MBA, International Business 2003
Stacey T. Warren began a career in fashion and cosmetics
working for L’Oreal and Clairol. But in order to satisfy her desire
for philanthropic works, Stacey also performed volunteer services
for abused women by providing cosmetic makeovers in an effort to
partially restore their damaged self- esteem and self-image.
Her love for helping others, combined with a growing interest in
International Relations, prompted Stacey to get her MBA at The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business.
Following graduation in 2003, Stacey did not follow the
customary MBA path to the doors of Wall Street or the Fortune
500. Instead, she enrolled as a Small Enterprise Development
Volunteer in the Peace Corps, and was stationed in the Republic of
Guinea, Africa. She was assigned to help local rural village
NGOs export shea butter to Holland for use in the cosmetics
industry.
After completing her work in Guinea, Stacey moved to the
Republic of Tanzania, Africa. “Working with a new project in
Tanzania had its challenges because my job was to begin a start-up
rural-based enterprise,” says Stacey. This enterprise was designed
to aid women within the region establish and run their own
businesses.“My first task was to create a financial system to
ensure the project funding was accurately maintained and
appropriately spent, which required the in-depth knowledge of
financial management that I gained at Tobin.”
“Working with a new project in Tanzania had its challenges
because my job was to begin a start-up rural-based enterprise,”
says Stacey. This enterprise was designed to aid women within the
region establish and run their own businesses.“My first task was to
create a financial system to ensure the project funding was
accurately maintained and appropriately spent, which required the
in-depth knowledge of financial management that I gained at
Tobin.”
After completing her work in Tanzania, Stacey was moved to the
Republic of Guinea, where she spent a year and a half helping local
rural village NGOs export shea butter to Holland for use in the
cosmetics industry. “I was grateful for having taken a statistics
course in International Economic Development because while working
with these NGOs I quickly realized how rural economic programs in
the field undergo rigorous statistical analysis to quantify the
need for programs, outline direct benefactors, and determine its
potential contribution to improving the quality of life in a
community.”
Three years later, Stacey has returned to the United States and
reflects back on her experience. “I had a lot of challenges in the
villages, aside from the work I was involved in. I had to adapt to
the food and harsh conditions of the region, but I stuck to my goal
and that was to help people. The experience convinced me to
continue doing humanitarian work,” she says. And that is exactly
what Stacey is doing now. She is currently volunteering for a
non-profit, Original
Women, an organization that celebrates the artistry of women
from around the world, and plans to carry on in the field of
International Development.