Learning Continues, Even for the VP of a Multimillion-Dollar Company

OMAHA, NEB. – For Shelly Blakeman ’05, the path to becoming a recognized and respected executive leader was a grind. Starting her career as a single mom and an entry-level employee at Ford Credit, she reeled in her bachelor’s degree at College of Saint Mary methodically – taking two classes a semester for nearly a decade. So, after clawing her way to top executive positions and leading massive, transformational changes in Fortune 500 international companies, she naturally questioned how much more she could learn through CSM’s Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program.

But she’ll be the first to admit the error in her initial doubts.

“Going in, I was a bit skeptical about the program,” said Blakeman. “I had over 20 years of strategic leadership experience in several different industries and various formal leadership levels, including my current role as Vice President. But, boy, was I wrong.”

Now, as she gets ready to celebrate earning her master’s degree this December, she will carry with her a vibrant message: learning is a lifelong pursuit for all leaders.

“As I prepare to cross the stage with 12 other amazing female leaders from my cohort, I reflect upon not only the academic knowledge I've gained, but more importantly the key relationships I have been blessed with that led to tremendous personal growth,” said Blakeman.

For Blakeman, that personal growth has been developing for quite some time. As a young mother, she didn’t have the chance to grab her undergraduate degree right out of high school. Instead, she took an entry-level job at Ford Credit. But when she found the company offered tuition reimbursement, she jumped at the opportunity.

After surveying several local colleges, she says she chose College of Saint Mary for its size, culture, and “genuine compassion for the students.” However, since her company would only reimburse her for two classes per semester, she pursued her bachelor’s in computer information management as she worked – picking up knowledge as she climbed the professional ranks.

Nine years later, when she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2005, Blakeman not only grew academically but also ascended vertically in the professional arena.  At the time of her undergraduate graduation, Blakeman had been promoted seven times and evolved from an entry-level role to a Six Sigma Master Black Belt with responsibilities for 13 Black Belts throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

Her future was influenced heavily by CSM. And before leaving campus, a remark from one of her professors, Dr. Narcissus Shambare, pressed into her mind like a seed.

“Back in 2005, Dr. Shambare said, ‘Wow, you really seem to have a passion. Have you ever thought about teaching?’” Blakeman recalls. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

As her career blossomed, the thought of advanced education quietly germinated and grew. In 2017, during a personal reflection as a senior leader in charge of nearly 80 employees, carrying more than two decades of high-level leadership experience, Blakeman began to explore the thought once again.

“I got to a point in my career where I was feeling a little bit stagnant, and I needed some intellectual stimulation, and so I said, ‘Okay, it is time. It is time to do something,’” she explains. “I don’t do anything unless it has value, so I wanted to do something that was going to be fulfilling for me as both a leader and a person.”

Once again, she turned to the connection she had built at College of Saint Mary: Professor Shambare.

“I told her, ‘We do have a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership,’” Dr. Shambare, who is the associate professor of business, recalls. “She already had extensive real-world experience. She just needed to find the structure to help broaden her range of experiences. Organizational leadership would help complete that cycle.”

Initially, Blakeman remained a bit skeptical going into classes. However, she says after interacting with professors on her first day of classes, her concerns disappeared.

“One thing that really struck me is when I was going through the first day of classes, and it was funny because at one point I stopped and thought, ‘What she just said actually made me think, and I thought I knew everything walking in this door,’” says Blakeman. “So, it was very humbling in a very positive way.”

The structure of the program was designed precisely for students like Blakeman. Built for working professionals, the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) taps into the expertise of a network of leaders and lets busy students, like Blakeman, develop personalized leadership skills and earn a master’s in a short timeframe – just 12 months. At the time of Blakeman’s enrollment, the program was a hybrid format, which coupled in-class instruction with online courses and spanned 16 months. The new MSOL program has since evolved to the fully online format.

For Blakeman, in addition to the program’s structure, the CSM culture of encouraging, compassionate servant-leadership has had a big impact.

“I don’t know that I would be the same person I am today if I hadn’t selected CSM,” she explains. “It’s the genuine care and concern from the faculty. No matter what your role is, whether you’re a student seeking information or if you serve in an advisory capacity, such as a sitting member of an industry advisory board…The common thread is a genuine care for humans and the human soul.”

She has boldly carried that spirit of service into the world. In addition to serving as a board member for United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Nebraska, she is a Lean Sigma Wings for Heroes volunteer coach for veteran and military members, she is on the advisory board for several local universities, and she actively engages in a number of community-focused, skills-based volunteerism efforts.

As commencement approaches, she hopes to pass her lessons on, empowering more women as a teacher herself. She will begin as an adjunct professor for CSM this spring.

Blakeman will participate in the CSM graduation ceremony on Saturday, December 15. The ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. in CSM’s Lied Fitness Center.