In the 2023-2024 school year, we had a variety of guest speakers. These include:

• Connor Case, A 2019 Chatham graduate. Connor graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Finance and Economics and minoring in Management Information Systems (MIS). He is now working at IBM as a Worldwide Infrastructure Kaizen specialist. 

• Ron Annis, Top Form, Inc. business founder and partner along with son, Dan Annis. Students learned about Top Form, and how it was created, its expansion and the pathway it took to find success. They also discussed the value of multiple revenue streams, networking, technology, marketing and other relevant business topics which came up naturally during their discussion.

• Chelsea Whiteman, financial advisor at Cetera Investors, spoke to students about her role as a financial advisor & joined students for a group competition that simulated making investment decisions at different times of the year. Additionally, Chelsea spoke to students about life lessons, and the importance of relationships, networking, & attention to the customer. One piece of advice was to not stress about the small stuff... if it won't matter in 2 years or even 2 months, then don't let it stress you out today.

• Heather Johnson, Asset Protection Manager & Asset Protection Coach for Walmart. Students learned about Heather's career path, her current role & responsibilities, and the various career fields at Walmart. They were also part of a round table discussion about business. The class was so engaged in the conversation that Heather's visit lasted nearly 3 hours! 

• Scott Lundy, Director of Operations at Sonoco Plastics in Chatham. Students toured the manufacturing facility & spoke with Scott Lundy, Sonoco's Director of Global Operations. Students learned the importance of analyzing and evaluating processes for regular improvement, as well as the value of learning effective communication skills & the importance of listening to your customer. 

• Brian Rutherford, Director of Operations at Leadercast. Brian took the time to explain brand positioning and the role of business in satisfying the needs and wants of customers, most often through customer satisfaction. He also illustrated the criticalness of treating customers well and with respect. 

• Christopher Nardone of Columbia Greene Workforce New York. Christopher talked to students about his role as Executive Director & how they help people gain new skills & find employment. The group discussed their career & educational goals, while Christopher offered tips on resume writing & how to increase their chances in landing an interview. Lastly, they discussed the benefits of AI & how it will play an integral role in the workplace in the future. 

• Kody Skype a highly successful enterprise sales professional at QualtricsXM. He shared insight about the day to day of a professional salesperson, how meetings are conducted in the real world, how to give a great elevator pitch & more. 

• Management Team at The Bank of Greene County. After a large group meeting with bank department managers, students split up for 1 hour shadowing sessions with their department of choice. Students were able to learn from the Security & Fraud Department, Operations, Finance & Accounting, Credit & Lending, Human Resources, Customer Service, Marketing, and IT. It was an eye-opening experience for the students to see all that happens behind the scenes to run a bank and the variety of business career fields present in just one business. 

• Matthew Mackerer and Molly Anderson, CPAs from Karp, Ackerman, Small & Hogan CPAs PC. The professionals discussed what a CPA does including the preparation of financial statements, audits, tax returns, and advisory services.