Meet the Class of 2022: Jennifer Dolan (EMBA’22) on the Value of Diversity in Thought and Experience

As the spring semester comes to a close, Georgetown McDonough is pleased to commemorate the accomplishments of the Class of 2022. This year’s graduating class demonstrated immense resiliency and determination to reach this milestone, and we are proud to recognize their achievements as they start their next chapter as Hoya alumni. To celebrate, Georgetown McDonough is spotlighting several of the exceptional students in the Class of 2022 as they share their personal stories, reflect on their time on the Hilltop, and preview what’s next after commencement.

Jennifer Dolan (EMBA’22) has always believed in the importance of diverse perspectives, and this was a value she found reinforced throughout her time in the Executive MBA (EMBA) program at Georgetown McDonough. Even while starting her journey remotely, Dolan and her classmates found unique opportunities to connect and bond as a cohort – a group of people who she now considers family. 

As Dolan closes on her time in the EMBA program, she reflects on the people and experiences that made an impact on her educational journey, and how she plans to utilize her new skills to elevate her work as the chief marketing and business development officer at Katten Muchin Rosenman. 

What is your favorite memory or proudest moment from your time at Georgetown?

I have many great memories from my time here. My cohort started our journey in a remote environment and had to get to know each other in a strange new medium. As relationships started to gel, we had a few meetups on remote class weekends where a small group would gather at someone’s office and we would take class together. Those were special moments because it felt like we were forging bonds that were difficult to cultivate in a remote world. 

I also loved the global capstone week, where my team rented a house together in rural Virginia to complete our group work and our field research trip to Tanzania. I’ve shared experiences, good and bad, with people in this cohort that will stay with me forever.

How do you plan to apply the skills you have learned at Georgetown in the next phase of your career?

I’m interested in exploring how areas like finance and strategy, where I had some prior experience but now have much greater depth and understanding, can be brought to bear in my current role to elevate how I operate in the firm I work for. Beyond that, I believe the entirety of my Georgetown skills have prepared me for more senior leadership roles in my organization and industry, as well as work outside of my current industry.

What is one of the most important lessons you have learned while at Georgetown?

It wasn’t necessarily a lesson I learned at Georgetown as much as it was something I already knew that was deeply reinforced by my experience with my cohort, which is the value of diversity of experience and thought. I worked regularly with a mathematician, a derivatives trader, a priest, a soldier, and so many others whose backgrounds are different from my own. I learned a great deal from how they see the world and approach things.  

I also learned how to create 26 hours in a day, but that can be said of every single EMBA student. 

Is there a particular person in the Georgetown community that has been instrumental to your success?

My entire cohort is wonderful, and there are certain classmates without whom I would not have had the experience that I did – people who have truly become family and have been by my side to celebrate the highs and weather the lows. 

On the faculty side, I have been deeply appreciative of the support and encouragement of Dean Kamrad. 

What are your post-graduate plans?

Sleep. A lot.

What advice would you give to the next class of Georgetown students?

Pay attention to learning it rather than just getting through it. Particularly for EMBA students who have so many demands on their time and attention – the pace can be grueling and it’s not hard to slip into a mode of just getting through a course to have it behind you. I had to remind myself on more than one occasion that I chose to take on this challenge because I wanted to deepen my understanding of the material, not just to get the piece of paper. Keeping the reason you’re in the program in sight was very helpful to me when things got crazy.