OXFORD,
Miss. – Jackson businesswoman Melanie Dowell gave corporate culture
advice and interviewing tips to MBA students at the University of
Mississippi, her alma mater, last week as part of the Otho Smith
Lecture Series.
As a senior vice president of wealth management at Citi Smith Barney, she emphasizes long-term wealth planning, including managed money, retirement plans and estate planning.
“The only thing I had going for me was that I was tenacious,” Dowell said of her beginnings in the stock market industry. “The University of Mississippi was a great springboard for the rest of my life.”
Ken Cyree, interim business school dean, said that having Dowell to speak was timely, given the condition of the stock market.
“She is a great friend to the school, and she provides great wisdom and insight,” Cyree said.
Dowell, who graduated with a bachelor of business administration degree in public administration with an emphasis in economics, said she feels that the market will not have a significant, sustained upswing for another six to eight weeks.
“In 2008, there has been not only a total transformation of the business but a transformation of what the business will be,” she said.
Her interview advice for job-seeking students included being on time, having good manners, dressing appropriately and being respectful.
“I’m from Texas, and I was caught off guard when she said to stand up when a woman enters the room. That’s something I didn’t know about until I came to Ole Miss,” said business student Mike Haddock of San Antonio. “I also thought it was interesting that she said the best time to get a job in this business was when the market was bad. She was an enthusiastic and personable speaker.”
Before joining Citi Smith Barney, Dowell’s career included vice president at Wachovia Securities and associate vice president at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith in Jackson. She serves on the School of Business Advisory Board and is a past president of the Central Mississippi Chapter of the UM Alumni Association.
The Otho Smith Lecture Series, initiated in 1981 through a grant from the Phil B. Hardin Foundation, brings prominent business executives to the UM campus as guest speakers. It is named for the late Meridian businessman, philanthropist and former president of the UM Alumni Association.
For more information, contact the UM business school at 662-915-5820 or see http://www.bus.olemiss.edu .