One of my favorite parts of leading OMBC has been creating opportunities for students to learn directly from people who have built careers, companies, and expertise beyond the classroom.
Through our speaker series and Skills Labs, we bring business leaders to campus for candid conversations about their careers, decisions, lessons learned, and the realities of their industries.
Bringing Leaders to Campus
Steve Vassallo
Economic Development
Jared Foster
Owner of Velvet Ditch & Landshark
Ryan Miller
Economic Development
OLE MISS BUSINESS CLUB
President
University of Mississippi
Serving as President of the Ole Miss Business Club has given me the opportunity to help lead one of the largest student organizations at Ole Miss while learning what it actually takes to grow an organization behind the scenes.
My role spans much more than planning meetings and events. I work alongside our executive team, faculty advisor, university leadership, alumni, and corporate partners to build programs, develop partnerships, create career opportunities for students, and strengthen the systems that allow OMBC to operate and grow.
The experience has taught me that growth creates its own challenges. As an organization gets larger, communication, accountability, delegation, continuity, and clear ownership become increasingly important.
WHAT I’VE FOCUSED ON
Building the Team
One of my biggest priorities has been creating a leadership structure where responsibility is distributed rather than concentrated in one person.
That has meant defining roles more clearly, delegating ownership, creating systems for accountability, and learning when to step in—and when to let someone else lead.
What I’m learning: Good delegation isn’t giving away tasks. It’s giving someone enough context, ownership, and trust to make decisions.
Building Systems
As OMBC has grown, I’ve become increasingly interested in the systems behind a strong organization.
I’ve worked with our team to create more structure around executive operations, meetings, programming, partnerships, marketing, recruiting, finance, and long-term continuity.
My goal isn’t to build an organization that depends on me. It’s to help leave behind systems that future leaders can improve long after my term ends.
Building Partnerships
Some of the most valuable opportunities we can create for students begin with relationships.
I work with professionals, alumni, companies, university leaders, and community partners to turn those relationships into tangible opportunities—whether through speakers, recruiting access, sponsorships, workshops, internships, or new programs.
This has taught me a lot about outreach, stakeholder management, follow-through, and the importance of understanding what creates value for both sides of a partnership.
Building Opportunities for Students
The part of OMBC I care about most is what ultimately reaches the student.
That has shaped how I think about speakers, workshops, corporate partnerships, recruiting resources, and programs such as the Recruiting Accelerator.
Instead of asking only, “What event should we host?” I try to ask, “What problem are students facing, and what could we build that would actually help?”
