On Thursday, February 19, 2026, the MSU Department of Economics hosted their second Alumni and Undergraduate Networking Event, welcoming 11 alumni to campus to connect with current undergraduate students.
“The goal of the event was to help undergrads learn about how alumni created careers with their economics degree, how to pitch their degree to potential employers, the wide range of companies and job opportunities available to economics majors, and graduate school pathways including law school, MBA and public policy,” said Professor Stacy Dickert-Conlin, event organizer.
Alumni represented a wide range of jobs including data analytics, investing, policy, health care administration, law, and banking; in addition to employers, including Ally Financial, State of Michigan, Lear Corporation, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Meijer, and Philips Healthcare.
Alumni members spoke to students about their careers and how their economics degree helped to prepare them.
“I graduated from MSU’s Economics program in 2009,” said Jen Flood, budget director for the State of Michigan. “With the state budget, we make decisions every day about priorities and spending, and making sure that we’re aligning the two of those things. The skills that I learned in the economics program I use every single day in my work.”
"I’m a financial analyst for the state, and economics has helped me understand market trends and changes within the market, said Shawn Wiltfong, alumnus. “It also helps me understand when I’m making recommendations to the agencies that I work with [about] how to make choices with their financial decisions.
Over fifty undergraduate students had the opportunity to connect to economics alumni.
"I like being able to meet with people from a lot of different fields, trying to see what types of career opportunities there are for students who are in their last couple of years at MSU,” said Medini Bidare, an economics major.
“I am a senior accountant at Ally and I do financial control testing,” said Cindy Chen, alumna. “My degree in economics really helped me with my job because it helped me think analytically. I got my minor in quantitative data analytics in the College of Social Science that really helped me understand what should and should not be in the parameters of a code when I do controlled testing.”
The MSU Department of Economics would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the alumni who gave generously of their time: Anthony Bowers, Cindy Chen, Jen Flood, Mark Klein, Joe Orsini, Michael Parsons, Jordan Polk, Lauren Smith, Kendall Uckele, Isaac Updike and Shawn Wiltfong.
“We are fortunate to have such a passionate group of alumni who want to make a difference in the lives of current undergraduates,” said Professor Scott Imberman, chair of the department. “We hope to continue to facilitate a strong alumni network that current undergraduates can connect into.”
If you’re an MSU Economics alum and would like to get involved with future events, please contact Stacy Dickert-Conlin, dickertc@msu.edu.