UAA College of Business and Public Policy

The College of Business and Public Policy's Tom Case Leadership Fellows Program pairs high-performing CBPP students with a mentor in the Anchorage business community, giving students the opportunity to learn about real-world leadership from local business leaders. To begin the program, each student protégé interviewed their new mentor.

Today’s featured protégé/mentor interview is Jennifer Gosh, and her mentor Maureen Moore, Chief Customer Experience Officer for GCI.

1  Where are you from? How did you decide to pursue a career in Alaska? 
“I was born in Bethel, but I grew up in Seward, Alaska. I went to college on the east coast and after that I moved to California for five years. I moved back to Alaska for what I thought would be just 2-3 years, but with the excellent quality of life and the family and support system I had here, I mean, it’s just a great place to raise kids, I decided to stay in Alaska.”

2  Where did you go to college? What did you study in college? 
“I went to Georgetown University in Washington DC. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with double majors in Finance and Management.”

3  Did you have anyone you relied on for mentorship/solid career advice? If yes, what is the most important leadership advice they shared with you? 
“I have, what I call, a personal board of directors. It’s a group of different people- coworkers and personal friends- whom I can go to and ask for advice. Different friends, in different occupations, at varying levels. The more diverse the group, the better. I can ask different questions to each one depending on the situation.

Some of the best advice I’ve learned was ‘Don’t take anything at face value- learn as much as you can about the situation and form your own opinions.’”

4  It is important and beneficial for CBPP and Anchorage’s business community to collaborate and invest in the next generation of leaders. What do you think should be conveyed to our next generation of leaders?
“I think in this age of digital technology, it’s really important to be present. Focus, and devote time to those around you. Sometimes we think we are being efficient when we do two things at once, but often we can finish faster, we can be more efficient, if we just focus and devote time to complete the task at hand.”

5  Is there anything else you would like to add?
“Don’t be afraid to take risks. Take the risk, but fail quickly, and learn from your mistakes. Many of us fear failure, but really we learn more in adverse times than we do when everything is going great. And true leaders shine during adversity.”