As assistant vice president for public relations and stakeholder engagement at Lincoln Tech, Galindo engages with legislative staffers, many of whom are his junior. Being part of a cohort comprising younger individuals provided him access to a range of perspectives and insight into managing personalities and improved his communication skills with this generation. “It really opened my eyes. We’re talking about a bunch of different personalities, much younger than myself, who are more attuned to the modern-day working world. Learning to communicate with those folks has really helped me,” says Galindo.����

While still a student, Galindo was invited to share his experience at both the MBA and graduate school open houses. As an alumnus, he was invited with a handful of other alumni for dinner with President Koppell to share his experience while at �鶹��ý���� and provide feedback that could benefit future cohorts. Now, Galindo mentors MBA students one-on-one in the Accelerated MBA program, dispensing career advice and insight. “My experience at MSU helped me and inspired me to do this volunteer work because I had to take myself, personally and professionally, to the next level to do all these other things. �鶹��ý���� was a great springboard for me,” says Galindo.

Galindo feels compelled to give back to the university that gave him his professional life back. “It’s a wonderful experience to pass on a lot of the knowledge that I had learned and the tools, tips and tricks that I’d picked up over the years,” says Galindo. “I didn’t have that growing up. I didn’t have that guidance.”

��In addition to his duties at Lincoln Tech, throughout 2022 and 2023, Galindo was the executive vice president of partner relations for the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America, offering professional development programs that connect Latinx students with American corporations, like Moody’s, Bank of America, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb. “The goal is to help the next generation of Latinx students make their way as quickly as possible to roles in corporate America and upper management through upskilling and networking,” says Galindo.

Founded in 1921, Peapack-Gladstone Bank provides innovative wealth management, investment banking, commercial and retail solutions, including residential lending and online platforms, to businesses and consumers.

Collaborating with �鶹��ý���� dates back to around the year 2000 when Peapack-Gladstone Bank President & CEO Doug Kennedy, was made a trustee of the University. In 2014, Susan Cole, then-president of �鶹��ý����, began serving on the Peapack-Gladstone Bank Board of Directors. When Peapack-Gladstone Bank launched its career outreach program, �鶹��ý���� was a natural choice.

“We’ve partnered with some other schools since, but our relationship with �鶹��ý���� is definitely the strongest,” says Erin Villagra, assistant vice president/talent and culture specialist at Peapack-Gladstone Bank , and a 2019 recipient of the New Jersey Bankers Association Rising Star Award.

Peapack-Gladstone designed professional development opportunities for �鶹��ý���� students. In the Resume & LinkedIn Tips seminar, Villagra gave “an insider’s look” at what the HR team looked for in candidates and how they could stand out in a crowded field of job seekers. The Breaking into Banking workshop was aimed at students unfamiliar with the banking industry and what it has to offer.

Perhaps most enlightening for students was discovering that Peapack-Gladstone Bank actively sought candidates from diverse backgrounds – not just finance or accounting majors. “I was an education major myself,” Villagra says. “There are lots of transferable skills. The Breaking into Banking workshop helps students see that it’s more than just numbers and opening accounts and things that you see on the outside.”

Peapack-Gladstone Bank invited students to their corporate site where they got to question banking team members from different divisions – including some of the 16 �鶹��ý���� alumni, each of whom could trace an upward trajectory in their careers at Peapack-Gladstone Bank. Doug Reyes, for example, went from client service officer to senior investment analyst. Nicole Economy was promoted from help desk analyst to its team lead in less than two years. The day was capped with lunch with CEO Doug Kennedy, where students could “pick his brain” and hear him speak about leadership.

�鶹��ý���� students who qualify can apply for Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s internship program: a 10-week, paid summer opportunity for 10 to 15 students that runs Mondays through Thursdays. Unlike companies that use interns as free labor, Peapack-Gladstone Bank interns engage in meaningful, hands-on activities, such as working with the bank’s clients and documents system. Lunch & Learn sessions with Peapack-Gladstone Bank senior leadership, including CEO Kennedy, broaden their learning experience.

What distinguishes the program, Villagra says, is the opportunity for interns to undertake a timely challenge facing the bank, and then present their analysis and recommendations to the executive leadership team. For example, interns recently investigated how the bank could incorporate AI into their processes and customer relations.

Working with �鶹��ý���� students also helps Peapack-Gladstone Bank get more exposure and compete for talent with larger institutions. Indeed, two interns got job offers from Peapack-Gladstone Bank after completing the program. “One of our core principles is to be invested in our community. We’re not necessarily looking for anything in return, but if we can help a student get to where they want to go or find that first job, that’s just as valuable,” Villagra says.

Amongst the core principles on which CEO Kennedy focuses are putting clients first, performing as one team, and perhaps most importantly, being invested in the community. Peapack-Gladstone Bank looks for community involvement when interviewing job applicants. To that end, Peapack-Gladstone Bank supports approximately 270 organizations and allows employees – including �鶹��ý���� student interns – ample time to volunteer, even on the bank’s time. Customers can bank anywhere, Villagra says, “but if you want to feel like the people you work with care about you and your financial goals, that’s really what we’re going for when we hire and recruit.”

The relationship between bank and school is mutually beneficial. The HR team at Peapack-Gladstone Bank partnered with the Dean’s Office at �鶹��ý���� to plan and execute the Strategic Leadership Academy (SLA). Running from November 2022 through January 2023, the SLA held a series of four four-hour sessions at MSU that explored the many facets of strategic decision making. The final session at the company headquarters led to the creation of Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s Strategic Plan for 2023.

“We received a lot of great feedback,” Villagra says. “It was a win-win for us and for �鶹��ý���� to put together such a great program.”

Doremus, who earned a BS in marketing from �鶹��ý���� and works as a national sales manager at AM Best, was inspired to study marketing in 1980 by a professor whose passion for the material was palpable. “There was something about his enthusiasm for marketing and the way he presented himself. He really spoke to us as fellow marketers instead of just students. The way he taught piqued my interest in marketing,” says Doremus.

To pique his students’ interests, Doremus tossed out the textbook and draws on his professional experiences and presents lessons with relevant situations and case studies. “I bring real- world examples into the classroom. I’ll bring in an example of a tough customer I had that day, we go over the scenario, and I ask my students to come up with [a strategy for handling the situation],” says Doremus. Whether in the classroom or at AM Best, Doremus uses three strategies – positive reinforcement, recognition, and continual feedback – to motivate students and his sales team. “When one of my students does something great in class, I recognize them. I tell them to share with the class great things that are going on at school, their work or their internships. When I’m concerned with any of my students, I’ll meet with them one-on-one to tell them…I don’t wait till the end and they get hit with a bad grade,” says Doremus.

When not inspiring the next generation of marketers or motivating his sales force, Doremus mentors current �鶹��ý���� students in Feliciano’s Soar to Success mentorship program. “Some of my students need help with their careers.

These are all the things I wish someone did for me back when I was their age. We really didn’t have those opportunities,” says Doremus.