Alumni in Action
Deena Conrad-Vlasak '90
What do you do for your job and what do you find exciting about it?
In my current role I serve as the Business Development Director for an analytical testing lab. After many years in the lab I had the opportunity to take a technical sales position. What I love most is the ability to help others in the consumer product, medical and raw chemical material industries bring new and safer products to market. When a customer has an issue, whether it be contamination or failure, I get to help formulate hypotheses and put a testing plan in place to solve those problems. Lastly, I get to work with a wide variety of people and continue to learn new techniques, chemistries and approaches to help solve customer problems.
How did your GVSU Chemistry degree help you prepare for your current career?
I received Bachelor's degrees both in Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences from GVSU (GVSC at the time). I then applied to both medical and graduate school with acceptance to both and decided to attend MSU for my Master's degree in Chemistry. The driving factors for that choice were the incredible professors and great experience I had at Grand Valley. My love for organic chemistry and synthesis came from lab time with Dr. Gary Richmond. I did undergraduate research with Dr. Richard Atkinson, and was president of the Chemistry Club. This leadership role started me on the path of developing skills that have served me well managing both people and projects throughout my career. Working as a chemistry tutor on campus also helped me to understand diversity in learning styles and helped me to succeed in mentoring and developing others. I had an internship at Amway and there I learned about product development, which is what I did for the bulk of my career. Grand Valley not only prepared me academically to succeed and be a good chemist but also provided the leadership opportunities, research exposure, and industrial internship that directed me to my career path. I loved it so much I directed my daughter to GVSU where she received dual degrees in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences which prepared her well for admission to medical school!
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