By Heather Blahnik (Madison ’96, US ’98, AI ’99)

Over the course of the next few months, we will be publishing interviews with former Presidents of AIESEC in the US, who will tell us what made them become a leader in AIESEC and what they have been doing since they left AIESEC.  This month we are focusing on leaders from the 1980′s, a group of exceptional leaders and talented people who feel strongly that their AIESEC experience was life-changing.

 

DAN BLANCHARD 

National Committee President, 1979-1980

Sales Coach at Sales Coaching Inc.  Austin, Texas

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
First, a friend of mine in college sat me down and said, “You’re kind of a hick, you need to get out of Louisiana.”  That night, I went digging through everything I could find in the library on how to go stomp grapes in Italy, etc.  Found this AIESEC thing that promised internships in business overseas.

The next day, I called the number and talked with then-President Stuart Graham, who explained the reciprocal nature of the program and the requirement to be an official Local Committee.  I asked, “How do we get a Local Committee?”  Stuart:  “You are one; go to the Regional Conference in Tallahassee in 3 weeks.”

That kind of got me started.  Lots of people offered help.  Nancy Raines (one of the staff) and Craig Cornwell  (one of the student Directors – they were called “Advisory Counselors” then) in particular, were especially helpful and encouraging.

Also have to give a lot of credit for nudging me toward National office to my then-future wife (and future ex-wife), Patrice Fidler Blanchard.  She was always a lot more politically astute than I was.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
I’ve had several careers.  I got into the first venture capital boom right out of business school, which was fun and a great business education.  Then I went into business for myself in several training and development businesses, including a Sandler Sales franchise.  I sold that in 1997 and transitioned into the business coaching world.  I am still involved in that, and branching into running the internet marketing campaigns for small businesses.  I probably have 3 more careers to go.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
I didn’t have a lot of fun as National Committee President – I was way too uptight about the responsibility of it.  My fondest memory of AIESEC was going to the 1978 International Congress as a US delegate.  Getting together with 300 other students from around the world, working hard all day on an important mission, playing hard all night…that was kind of the ultimate AIESEC experience in a concentrated version.  I certainly was a big proponent of AIESEC before that, but that’s where it seems like I understood what “living AIESEC’s values” really meant.

 

 

FRANK FOTI 

National Committee President 1980-1981

CEO, Vigor Industrial.  Portland, Oregon

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
Both the concept of international understanding and cooperation in a shrinking world and the incredible quality and expansive vision of the people I met in AIESEC.  This remains true.  There seem to be more AIESECers who combine head, drive, and heart than what you encounter in everyday life.  I’m fond of saying that out of the 200 special people I’ve met in my life, 100 of them are AIESECers.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
Interesting question, since these are still my AIESEC days. :) Like many, the early years after the “student AIESEC years” were challenging, but today, life is a blast professionally.  I’m the CEO of a company (Vigor Industrial) which is thriving here in the US and working to expand internationally.   I get to lead (and follow) a company which values authenticity and open communication, and which continues to adapt and improve.  We have an AIESEC trainee (one of three we’ve had over the past year) and two former AIESEC US presidents (me and Tiffany Curtiss).

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
Hard question… Being part of dynamic believers in a better world, and all the listening, learning, leading and following that goes with it.

 

 

PETER PINTAR  

National Committee President 1981-1982

Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Development at TETRA Technologies.  Houston, Texas

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
It’s hard to identify a single inspiration source.  I found myself drawn to AIESEC because of its mission and because the members at the LC in Madison were having so much fun.  I then fell into one role after another, over time.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
I really enjoy myself professionally.  I’ve been in various aspects of the energy business for a long time.  I find the energy industry so interesting because of its importance, global nature and the colorful characters who are drawn to it, particularly in the oil and gas sector.  I’ve also traveled a bit and lived outside the US (in Prague).  Much of my work is focused on identifying and executing strategies to grow businesses.  What could be more fun than that?

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
My fondest memories center on the international meetings I participated in:  Meeting of National Presidents in Helsinki (cold days, hot saunas), International Congress in Copenhagen (smorgasbord lunches, liquid dinners).

 

 

RUSS GERSON 

National Committee President 1982-1983

CEO, The Gerson Group & Gerson Global Advisors.  New York, NY

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
Frank Foti, NCP 1980-1981, was my initial inspiration to take on a leadership position in AIESEC.  I saw him give a speech at a regional conference in Green Bay and was incredibly impressed and moved by what he said about the opportunities AIESEC provided, and how he said it.  It was then I decided I someday wanted to be NCP.  I aspired to being able to have the kind of motivational impact that Frank did.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
In many ways to where and what I was doing in AIESEC.  I lead a firm that does executive recruiting and sovereign advisory.  The executive recruiting firm secures top talent for companies and the sovereign advisory firm advises countries on improving their position in the United States by increasing trade, commerce and investment in and with the United States.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
The night I was elected NCP was my fondest memory. By this point I had learned a tremendous amount in the four years I had been involved in AIESEC and I felt a great sense of responsibility and commitment to add value back to the organization.

 

 

MARTHA BRADT (KEAVENY) 

National Committee President 1983-1984

Principal at Health Claims Concierge, LLC.  New York, NY

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
As I naïve 21 year old University of Colorado business graduate, after two years at the LC level, I had a good whiff of the brains and brawn of my fellow AIESECers.   AIESEC felt exciting; it felt like it could take me somewhere far beyond an internship.  Much to the dismay of my parents, I turned down two REAL job offers to work for a pittance on the national staff in New York.  After six months on Russ Gerson’s staff, I was elected NCP.  In December 1982, a GIRL from a PUBLIC university beat a BOY from BROWN! Imagine that.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?  
I credit AIESEC with playing a large part in helping me get into the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After Stanford, I went into software product management way before technology was cool or terribly lucrative.  After more than a decade in technology, I switched to a decade of parenting… .Today I own a healthcare service company.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
The ability for the national staff to work with top business executives in New York stands out as my single best memory.  I have a lot of FUN memories, but having Very Busy, Very Important executives share their wisdom with me and my co-workers would NEVER have happened from ages 21 to 23, if not for AIESEC.

 

 

ANDREW WAMPLER 

National Committee President 1984-1985

Chief Investment Officer at Gamma Partners S.A.  Geneva, Switzerland

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
After having lived in Italy during my junior year in high school, I was always looking for ways to focus my studies and career internationally.  When I first joined AIESEC Seattle, I think in 1981, the chapter was on “deathwatch” and had been chosen by the NC to be shut down.  There were a few members in the committee at the time that were willing to fight to keep our status and to prove those in NYC wrong.  At my first regional conference, I met with the leadership of LC Long Beach, that was one of the most successful committees back in those days.   In the next election I presented myself for the post of President of the LC, along with two EVP’s Len Quist and Terri Skrei (now Terri Lecamp).  After election we all headed down to Long Beach to see how we could achieve success in running the committee.  Upon return, we set out an ambitious business plan, rebuilt the confidence of our board of directors, and aggressively pursued fund raising and internships. At the following NC we were recognized as the “most improved” LC in the nation.

After graduation I worked in the NC as VP of Marketing, under the leadership of Martha Keaveny, an inspiring leader who was able to put the NC back on a strong foundation after significant political turmoil during the previous administration.  The following year I was elected NCP and I was able to share my experiences fighting back from non-existence at AIESEC Seattle, in order to inspire other LCs as well as other NCs who were in difficulty to plan, build, and develop their own leadership skills in order to inspire others.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
After AIESEC, I was on an internship for 6 months in Mumbai India working for a bank.  My goal during my internships was to experience the extremes in life and in business.  My second internship took me to Geneva, Switzerland, where I worked in the finance industry before returning to UCLA to do my MBA in Finance.  After UCLA, I joined UBS in Zurich and had a very successful career from 1990 to 2008; when I left UBS I was a Managing Partner, managing 40 people from various professional and international backgrounds.  I now am the Chief Investment Officer in a small family office/investment manager where I have been struggling with the equity markets since 2008.  As they say “it ain’t over until the fat lady sings;”  well, I’m still waiting for that one last performance of the fat lady so we can get on with normal investing again.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
Fondest memory?  It was the NCP meeting in Lima, Peru.  Despite the dysentery, attempted coup d’etat, rumors of killing of Americans on the train to Cusco and the strip search at the airport upon leaving the country, I was proud to “serve our country” and to meet with other AIESEC leaders from around the world.

My final advice to other AIESECers – shoot for the stars, keep your feet firmly planted in the ground, always put family and friends first and keep on top of your health.

 

 

LYNDA FUNKE (BAKER) 

National Committee President 1985-1986

Senior Administrative Officer at Cerberus European Capital Advisors, LLP.  London, United Kingdom.

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?
I was studying international economics/diplomacy at Georgetown and my freshman dorm floor Resident Assistant was the LCP.  He got me to come along to an AIESEC meeting, where they were planning to host the next Northeast Region conference.  That sounded like fun.  And it was!  Fun, and a huge success.  It just kept going from there.  I was probably motivated to continue by the enticing mix of entrepreneurship, leadership, and doing something important for the world, together with people that shared the same sense of purpose and values, while having a spirit of openness and fun.  (P.S. That LCP, Mike Smith, went on to work at AI; the co-coordinator of the conference with me, Tara Stevens, became a fervent AIESECer as well as my roommate; she is now a senior international HR executive).

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?
Although I never would have expected it, I believe I have an AIESEC Life!  Professionally, I have gone from consulting to operational management and leadership roles at financial institutions.  After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I moved with McKinsey from the US to Germany, later moving to Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt and London with EMEA responsibilities and now in the UK with Cerberus, a private investment firm.  I should also mention that I became fluent in German after college and am currently the chair of the Board of Governors of the German School London — another international aspect.  Although little can prepare you for the dynamics of pursuing your career as a local employee in a foreign country and in a foreign language, AIESEC was an exceptional training ground for working with other cultures and perspectives.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?
Needless to say, I, like everyone, have fantastic memories of fun parties, personal moments, and LC and MC achievements — like raising a TN.  A favorite memory as MCP was working together with the other MCPs at International Presidents’ Meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast to find a solution for the AIESEC South Africa International Congress delegation to be able to attend Congress in Sweden, which had a ban on South African citizens entering the country during apartheid.  The potential solutions ranged from relocating Congress completely to another country or to a cruise liner off the Swedish coast to appealing to Desmond Tutu for assistance and potentially going to the UN.  It was intense and hard work, and we were really striving for AIESEC’s ideals.

 

 

 

MARCIA ZELLERS

National Committee President, 1986-1987

Director Digital Marketing at The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM). Los Angeles, CA

Who/what inspired you to take on leadership positions in AIESEC?

In high school I was able to easily get good grades, but I was really not focused on my studies. When I entered college I was still trying to find myself. I’d never heard of AIESEC, but a friend dragged me to their first meeting. The young people who presented at that meeting absolutely knocked my socks off, and I decided right then that I needed to be like them. I got involved, and benefited from how good AIESEC is at nurturing leaders. Some astute LC leaders took me under their wings, I got to exercise some natural but previously untapped abilities, and the organization’s mission really resonated with me: It was the right combo at the right time in my life, and I ran with it.

Where has life taken you professionally since your AIESEC days?

I decided not long after I completed my post-NCP internships that I wanted to be in the entertainment industry. I started in publishing and segued into music. In 1993 I got myself an AOL account and decided the internet was the future. I was one of 3 people who founded the interactive department at MTV in 1994, and I’ve been leading digital initiatives ever since. I’ve worked primarily for cable TV networks and film studios, but am currently running the Digital Marketing Department at FIDM, one of the U.S.’s top colleges for fashion and design. For fun, I run a blog on the side for women over 40 called Tootzypop.

If you had to pick one, what might be your fondest memory of serving as National Committee President?

There were so many. But one that stands out was our International Presidents’ Meeting in Hamburg, Germany in the fall of 1986. Apartheid still formally existed in South Africa and demonstrations against it were common on many U.S. college campuses, including mine. At our meeting the President of AIESEC Great Britain had been pressured by some LCs back home to put forward a motion to throw AIESEC South Africa out of the organization. Emotions ran high, and it was a very tense few days with a great deal of serious and thoughtful debate, both on the floor and off. The experience stands out for me because we were dealing with real global issues in a microcosmic political situation that would have stark implications. It felt very much like being a U.N. representative.

 

You can also read interviews with David Pollay and Michael Stewart.