A tribute to Lynne Allen after 13 years of dedication

By Laurie D. Sedgwick, Director of Career Management for Executive MBA Programs and Alumni

“There is no higher purpose than service to others.”
— Socrates, a character in Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

In August 2005, Lynne Allen began, with passion, providing career guidance and support to Cornell Executive MBAs and alumni. She retired July 31, 2018 leaving behind a legacy of service to Johnson.

Throughout her 13 years with Johnson, Lynne positively impacted the lives of thousands of Johnson students and alumni. She helped those who were unemployed as well as individuals looking to make a transition and guided others at critical junctures in their careers. Lynne’s skills and experience in the arena of career development are truly unparalleled. And I can’t cite Lynne’s qualities without referencing her wonderful sense of humor. Through changes in infrastructure and the complexities of supporting individuals with unique, diverse, and challenging situations, Lynne helped us see the bright spots.

Letters of accolades

The accolades about Lynne that that alumni sent in emails over the years, plus those received following the announcement of Lynne’s retirement, are too numerous to include. But here’s just a sampling to give you an idea of the impact she had:

“I’m glad (for you) that you’re retiring, but sorry for the EMBAs and alums who won’t get your fantastic direction and advice after you leave. As you know, I was around when you started working with EMBAs, and I saw the great difference you made in their lives — and the great benefits for the program of having you on the team. As someone who fought a bit to convince the school that we needed to provide career services for EMBAs, I also know how difficult it can be to work with a constituency that is as diverse as EMBAs and alums. But you excelled at that. I hope that you feel fully satisfied for all the lives you touched, changed, and helped. Please accept my most sincere congratulations on your retirement and my thanks for all you have accomplished.” — Tom Hambury, senior lecturer of management communications and former director of the Executive MBA program at Johnson

“I write this letter to single out the work of Lynne Allen. … Lynne was excellent at seeing my areas of expertise — often better than me. Frequently what I saw as weaknesses, Lynne aptly pointed out [to be] environmental circumstances that did not reflect weaknesses on my part. I do not think it would be too much of a stretch to say that Lynne helped me to rebuild my confidence in myself and my abilities.” — John A. Carmichael ’86, MBA ’92, chief financial officer at Star Academy, San Francisco

“Lynne is a tremendous asset to [Johnson] and the alumni career development team. I thank Lynne and the Johnson School for everything the school has done for me and my career. … I wanted to thank you for all the advice and insight you provided …. It was extremely helpful and I wouldn’t be where I am today without your help. … Your coaching advice was well received and helped me tremendously. I couldn’t be happier with career services at the Johnson school.” — Nicholas Ptacek, MBA ’15, chief business officer at Cortica, San Diego

Lynne has been nothing if not fully dedicated to furthering the career paths of Johnson alumni and Executive MBA students over the years. Her commitment to meeting and speaking with individuals at all hours of the day and night, including weekends, is testament to her service.

Personally, I’ll miss working with Lynne. We strategized and created well together; as a former talent recruitment professional at the likes of Citi, Time, and Colgate, Lynne enabled me (and Cornell) to benefit from her breadth and depth of experience. I will particularly miss her humor, warmth, and sense of adventure. Lynne will be enjoying time with family and new adventures in her retirement. Here’s wishing Lynne all the very best in this next chapter.

 Alumni Career Services: Our new chapter

As alumni career services at Johnson continues to evolve, I am pleased to introduce Ellis Chase, a career management consultant who brings diversified and extensive experience in career and executive advising and management consulting to our team. Ellis, who has conducted training for corporations, consulting companies, and private practice as well as colleges and universities, is no stranger to Johnson: He has delivered coaching and programming to our Executive MBAs and alumni over the years, to great acclaim! Ellis will be providing alumni with one-on-one coaching as well as career work groups and will serve as host for career development webinars. Ellis will join our team on Sept. 10, 2018. For more information about Ellis and about how to access alumni career services, please refer to our Alumni Career Services web page.