Charlotte Commencement Speaker Jennifer Adelhardt Lives To See The Lights Go Off In The Classroom
Jennifer Adelhardt is the commencement speaker for the doctoral hooding ceremony at 11 a.m., Thursday, May 7. Currently an adjunct professor in the Belk College of Business and a Graduate Life Fellow, Adelhardt is completing her doctorate of business administration.
Adelhardt said she is filled with gratitude as she prepares to deliver a message of curiosity and community informed by her decades of corporate experience and her decision to leave it behind.
“I am so honored and humbled by this opportunity; to be in a room amongst geniuses,” Adelhardt said.
Adelhardt earned her bachelor’s degree in information technology and psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree in information systems from Stevens Institute of Technology. She entered the workforce as the fintech industry was exploding, and Adelhardt carved out a 20-year career bridging the worlds of business and technology, first at UBS Wealth Management, then with TIAA, rising to senior director of product management.
The pursuit of curiosity is central in her professional career and her decision to leave corporate work to teach and pursue her DBA. Adelhardt said this transition was also “absolutely terrifying and soul-jerking.”
“You are a part of someone else’s vision when you’re associated with an organization bigger than yourself,” Adelhardt said. ”So when I left, it was a crisis of identity. The only other time that I felt this much of an identity shift was when I became a mom.”
That crisis of identity evolved into a purpose-driven mission to help leaders of today and tomorrow create environments where all team members can thrive. At Charlotte, Adelhardt teaches first-year business students as well as MBA students — shaping future and current industry leaders.
“What I love most about teaching is the ability to have a real impact on students’ lives,” Adelhardt said. “I love mentoring and helping create those ‘aha’ moments. I live to see the light bulbs go off in a classroom.”
She wants graduates to leave with a renewed sense of wonder and a recognition that success is never a solo pursuit.
“I’m so grateful to be able to share a message that I’ve taken years to learn through plenty of hard lessons, and I’m hopeful that it will inspire someone else in the room as well,” Adelhardt said.