’27) Minor: History
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation Finance Intern

Real progress is rarely simple or immediate. It comes from being willing to work through complexity, collaborate across disciplines, and make steady improvements that create long-term benefits for both people and the environment.

Bihm was drawn to The Nature Conservancy because of its unique approach to conservation, combining environmental impact with economic development. As a conservation finance intern, she built financial models for mud crab farming systems in Indonesia, helping evaluate practices designed to support both local livelihoods and mangrove restoration. Through the experience, she gained a deeper understanding of how conservation, economics, policy and community interests intersect to create lasting change.

Read Sydney’s Reflection

What initially drew me to the Impact Internship program was the opportunity to contribute to real-world issues while also developing my career in a field I could see myself pursuing after graduation. What drew me to TNC specifically was the chance to work on international development projects that uniquely combine financial incentives and economic development with meaningful environmental impact.

One of the main projects I worked on during my internship was building financial models for three different mud crab production systems in Indonesia. The goal is to compare each model for long-term viability and profitability to better support farming practices that protect and restore mangrove ecosystems. One of the biggest challenges has been the limited financial data available, since this type of farming is done on a small scale and requires coordination across a complex network of partner organizations. At the same time, that challenge made the project especially rewarding because I had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, from local community members to scientists and international organizations.

Working at TNC has shown me that the world of conservation finance is deeply interconnected across communities, policy, economics and the environment in ways I had not previously understood. I love being part of an organization that treats these aspects of development as interdependent rather than competing priorities.

This project will stay with me because it taught me that ambiguity is a constant in this field. More importantly, TNC showed me how valuable an interdisciplinary approach can be to conservation, not only for gathering data, but also for building conservation and economic development initiatives that have lasting impact.

Through my internship, I have seen how market incentives and economic growth can support meaningful conservation initiatives. I have also gained a deeper appreciation for the challenges involved in creating lasting change. Sustainable impact requires considering every stakeholder across a value chain and investing the time to build solutions that strengthen both communities and ecosystems, rather than focusing only on short-term relief.

Bennett Burton (Bus, Fin, SustBus’28)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver (BGCMD), Program & Operations Intern

Watching club leaders realize they had actionable, localized insights showed me the direct impact I could have on their important frontline work.

Burton was drawn to the Impact Internship program by a lifelong appreciation for mission-driven organizations and the opportunity to contribute valuable skills to an organization focused on serving youth. During his internship with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, he supported programming and operations projects ranging from enrollment logistics to data analysis and automation tools. One project in particular demonstrated how business and technology can strengthen community impact: building a dashboard that helped club leaders identify safety trends specific to their individual locations.

Read Bennett's Reflection

Growing up volunteering biweekly instilled in me a respect for mission-driven organizations, many of which struggle for resources due to a focus on service compared to profit. This is exactly what drew me to the Impact Internship: the opportunity to contribute expertise at no cost to an organization like the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Throughout my time interning at the BGCMD, I held on to something I was told during my first week: "In nonprofits, you'll never spend more than a day doing the same thing." That rang true throughout. Whether I was handling Salesforce enrollment logistics one day, writing Python scripts the next, or handling chaotic varieties of busy work like most interns, I could not be more grateful for the people I met and the learning experiences.

My responsibilities included: assisted in running Pinewood Derby and ‘Techzilla’ STEM day; reworked Operations & Programming’s SharePoint; created Model Context Protocol (MCP)-enabled, Python-based software to parse student surveys for trends; manually unenrolled students weekly with overdue balances on Salesforce; improved skills in Excel, Salesforce, Power BI, Python and MCP integrations in automated workflows.

One project especially stood out. While analyzing raw incident data, I noticed patterns that could inform staffing and supervision decisions. What I discovered was crucial: incident trends were highly individual to each club, not organization wide. So, I built an interactive dashboard to help 100+ club leaders visualize their location's specific hotspots. Presenting that finding showed them each club's unique safety picture, revealing that one-size-fits-all safety approaches miss the mark.

Maren Clay (Acct, SustBus’27)
Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF), Operations Intern

Seeing firsthand the businesses that CEF funds, and the positive impact they have on the people and environment around them, was exhilarating. It has inspired me to continue working toward a future where all organizations use the power of business for good.

Clay was drawn to CEF’s focus on the intersection of social responsibility and finance, and how mission-driven lending can actively change the community. She used the experience to ask as many questions as possible to learn about the industry and understand how to creatively solve problems.

Read Maren’s Reflection

I made it a priority to ask about anything I was curious about, and it allowed me to learn about aspects of CEF’s business model (and the wide nonprofit lending business environment) that I would not have otherwise learned about. Additionally, asking questions and learning from my coworkers at CEF exposed me to decades of experience, advice, and new perspectives for how to approach business.

One specific project from my internship that really captured this experience was when I was tasked with creating from scratch a canvas for part of CEF’s CRM system. I had never worked with CRM prior to this internship, nor did I have any experience with canvas design. I had to get creative with learning and understanding a new program, while also figuring out functional requirements from different departments, many of which had differing requests. This experience will stay with me because it taught me how to tackle multiple problems at once, and how to get creative with understanding the underlying issue to fix it.

This internship has further reinforced my belief that business is the ultimate power to create good in the communities around us.

Patrick Mahoney (MBA’27, with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance)
Thistle Community Housing, Resident-Owned Communities division, Real Estate Finance Intern

Resident ownership is a powerful tool for affordable housing, especially in rural areas, but it isn't a fit for every community. That contradiction—ownership as both the cure and the burden—is what will stay with me.

Mahoney came to Leeds after teaching through Teach For America, where he learned that responsibility often arrives before people feel fully prepared for it. In his internship with Thistle, he worked on feasibility studies, financing applications and development planning for resident-owned communities. The experience deepened his understanding of affordable housing and reinforced his interest in creating ownership opportunities that can build long-term economic stability and opportunity.

Read Patrick’s Reflection

Before Leeds, I taught through Teach For America, managing students and teaching multiple courses as an undergrad. That taught me that responsibility comes with the job, not after you're "ready" for it. I wanted that same accountability again, this time building tangible real estate skills, because good intentions alone aren't enough.

This summer, I worked on a feasibility study, writing development and acquisition loan and grant applications, and drafting requests for proposals (RFPs) for a manufactured home community in Colorado, where residents are considering buying their land from a private owner. Rents have climbed for years while the community's water system, contaminated at the source, has gone unfixed. Resident ownership is possible, but it means asking residents who are already financially stretched to oversee and finance a million-dollar infrastructure overhaul to get clean water.

The experience reinforced why I returned to school for my MBA. Teaching underserved students showed me that the roots of inequity run deeper than any one classroom can reach. Real estate shapes where and how people live, which means it shapes opportunity itself.

This internship has been invaluable in showing me how cooperative ownership structures could work across other asset classes, lowering the buy-in for people locked out of ownership and giving them a real stake in something that appreciates. I believe these structures can help build a middle class in America, rather than watch the one we have disappear.

Peter Murry (MBA’27)
Mad Agriculture, Graduate Conservation Finance Fellow

Durable solutions are the ones that work for everyone involved, and the most climate-positive option is often the one with the strongest, most lasting business case.

Murry spent the summer working on Mad Agriculture’s Wilding Bond initiative, exploring how innovative finance tools can support biodiversity, water quality and agricultural resilience. The experience reinforced his interest in using business and corporate engagement to drive positive environmental outcomes.

Read Peter's Reflection

I'm working with Mad Agriculture on the Wilding Bond, a novel conservation finance tool that scales on-farm prairie plantings in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. My focus is corporate engagement: identifying which types of companies have a business case to support the water quality and biodiversity outcomes the bond delivers and building the rationale for why. It's been a great opportunity to apply my MBA studies to work that feels genuinely meaningful for my career.

Having built a career before graduate school, I came in with a clear sense of where I wanted to go next. The Impact Internship appealed to me because it let me design a hyper-personalized experience around content directly relevant to that next step. My biggest takeaway so far has been confirmation of my interest in driving positive biodiversity and nature outcomes through corporate levers.

I had the chance to attend an event hosted by Mad Agriculture and the Environmental Defense Fund that brought together ranchers, researchers, storytellers and agricultural leaders. The gathering explored how lasting climate solutions emerge not just from technology and management practices, but from the people, relationships and landscapes that shape our food system. It was a microcosm of sustainable agriculture as a whole, and a clear illustration of why durable solutions require a seat at the table for every stakeholder.

Lauryn Simon (Fin, BusAna’27)
Greenhouse, Program Management Intern

I have always seen the potential for good in business. In fact, the sole reason I chose the major I did was to study how business could be used to fuel systemic change, and this internship allowed me to see my vision in action. It also showed me that real change is incredibly complex, and solving one issue almost inevitably creates another one.

Simon was drawn to Greenhouse by her passion for community building. She applied her analytical skills to initiatives supporting students, entrepreneurs and professional development programs. Through the experience, she saw firsthand how business can be a powerful tool for change while gaining a deeper understanding of the complexity behind creating lasting solutions.

Read Lauryn’s Reflection

With this Impact Internship I knew I would be working toward the one thing that I am most passionate about: community. I knew this internship was designed not only to advance my professional skills, but to encourage real systemic change. And I have taken away exactly that. I have had the opportunity to perfect my analytical skills in a way that gives back to the community. I’ve been able to watch as my time working on Excel transformed into helping under-resourced students in their startup journey, organizing an event that promotes professional development and community growth, and opening doors for low-income and first-generation students to make connections that shape the rest of their lives.

As soon as I accepted this position, I did what they teach you to do in business school: post on LinkedIn. Not even a few hours later, I was contacted by a Greenhouse alum, a current scholar, a past intern, and a regular volunteer, all congratulating me for the role and sharing their stories. I met with several of these individuals before starting my internship in the hopes of learning more about the organization. Through their stories, I was able to understand just how deep of an impact this organization has had on so many people. The bond I now have with colleagues will always stay with me.

This year’s Impact Interns show how real-world work gave them the chance to put their business skills—and values—into action.

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Beyond the Resume: Summer Impact Interns Reflect on Lessons That Last

Sydney Bihm (SustBus’27) Minor: HistoryThe Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation Finance Intern

Bennett Burton (Bus, Fin, SustBus’28)Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver (BGCMD), Program & Operations Intern

Maren Clay (Acct, SustBus’27)Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF), Operations Intern

Patrick Mahoney (MBA’27, with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance)Thistle Community Housing, Resident-Owned Communities division, Real Estate Finance Intern

Peter Murry (MBA’27)Mad Agriculture, Graduate Conservation Finance Fellow

Lauryn Simon (Fin, BusAna’27)Greenhouse, Program Management Intern

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Sydney Bihm (SustBus’27) Minor: History
The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Conservation Finance Intern

Bennett Burton (Bus, Fin, SustBus’28)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver (BGCMD), Program & Operations Intern

Maren Clay (Acct, SustBus’27)
Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF), Operations Intern

Patrick Mahoney (MBA’27, with a concentration in Real Estate and Finance)
Thistle Community Housing, Resident-Owned Communities division, Real Estate Finance Intern

Peter Murry (MBA’27)
Mad Agriculture, Graduate Conservation Finance Fellow

Lauryn Simon (Fin, BusAna’27)
Greenhouse, Program Management Intern