Current Interns
Allison Buckley - 2012
Allison is attending Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in Business and a minor in psychology. She will graduate in May 2012 with hopes of continuing on to find a career within the Hampton Roads area.
"It was a great honor to be a recipient of the Roundtable of Business Leaders scholarship/mentoring program. It gave me the opportunity to grow as an individual as well as an employee. Through this scholarship, I was exposed to the many aspects of small businses, and I was able to gain ample experience within the business field. My experiences with the Roundtable of Business Leaders taught me what it manes to be a real asset to any company. This program has allowed me to gain and build beneficial networking relationships within the Hampton Roads area, which are sure to help me succses in my future endeavors."
-Allison Buckley
Emily Angle - 2012
Emily is attending Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in Business and will graduate in May 2012. Emily plans to start working in the business field with marketing on her mind. She plans to head back to Pennsylvania in May and start her career there.
"Getting the RBL scholarship was a huge deal to me. They placed me in a great CPA firm, Wall, Einhorn & Chernitzer, where I was able to excel and learn more than I could have imagined. I was able to meet so many great people that were willing to work with me and show me the ropes before being off on my own. This internship taught me great responsibility and also helped me decide which direction I wanted to go with my business degree."
- Emily Angle
Success of Previous Interns
Victoria (Vikki) Holliday - 2004
Vikki was one of the RBL's first interns. She attended Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in the Liberal Arts Management Program and graduated in 2005.
She is currently attending Strayer University to receive her MBA in Management in the Winter of 2010.
Professionally, Vikki is working on starting her own business in the bridal industry. She is working on opening a bridal boutique that will also include wedding planning, as well."I feel so privileged to be one of the first interns with the RBL. I have made many friends and business contacts throughout the years. Many of them are helping me with my future business endeavors. They have been there to support me throughout the years and have been my mentors. Throughout my internship, I was able to work in fields that I wouldn't have ever thought of. Those experiences gave me such insight on areas of business I would have never come across. My experiences have helped me progress through my career and have made me realize how much I want to be just like so many of the members of the RBL- a business owner and a leader in the community. I look forward to one day being able to have my business be a member of this wonderful organization."
- Vikki Holliday
Alliso
n Mahoney - 2005
She is a Project Manager at a bank equipment installation company in Virginia Beach, VA and manages the financial and project management side of the business.Allison attended Virginia Wesleyan College and majored in the Liberal Arts Management Program. She graduated in 2006.
"I feel so fortunate to have been exposed to the Internship Program. I was able to experience different job opportunities and gain experience in all aspects of business. Furthermore, the RBL Internship allowed me to build relationships with businesses throughout the Tidewater area that I have used for networking in my current position. Without the internship experience, I would not have had the experience necessary for being hired straight out of college."
- Allison Crisher Mahoney
Brandi Monsma - 2005
Brandi attended Old Dominion University and majored in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minor in Psychology. She graduated in 2005.
She is now "Living life with no regrets!" She has traveled all over the world and worked as an ESL teacher in Korea for a year. She is now working as a time share representative in Sydney, Australia. She has plans to travel throughout Australia and attend the University of New South Wales for a Master's degree while she is there.
"The Round Table of Business Leaders was and is an amazing opportunity to connect with business leaders throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. In my experience with RBL, people have been willing to bend over backwards for those who came through as interns. Because of my internship, I have opportunities for networking, advancement, and mentorship that continue to open doors in my life and career. The RBL is a huge part of my professional life in Tidewater and I refer them to professionals I meet around the world. "
– Brandi Monsma
Jennifer (Jenn) White - 2006
Jenn was the RBL's first full time intern. She attended Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in the Liberal Arts Management Program and graduated December 2006.
She plans to enroll at Old Dominion University in the Fall of 2010 to begin in MBA.
Professionally she is the Marketing Coordinator at Mid Eastern Builders, Inc.
"I had the wonderful opportunity to intern directly for the Roundtable of Business Leaders as a full time position in lieu of taking classes one semester during college. This experience taught me the valuable knowledge of establishing business contacts and maintaining professional relationships, planning and coordinating events, fundraising for a non-profit, and group and team dynamics. My successful career in the Hampton Roads area is a direct reflection of my experience with the Roundtable of Business Leaders."
- Jenn White
Labeebah Shakir - 2006
Labeebah attended Bryant and Stratton College with a major in Business Administration and graduated in 2006.
She is currently attending Strayer University to receive her MBA in Human Resource Management in the Winter of 2010.
"My experience with the Roundtable of Business Leaders has afforded me the opportunity to network and interact with various business in the Hampton Roads area. I was also able to shadow many different departments at EV Williams during my internship."
–Labeebah Shakir
Kendall Andrews - 2007
Kendall attended Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in the Liberal Arts Management Program and graduated in 2007.
She is currently attending Capella University to receive her MBA in Project Management in 2011.
Kendall recently left her job with Nestle Waters North America, where she was a Sales Representative for a year and a half. She decided to go back to her old job with Olive Garden so she could focus more on her graduate program, while looking for more career opportunities. Kendall has a long-term goal of becoming a College Professor and owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast on the beach.
"Even now, I reflect on my experience as an intern for the RBL. The experience was not only educational, but rewarding. It taught me to step out of my comfort zone, mixed with learning and applying organizational skills. I had so much fun working on the Job Fair and organizing monthly meetings. It was a pleasure meeting and learning about all the members of the RBL during my internship. I was blessed to have two great sponsors, Pete and Debbie. They taught me so much, not only the requirements for the internship, but they taught me to think for myself and to take risks. I will always cherish my time with the RBL."
–Kendall Andrews
Brain Bostain - 2007
Brian volunteered with the RBL in 2007. He attended Virginia Wesleyan College, majored in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and Journalism and graduated in 2007.
Professionally, he is a Transportation Security Screener at Richmond International Airport. He works downstairs with a small crew randing between 2 to 6 members and also assists in training and re-certifying. Other than his main job with the Department of Homeland Security, he still works with the U.S. Army Reserve in intelligence-gathering and t training. He is garrisoned somewhere in the Hampton Roads area and is currently awaiting to see if he'll be promoted. If so, he will be moving close to the District of Columbia and working at DHS headquarters as a Transportation Security Specialist providing intelligence oversight for DHS and its related intelligence communities.
"While initially they were looking for someone with a Business degree background, I was fortunate enough to be picked up and quickly learned that in order to accomplish your goal you have to be aggressive...something I wasn't used to doing when it came to making phone calls to almost complete strangers. In a few short years, RBL's experience has made me realize that a similar format exits in the business and professional military world and it has helped me tremendously to meet my goals and impress my superiors at both civilian and military jobs."
- Brian Bostain
Chelsea Taylor - 2007
Chelsea volunteered with the RBL during the summer of 2007. She attended the University of Virginia and graduated in 2009.
Courtney Benitez - 2008
Courtney attended Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in the Liberal Arts Management Program and graduated in 2008.
Professionally, she is a Marketing Consultant at Clear Channel Media.
"I would definitely say that the experience taught me to work with different management styles, as Debbie, Pete and Pete presented three different types. The RBL also demonstrated the importance of building valuable relationships."
– Courtney Benitez
Daniel Cox - 2009
Daniel attended Old Dominion University with a major in Business and Marketing and graduated in 2009.
"Daniel had the opportunity to intern directly for the Roundtable in the Spring of 2008. His internship exposed him to the not for profit sector, fundraising efforts and event planning. Daniel's greatest task throughout his internship was planning, coordinating and executing the First Annual Strawberry Jam event. His experience with the Roundtable of Business Leaders gave him the opportunity to learn and sharpen his networking, multi-tasking and organizational skills."
-Jenn White
Katherine (Katie) Bingman - 2009
Katie is attending Virginia Wesleyan College with a major in the Liberal Arts Management Program with a concentration in Accounting and will be graduating May of 2010.
She plans to attend Old Dominion University to receive her MS in Accounting.
She is currently finishing up her last semester of classes at VWC and preparing to start her internship at Goodman & Company in January.
"As an RBL intern I learned that there is a lot more involved in preparing for and trying to make an event that is not mandatory successful. I also learned how important planning and forecasting the future is through working on the RBL's 5 year business plan. While working for WR Vanderschoot, my for profit company, I gained a basic understanding of tracking sales and trends of sales at stores, international bills, and why financial spreadsheets are used and how they are beneficial. Through my experience with the RBL I have realized that it truly is important to be involved in business organizations to share knowledge, ideas, and networking."
–Katie Bingman
Marqui Mason - 2009
Marqui is currently attending Old Dominion University and will graduate in May of 2010.
Professionally, she is working for the USCG Finance Center as an Accounting Co-op, Full- time student and Vice President of Alpha Kappa Psi, a non – profit business fraternity.
"My experiences as an RBL intern were more than I had ever imagined myself doing as a junior in college. I was given a great opportunity to enhance my work ethic and corporate skills by working for a not for profit organization, RBL, and a for profit company by the name of Wall, Einhorn and Chernitzer. I was able to meet and network with many people and build lifelong relationships. This experience was unforgettable and the opportunity that The RoundTable has offered me what I would hope every college student could find the chance to attain."
-Marqui Mason
Ashley Rudiger - 2009
Ashley attended Old Dominion University with a major in Business and Administration and graduated in 2009.