I attended the Darla Moore AI Summit (organized by Professor Audrey Korsgaard), eager to learn about artificial intelligence and its impact on workforce transformation in the fields of energy resiliency, healthcare operations, and risk and legal liability processes. What I did not anticipate was an especially meaningful moment of connection—running into a former graduate student – Liz Shirkey.
Liz graduated from the Darla Moore School of Business (DMSB) with her MBA and Strategic Innovation Certificate (SIC) in 2023. Liz’s responsibilities have grown since that time with a promotion to Assistant Vice President of IT User Engagement and Experience at the University of South Carolina.
Liz was part of an exceptional cohort in the DMSB. The cohort brought not only strong analytical perspectives to the course discussions, but also a genuine sense of humor that made even the most complex strategic topics more enjoyable to explore together. Liz’s cohort also has stayed in touch with each other in deep ways. Reconnecting with Liz at the summit was a gratifying reminder of how our classroom experiences extend well beyond our time in the classroom and how rewarding it is to see former students continue to grow and thrive on their professional and personal journeys.
-Professor Laura B. Cardinal.