Between the Tolls

By Jake Crouse

Once Greg O’Dell ’92 wrapped up his keynote speech to begin Wofford’s inaugural Between the Tolls career connections event, he became Mr. Popularity.

Students and other alumni waited in line to chat and ask questions, impressed by the professional footing his Wofford education provided.

O’Dell’s credentials speak for themselves. Oak View Group, the company he serves as president of venue management division, is one of the largest sports and entertainment facilities development firms as well as the fastest-growing hospitality company in the world. Within his division, he oversees 250 venues across the globe, including arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing art centers. Over the course of his career, his experience has afforded him the opportunity to meet or interact with interesting people, including Barack and Michelle Obama, Steve Ballmer, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Juan Soto. He was even recently shouted out on ESPN by Michael Wilbon for his career achievements.

O’Dell reminded his audience that they all share a starting point: Wofford College.

“I sat there where you’re sitting today,” O’Dell said during his talk. “I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I was willing to at least be uncomfortable and explore what was next.”

O’Dell’s speech began the inaugural networking event designed to connect alumni in the workforce with Wofford students. Through lectures, panel discussions, networking sessions and social gatherings, alumni who are at the top of their fields shared advice with almost 100 students who stayed on campus between Interim and spring semester to further their professional aspirations.

“I have already connected with multiple alumni, and it is amazing how helpful they are. I think some of them remember being in our shoes in the past,” says Moa Mohammedi ’25, a finance major from Norway.

Jonathan Flack ’00 has worked with PwC since graduation, rising through the ranks to global and U.S. family office and family business leader.

When Flack considered what has made him comfortable with the complex conversations of the boardroom, he recalled a college course led by Dr. Jim Proctor ’67, Reeves Family Professor of Business and Finance emeritus. The late Russell C. King ’56, who was chair of the board of trustees at the time and had served as president and CEO of Sonoco Products, also helped lead the course, and he brought speakers from fields outside of business to each class.

According to Flack, there were no tests or quizzes, but the conversations intersecting business and other fields and institutions were informative, challenging and inspiring.

“I didn’t appreciate how impactful that was until after I left Wofford,” Flack said during his talk. “The conversations that I have with my clients today include those same topics. The details are different, but every day, business conversations include broader topics.”

More recent entrants into the workforce also shared experiences of how their liberal arts education served them well after college. Catie Cronister ’20, a clinical data scientist at Community Health Systems, gave one of eight TED-style talks during Between the Tolls that allowed alumni to pick a specific topic and tailor it to the students.

Cronister spoke about getting people at her workplace to understand the power of AI.

“You have to know the why,” Cronister said during her talk. “From there, you can talk about the how.”

As much as alumni impressed students, students made alumni proud with their curiosity and their aptitude.

“They were engaged, thoughtful and asked insightful questions. It was clear they were genuinely interested in learning about different career paths,” Cronister says.

“Being able to interact with students from Wofford that are 20 years behind me has just been so rich and fulfilling for me as an alumnus,” says Ashleigh Wilson ’08, manager and counsel of federal government affairs at Nucor. “It makes me feel like what I give back to the college is being put to good use, and I see that students have a similarly rich experience as what I had at Wofford.”

The Office of Philanthropy + Engagement and the Career Center sponsored the event and plan for this to be an annual experience.

“I got a lot out of this event from the perspective of wisdom and just learning from alumni,” says Mohammedi. “It ingrained in my mind what you can achieve as a Wofford student.”

GREG O'DELL ’92

JONATHAN FLACK ’00

DR. DANNY MORRISON ’75

ASHLEIGH WILSON ’08

DIXON DEDMAN ’03

JOHN PATTERSON III ’18

BILL PRICE ’75