M.B.A. 2014 Graduate Named VP, Senior Manager of Communications for PNC Monday, May 8, 2017
Meet Amanda Munsch
Job title: Vice President, Senior Manager of Communications
Employer: PNC
Degrees earned: M.B.A. with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Point Park University, 2014; and Bachelor of Arts from Geneva College, 2010
Hometown: Chautauqua Lake, N.Y.
High school: Maple Grove Junior/Senior High School
Now living in: Dormont, Pa.
Hobbies/interests: Wakeboarding, paddleboarding and traveling to 100 countries by the time I turn 100 years old.
Twitter: @AmandaMunsch
LinkedIn: Amanda Munsch
How did you land the position of VP, senior manager of communications for PNC?
I was recruited to PNC after a recruiter noticed my profile on LinkedIn. As a social media professional, I'm very active on LinkedIn.
Tell us about the work you do.
I lead PNC's Corporate Communications Social Media Team. The team is amazing, and we spend our days creating engaging content for several of PNC's social media channels, supporting our thought leaders with social media training and best practices, and measuring the business impact of our social media efforts.
How has your M.B.A. degree helped you advance so quickly in your career?
My M.B.A. degree was the differentiator on my resume when I started looking for my second full-time job after college. Before I had that credential, it was hard to set myself apart from the ever-growing number of college graduates applying for the same jobs as me.
I chose the management information systems concentration with the goal of setting myself apart. Technical skills are in high demand and there is still a huge disparity in the number of women pursuing technology fields, so I sought to stand out from the crowd. Once I landed the job, my M.B.A. continued to help me advance as I had a better understanding of the ways organizations operate and how to identify opportunities to help them grow.
What are your favorite Point Park memories?
I worked at Point Park University in my first job after college as an assistant coach for the Point Park Women's Soccer Team. A lot of my favorite memories at Point Park were from that period of my life.
Flash forward to three years later in which I worked in the School of Business with the sports, arts and entertainment management department. The professors in the SAEM department are simply amazing, and we created a lot of great memories together. Lastly, Dr. Breslove's Global Environment of Business course was probably the most memorable M.B.A. class I took. Everyone knows he is hilarious, but hopefully he is not still drinking three Monster energy drinks per night class …
What advice do you have for our M.B.A. students pursuing management positions?
Learn to give and receive feedback, practice patience and empathy every day, ask more questions than you give answers, enrich the lives of your team, and invest in their development.
Final thoughts?
My only other advice would be to learn something new every day, get a mentor and become one, and think like Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, who said: "I want to do that — and I'll learn by doing it."
Photo by Shayna Mendez, B.A. in photojournalism spring 2017 graduate
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