The speaker at this morning's Wharton-Kellogg-London Business School Atlanta Alumni Associations' breakfast event was Virginia Hepner, the CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, the largest arts center in Atlanta and one of the four largest in the country. Virginia spent 25 years in the banking industry with Wachovia, retired in 2005, then had a series of positions both in the private sector and the nonprofit arena. After a short stint as interim Executive Director with a subsidiary of the Woodruff Arts Center, she was selected by its Board to become CEO of the parent organization last year.
In addition to her discussion about the Woodruff Arts Center and the intersection of the business and arts communities in Atlanta, Virginia touched on her own career. She mentioned that she never would have planned to become of the CEO of a nonprofit arts-related entity at any point in her career. The first 25 years of her career were well planned -- she had a vision for her career, and she took steps to make that vision a reality. But the last seven years have been largely unplanned, and she mentioned that she is enjoying her work more than ever.
The lesson is that we sometimes don't know which way our careers will ultimately turn, but we should be prepared for anything. Virginia's preparation came from her years in the banking industry, and she was ultimately prepared to handle the accounting and financial issues with any organization, including a nonprofit. In addition, her passion for the arts naturally led her to spending more of her time and energy in that arena, ultimately being tapped to lead this organization. We may not know where our careers will ultimately take us, but if we follow our passions and our talents and be open to different opportunities, we will find the right path.
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