The A-Team: Learning on the Fly
Mitchell Hadley adapted quickly when he first joined the Fuqua School of Business
It wasn't long before Mitchell Hadley was learning all things Fuqua when he started at the School of Business in April 2012. Walking by a bust of the school's namesake, J.B. Fuqua, Hadley can rattle off the history of Fuqua's relationship with Duke, which started when a teenaged Fuqua borrowed books by mail from Duke's library.
Fuqua never attended college but went on to become founder of Fuqua Industries, Inc., a Fortune 500 company.
Read More"I've quickly been exposed to the rich heritage of Fuqua, from its founding as a school to its history and place at Duke," said Hadley, executive assistant with Fuqua's Development and Alumni Relations office.
Hadley originally joined Duke as executive assistant to Fuqua's former associate dean, Richard Ammons. After Ammons left Duke last October, Hadley became a liaison with the office of Dean William Boulding, helping with a variety of projects, from coordinating office maintenance to setting up Boulding's travel logistics as part of the Duke Forward fundraising campaign.
"As we participate in the Duke Forward campaign, a big part is disseminating information to others and when you're educating other people, you wind up educating yourself," Hadley said.
Hadley has immersed himself to learn about Fuqua's Cross Continent MBA program, which allows working professionals to earn a master's in business administration degree while traveling across the world in Russia, China and the United States. He's also learned about the people of Fuqua, like former dean Thomas F. Keller. It's helped Hadley form his understanding of Duke, which enhances his work.
"In any campaign like Duke Forward, you're selling your assets and value to potential donors," Hadley said. "My job is to make sure we're prepared to do that by setting up appointments with the right people, giving pertinent information and prepping our dean."