When Laurie Barkman, a Tepper MBA student, places out of introductory human-resources courses, she approaches the head of the marketing department for permission to do independent study. He’s not sure that’s a good idea.
Unfazed, she secures sponsorship from a local businessman, a Tepper alum, which ultimately gets her the OK for her studies proposal.
More than a decade later, Barkman (TPR’99) is CEO of Genco Marketplace, one of America’s largest merchandise liquidators. She attributes her success to the same mantra she used at Tepper: Regret is worse than being told no.
In recognition of her accomplished career, the National Diversity Council has named her one of its Most Powerful and Influential Women.
—Elizabeth Shestak (DC’03)
