By Suzy Alstrin
The Chief Executive Officer of AeroKool Aviation, one of the leading Aircraft Component Repair facilities in the World, delivered invaluable business insight to students last week. Dr. Jon Silva holds over 25 years of experience managing complex aerospace, defense, and industrial businesses, including with the Honeywell Corporation.
Dr. Silva first gave a talk, “Lessons Learned from an Unconventional Life in Business,” to over 50 faculty and students during Common Hour, a time when no classes or activities are scheduled, so all students have an opportunity to participate in campus-wide events. He explained that hiring managers are highly interested in employing graduates of schools like Reinhardt, no matter what their major. His education at a small college, as a political science and history major, equipped him with the tools he needed to enter the business world successfully.
The following day, Dr. Silva talked to Dr. Tony Daniel’s strategic management class. His executive-level lessons about formulating strategies, team building, and ignoring irrelevant slogans were so intriguing that students stayed after class to extend the discussion.
“It is wonderful to have friends of Reinhardt University come to campus to share their expertise and experiences, and to remind students of how valuable the education they can gain at Reinhardt can be for them all of their lives,” said Dr. Ken Wheeler, Dean of the School of Humanities, Sciences, and Technology.
Throughout each academic year, other business and marketing professors also bring in experts to provide students with insight from another perspective. On Thursday, retired CPA and Reinhardt Board of Trustees member Buddy Turner (RU-1983), spoke to an accounting class. On Monday, RU Leads, a professional leadership development program, brought in Adam Roberts, the director of the United Methodist Commission, and Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds provided students with leadership insight in October.
