School of Business Administration
A Fast Path to the C-Suite
Jessica Holscott left UD in 1997 with a degree in finance and big plans for future success in the financial services industry. Fast-forward to today, and Jessica is Executive Vice President and CFO of Studios and Networks for Warner Media. So how did her career path go from finance to managing assets that include films, TV shows, and games for household names like HBO, Turner Broadcasting, and DC Comics?
An athletic scholarship brought Jessica to UD to play Division 1 softball, but the decision to come to Dayton was based on more than just that, beginning with what she saw during a campus tour. “UD just had a warm vibe,” she says, “and in spite of being Division 1 for softball, campus was still small enough to feel comfortable.” Coming from Cleveland meant the distance was not too far, not too close, but just right. “The Catholic identity of the University of Dayton also resonated with me.” Like so many before her, Jessica was immediately attracted to UD’s close and welcoming community.
Upon graduation from UD’s School of Business Administration, Jessica went to work at GE Lighting. After 10 years or so in various finance roles, she realized that media offered a better fit for her passions and strengths. She stresses, “Each role was important as a building block to my future, but remaining open to what I can do, as well as what I love to do, helped me decide which careers fit me, as well as which don’t. That second realization is equally important as the first.”
One piece of advice Jessica offers for current students and recent graduates is to stay open-minded about the future. “Try new things,” she suggests, “and work to identify what you love to do in both your professional and personal lives. Then ask yourself how these various passions might come together in your career.”
Jessica shares more about her experiences, as a student athlete and as a successful business leader in the media industry, during an episode of the Business Class podcast, hosted by SBA Interim Dean Trevor Collier. If you listen closely, you’ll know where to plan your next special dinner out on Brown Street.