UAA College of Business and Public Policy

The College of Business and Public Policy's 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. This year’s cohort includes 21 CBPP students, called protégés, and their mentors. To begin the program, each protégé interviewed their new mentor, and every week, we will feature one of these interviews with the mentors, who share their thoughts on leadership. This week’s featured protégé/mentor pairing is Michaela Thomassen, and her mentor, Jens Beck.

1 Where are you from? How did you decide to pursue a career in Alaska?  “ I was raised in Neustadt/Hessen, Germany, a small town of only 7,000 people. Marburg/Lahn, a town of about 70,000 people, was the nearest town with a hospital, so that’s where I was born. In 1988, I competed in the German Olympic trials for the 200 breaststroke, and won, but was not fortunate enough to go to the Olympic games in Seoul, South Korea. However, in 1989, I did go to the European Championships in Bonn, Germany, to compete again in the 200 breaststroke. After the European Championships, my performance declined and I had to make a decision between walking away from the sport, or doing something different and more productive like using my remaining swimming skills to go abroad. For the reason of winding down my swimming career and improving my English, I came to Alaska in 1992 to visit UAA. Being still fairly young at the age of 22, I was able to obtain a full-ride scholarship at UAA, where I competed from 1992-1995. I originally planned on staying in Alaska for only a year to improve my English and have fun. However, things unfolded differently and love has kept me in Alaska until today. I am married and have two children, Olivia (11) and Jan Michael (10).”

2 Where did you go to college? What did you study in college?  “I obtained a Bachelor in Economics from the Phillips University in Marburg/Lahn, Germany in 1992. At UAA, I acquired degrees in International Finance and Accounting by the end of 1995. While at UAA, I started to study for the CPA exam and passed it during my senior year.”

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?  “My swimming coaches, whom I was always very close to, provided me with informal mentoring. My German coach trained me for more than 15 years and we still remain in touch now. While the mentoring was not through a formal program, it revolved around hard work to accomplish one’s dreams. While this is certainly consistent with the German culture overall, I still apply this concept of hard work to every part of my life today. I think hard work is critical in order to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I learned early in my athletic, as well as my professional career, that hard work can compensate for true natural talent or skill.”

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 expect tomorrow’s corporate leaders to be different from the leadership in companies today. Many books that have been written about leadership traits were done so by people much smarter and thoughtful than myself. However, I think the most important message to be conveyed to the next generation of leaders remains similar to the one conveyed to me by my mentors 20 years ago:

• Explore and identify your passions; enjoying your work will not only make you happy, it will make you good at what you do.
• Combine doing what you are passionate about with hard work and you have the key ingredients for a successful leader.

Knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses, and having a keen self-awareness can also go a long way. Having a critical self-awareness can provide oneself with a strong balance of self-confidence and humility. These are leadership qualities that should withstand the test of time. ”

5 CBPP will be highlighting each mentor and protégé pairing on the front of it’s website during the academic year. Do I have your permission to have this interview and our mentor/protégé pairing highlighted on the website? Is there anything else you would like to add? “Yes.”