Resounding success in last year’s experimental lunch series continued this year as three separate corporate executives were brought in by the Career Development Center to give insight into their work.

Minnesota Wild COO Matt Majka, US Bank VP of global inclusion and diversity Laura Brock, and Harvard graduate and small-business owner Jeff Freeland Nelson were brought in over the course of three J-term Wednesdays to students eager to hear their tips for success.

“I will definitely take this [information on inclusion and diversity] into interviews and future jobs,” said Hamline senior Lydia Yahnke after hearing Brock speak.

Hamline ran a similar lunchtime series last year with solid success, and DeeDee LeMier, current Employer Relations Specialist in the Hamline CDC, continued the series again this year, though with only three speakers instead of seven.

“I had met a number of really interesting executives that were interested in connecting with our students,” said LeMier. “Unfortunately we didn’t have a place to put them, and a traditional information session doesn’t seem to click with the newer generation of students.”

2014’s J-term was the testing ground for these professional lunches, and the student body showed up. The three speakers for this year’s second edition, all with Minnesota ties, were brought in to give Hamline students a better idea of what it’s like to be a part of the outside community while still retaining ties to Hamline.

“It’s great we have both the big brands and the Hamline connection for our speakers,” said LeMier.

YOXO toys owner Jeff Nelson, a Hamline alumnus, started his company out of a want to develop better children’s toys with a lighter impact on the environment.

“I was playing with my son, and I realized that I hated all the toys he was playing with,” said Nelson. “They were plastic; they were junk. They didn’t teach him to be creative; they were teaching him to press buttons.”

YOXO toys are now available in online stores and carried by over 1600 stores in the U.S. and Canada, a true success story for a Hamline alumnus.

Look for these professional lunches to return to Hamline next J-term, and contact the Career Development Center if you have any connections to a person who might be interested in speaking.