Penn State Smeal College of Business alum Meredith Monroe was one of seven Penn Staters to receive the University’s Alumni Achievement Award earlier this year. The award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments.
Monroe, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2010, began her career in a three-year rotational program at Boeing. As a financial analyst, she specialized in material cost management, financial cost tracking, integrated scheduling, budgeting, and organizational transformation.
After earning an MBA from Smeal in 2016, Monroe joined EY’s People Advisory Service and was promoted to senior manager last fall. In that role, she is a change management specialist with experience in training development and delivery, business readiness reporting, stakeholder engagement and communications, and human resources transformation.
Monroe serves as chair of Smeal’s Office of Diversity Enhancement Programs’ Alumni Advisory Board and is also a member of the MBA Alumni Advisory Board. She received the college’s Diversity Leadership Award in 2019.
When accepting the award, Monroe offered advice to students in attendance.
“Be open to new experiences, even if those experiences may not be in your plan as you have it detailed today,” she said. “Be fearless. When doors open unexpectedly and opportunities present themselves, take them. Lastly, be persistent. Make sure you are continuing to move forward even when your path does not seem clear.”
To her fellow alumni, Monroe also offered advice that she says she proudly lives herself. “Give your time, share your experiences, and offer your support and encouragement to all Penn Staters.”
– Anne Louise Cropp
