College of Business launches Sue Nokes Leadership Development Program
Program will fund Aspire Fellows who demonstrate the virtues and values of Jesus embraced by the college.
Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 |
Visionary business leader Sue Nokes, who is known for successfully transforming Fortune 100 companies to achieve breakthrough results, was recognized for her generosity to the College of Business at a reception on campus, Sept. 19.
The newly created Sue Nokes Leadership Development Program will serve as the primary funding source for the college’s experiential Aspire program. The goal of Aspire is to develop and support students who, through their character and coached skills, will make exceptional contributions to virtuous leadership in business.
Nokes is a member of the Lipscomb University Board of Trustees and a generous donor and mentor to students in the College of Business. She has had a long career as a top executive and change agent in Fortune 100 companies including T-Mobile, Walmart, and AT&T.
Interacting with and learning from Nokes is one of the benefits for students selected as Aspire Fellows.
At the ceremony, Nokes encouraged students to have an aspiration and a vision of what they want to be. “Values are so important. We are our values,” she said.
Describing her work in customer service at VoiceStream, which later became T-Mobile, where she created programs to coach leaders and to identify the company’s values, she said, “We were last in every metric when I got there,” she said. “We went from worst to first in customer service satisfaction in eight months and won several J.D. Power Awards in a row.
“It was about setting a goal that everyone could achieve together, where everyone could succeed together. The pie is big enough that everybody can do well,” she said. “You want people to follow you out of commitment, not compliance.”
Being chosen as an Aspire Fellow is a special honor and experience for upcoming juniors who have a 3.5 GPA or above and who demonstrate the virtues and values of Jesus embraced by the College of Business: purpose, credibility, creativity, boldness and servanthood.
There were eleven juniors selected 2023-2024 Aspire Fellows, including:
- Owen Booker, accounting major from Fairfax, Virginia
- Parker Brooks, marketing and Spanish double major from Manchester, Massachusetts
- Braeden Burrow, finance major from Bakersfield, California
- Lauren Jones, accounting major from Charlotte, North Carolina
- Kendal Matas, finance major from San Diego, California
- Lydia Smith, finance major from Oakton, Virginia
- Canon Smith, business management and marketing major from Searcy, Arkansas
- Phoebe Tellis, finance major from Franklin, Tennessee
- Kara Williams, accounting major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- Jade Zalenski, marketing major from Brentwood, Tennessee
“This is a really cool opportunity to take the values we talk about in the college and apply them in a real-world setting,” Aspire Fellow Kendall Matas said. “I’m looking forward to the experiences I’ll have and the chance to get really close to my peers and mentors.”
The program includes two special Aspire sections of academic coursework. In the fall, Communication Skills for Managers, will equip students with the core competencies of listening, questioning, contributing, asking for feedback, delivering feedback, and organizing and leading effective meetings. Students will use these skills as they create and implement service projects and business site visits domestically and internationally.
In the spring, International Business will help students prepare for a May 2024 trip to an international business center. Students will also participate in a mindfulness workshop and retreat that will help them practice the skills of silence, patience, and empathy with self and others by limiting distractions such as social media and spending time in meditation and prayer.
“I’m looking forward to gaining real-world business applications and connections in the U.S. and internationally and growing in the world of business,” Aspire Fellow Kara Williams said.
Students will create a personal action plan in individual coaching sessions and small group coaching sessions to develop their knowledge of and skills in purpose, boldness, creativity, credibility and service.