Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State - FTG 0039 - Love, Learning, and Life Journeys: Navigating Family and Career Changes with Business Leaders Erin and Tony Talbert '99

FTG 0039 - Love, Learning, and Life Journeys: Navigating Family and Career Changes with Business Leaders Erin and Tony Talbert '99

02/14/23 • 67 min

Following the Gong, a Podcast of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State

Overview:

Scholar Alumni couple Erin (’99 Com) & Tony (’99 Eng) Talbert join Following the Gong to share their joint story and advice after meeting early in their Penn State journey. After serving as Lion Ambassadors and ringing the gong, Erin pursued a career in consulting and Tony went into financial services roles. They shared their advice on these fields, including commercial real estate, family transitions, and career transitions including moving into roles in community organizations and small businesses. Erin and Tony offer advice that is helpful for any Scholar, not just those in similar fields, as they both took directions away from their major and have navigated their journey together, including as donors to and volunteers with the College. For each of their bios and a more detailed breakdown, continue reading these show notes!

Guest Bio:

Erin Talbert ’99 Communications is currently an active community volunteer, elected School Board member and small business owner. Before that she spent nearly 20 years working in the pharmaceuticals industry. In her 11 years at AstraZeneca, Erin worked in several commercial roles including Marketing, Managed Markets, and Sales. In her 7 years with Accenture, Erin focused on change management, organizational design, and communications. She now owns Brandywine Outdoor Living and works with landscape architects and their clients to add the outdoor "finishings" to large scale landscape projects including furniture, lighting, shade, and planters. Erin graduated from Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications with Bachelor of Arts in Advertising/Public Relations with Honors and a minor in Labor & Industrial Relations from Penn State in 1999.

Tony Talbert ’99 Engineering is a Partner of The Shidler Group, where he is responsible for real estate investments, acquisitions, capital markets and developing new investment strategies, including The Shidler Group’s most recent multifamily, hotel, and net-lease investment platforms. Since joining The Shidler Group in 2013, Tony has been instrumental in the acquisition of over $3.24 billion of office, hospitality, and multifamily assets throughout the U.S. Tony was previously with Chatham Financial Group where he co-founded the firm’s real estate investment banking practice where he specialized in capital raising and complex debt advisory assignments, including a $1.3 billion securitization of One Bryant Park in New York after beginning his career on Chatham’s derivative desk. Tony graduated from Penn State’s College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Industrial Engineering in 1999. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School in 2004.

Episode Topics:

· Coming to University Park and choosing Schreyer from Maryland and Hawaii and as a first-generation student – and meeting your future spouse on day 1!

· Selecting a major based on skills rather than topics and as a first-gen student, or as a student in DUS

· Making a career pivot as you are nearing graduation based on pre-professional experiences and succeeding regardless of alignment with your major

· Leading while walking backwards with the Lion Ambassadors

· Working your way through school with on- and off-campus jobs and managing time

· Learning from pragmatic thesis topics like marketing plans and product component dissection

· Going to business school after starting your career and switching from consulting to corporate roles

· Stepping away from traditional careers to focus on family and finding new opportunities locally

· A crash course on working in commercial real estate and forming business partnerships

· Reflective lessons on the Scholar experience , success, relationships, mentorship, and more

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Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

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Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible

Overview:

Guest Bio:

Episode Topics:

· Coming to University Park and choosing Schreyer from Maryland and Hawaii and as a first-generation student – and meeting your future spouse on day 1!

· Selecting a major based on skills rather than topics and as a first-gen student, or as a student in DUS

· Making a career pivot as you are nearing graduation based on pre-professional experiences and succeeding regardless of alignment with your major

· Leading while walking backwards with the Lion Ambassadors

· Working your way through school with on- and off-campus jobs and managing time

· Learning from pragmatic thesis topics like marketing plans and product component dissection

· Going to business school after starting your career and switching from consulting to corporate roles

· Stepping away from traditional careers to focus on family and finding new opportunities locally

· A crash course on working in commercial real estate and forming business partnerships

· Reflective lessons on the Scholar experience , success, relationships, mentorship, and more

-----

Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

-----

Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible

Previous Episode

FTG 0038 – Illustrating the Artist's Path with Artist and Entrepreneur Don Aguillo '07

Overview:

Don Aguillo ’07 A&A is a freelance illustrator and comic creator based in San Francisco, California. He has over fifteen years of experience in comics, tabletop games, and working fulltime in his area of passion as both an artist and entrepreneur. Don shares his experiences as a first-generation American at Penn State, life as a Resident Assistant on campus and also studying (and drawing) abroad. Don explains the ins and outs of being a fulltime artist and how he self-promotes, enhances his skills, and evolves his style, and manages the business side of this career path in addition to promoting education of his Filipino heritage. You can read a full breakdown of topics below.

Guest Bio:

Don Aguillo ’07 Arts & Architecture is a freelance illustrator and comic creator in San Francisco, California where he illustrates covers for McFarlane Productions' Spawn series published by Image Comics, produces their own ongoing comic series, Rise, with Scout Comics, and work on other projects such as Adi Shankar's Netflix series Guardians of Justice and a host of commissions and freelance projects across the entertainment industry and independent publishing communities. Before this, he has worked for Stan Lee's company in concept work for one of his later projects, tabletop gaming projects, card games, book covers and art asset design work in all these fields. He earned a BFA with Honors from Penn State’s College of Arts & Architecture in 2007. Please feel free to connect with them or follow them @artofdonaguillo across all social media platforms to explore commissions or have him speak about his work.

Episode Topics:

· Choosing Penn State after growing up as an immigrant within earshot of Beaver Stadium

· Finding a passion – like drawing – in an elective/general education course as a STEM student

· Informing parents & family about changing your major – especially away from a familial path

· Being a Schreyer Scholar in the creative arts including the thesis process for a fine arts major

· Finding family, leadership education, and lifelong interests on campus through clubs like the Penn State Filipino Association and martial arts groups

· Living and working as a Resident Assistant (RA) while also being a Scholar and as a “townie”

· Using study abroad as an opportunity to test yourself and develop a vision for your future career

· Jumping at opportunities when they are presented – like being hired to an animation studio

· Determining that freelance work is the right path for you in the arts or other professions, and using each job to enhance your skills, the benefits, and challenges of this career style

· Developing and defining your personal artwork aesthetic

· Working in comics, board games, film & television, and getting paid for your work and worth

· New school technology for drawing

· Other industries where an art degrees can are useful – and the hard and soft skills that go with them for successful professionals

· Navigating artist job interviews vs. traditional interviews

· Balancing primary and secondary skill sets or media x and thoughts on overcoming creative blocks

· Showcasing work at signature industry events like San Diego Comic Con and Seattle Comic Con

· The importance of feedback for continued learning and development as well as relationship building

· The relationship between visual, performing, and martial arts and learning culture through all three

· The importance of knowing the foundations above all else in art

· Writing, illustrating, and self-publishing your own graphic novel/comic book

· Aligning your paid work with your values and being okay with turning down opportunities

· Mentorship as an artist

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Schreyer Honors College Links:

Website

Instagram

Upcoming Events

Scholars – Need Assistance? Book an Appointment!

Alumni – Learn Why and How to Volunteer

Make a Gift to Benefit Schreyer Scholars

Join the Penn State Alumni Association

-----

Credits & Notes:

This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen ‘11 Lib (Schreyer).

The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.

The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBi...

Next Episode

FTG 0040 – Corporate Legal Leadership, The C-Suite, and Much More with Corporate Leader Reggie Hedgebeth '89

Overview:

Reggie Hedgebeth ’89 Liberal Arts joins the show to discuss his career in corporate legal leadership. Reggie graduated from the College of the Liberal Arts with Honors in Economics in 1989 and went on to earn his JD at Harvard Law. He shares his career journey where he has served in senior, c-suite level roles for large organizations in a variety of industries from retail to energy to finance with vast responsibilities beyond the legal departments including HR and supply chain management. Reggie, a 2020 Penn State Alumni Fellow, provides his insight as not only a legal officer but as a corporate leader who has experienced the highs and lows of serving in these roles across the country. This episode will be helpful for any Scholar, and especially those seeking careers in law or business. You can read a more robust bio of Reggie and a more detailed breakdown of the topics we cover further down in the show notes. This episode was recorded prior to Reggie’s departure from Capital Group.

Guest Bio:

Reggie Hedgebeth ’89 Liberal Arts most recently served as the Chief Legal Officer of Capital Group, a financial services firm with over $2.6 trillion in equity and fixed income assets for millions of individual and institutional investors globally. Reggie also formerly served as executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrator for Marathon Oil Corporation; general counsel, corporate secretary and chief ethics and compliance officer for Spectra Energy Corp; general counsel for Spectra Energy Partners; senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Circuit City Stores, Inc.; and vice president of legal for The Home Depot, Inc. Reggie began his legal career as an associate at King and Spalding, LLP, and prior to law school held various finance and commercial real estate positions at GE Capital. Reggie earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Honors from Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts in 1989 and his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School. Reggie currently serves on the board of directors and as chair of the audit committee for BWC Terminals LLC, and the advisory board of The Artemis Fund, a venture capital fund with an exclusive focus on investments in companies led by female founders. He is also a member of the external advisory board of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State, where he was named a 2020 Penn State Alumni Fellow and a 2011-2012 Outstanding Scholar Alumnus.

Episode Topics:

Coming to University Park from out of state and sight unseen and choosing a major deeper into your academic career
Using student experiences like serving as a TA and working in student radio in your career
Comparing the Honors experience at Penn State to law school
Working in a law firm and then as in-house counsel
Insights on working as an attorney in different industries including retail, energy, and finance & asset management
Learning management and subject matter specifics as a chief legal officer
Networking and the power of building relationships
The role of the chief legal officer and working in the “C-Suite” with other senior executives and what that means
Sitting on corporate boards of directors
Navigating the corporate ladder and relocating across the country
Getting involved with local non-profits and staying involved with the Honors College as an alum
Reflective advice from over thirty years in corporate & legal settings for any Scholar