Don’t be
Quiet at the Table
Mentors Help Gatton Women
Get Ready for the C-Suite By Heidi Russell
By the time Blair Kuethe ’15 graduated from Gatton College of Business and Economics this spring, she had much more than a diploma. Right out of the gate, she landed a marketing job with Cummins in Columbus, Ind., a Fortune 500 company specializing in engines, filtration systems and power generation products.
But that wasn’t the best part: She felt empowered. Strong. And ready for corporate America, even if she finds herself at a company with a majority of male colleagues during her future career. All of this wouldn’t have been possible, Kuethe says, without her close relationship with a woman business mentor – Kim Knopf ’82, Owner/CEO of Innovative Mattress Solutions, which has 150 stores in six states. The two participated in Gatton’s “Women Business Leaders” program, in which undergraduates are paired with prominent female business leaders from all over the nation. 17