Career with a cause

Meredith Kumpon ’05, MPA ’12, has been exposed to both the non-profit and private sectors during her career, but her return to graduate school gave her the boost she needed to make a difference no matter where her career takes her.

When Kumpon decided to return to Binghamton University’s College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) for her master’s degree she already had a lot on her plate.

“It was a juggling act,” said Kumpon, who received her bachelor’s in human development. “I went part time for grad school to balance the full-time work schedule and raise two small children.”

Kumpon, from Vestal, says the decision to return to her undergraduate alma mater made sense. With a full-time job, two children and a rigorous course load, she said the faculty and support within the program made getting her Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree “simpler.”

“Don’t [get a degree] just because you don’t think you have the time,” she said. “I think there is always a way to work with schedules. The University, especially within the MPA program, was flexible with students’ schedules.”

Kumpon took one or two courses a semester, often going during the summer as well, to avoid overloading herself. She earned her MPA in just under four years, as she continued her work in the non-profit sector.

After eight years in the non-profit sector, Kumpon joined Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc. as a brand relationship director. She said the skills she gained at CCPA have been transferrable to her work at Maines.

“We learned a lot in grad school in terms of analytics. I think across the board that is an important function no matter where your career takes you,” she said. “Data is a big component of successful business whether non-profit or for-profit.”

Kumpon was promoted to vice president of brand strategy and development in April 2017. She said her job allows her to network, build relationships and give back to the community.

For Kumpon, overseeing a corporate brand has a lot to do with fostering a strong company culture.

“I think, above and beyond anything, a company needs to have a strong culture,” she said. “Having a strong, supportive culture with values creates a company with purpose. This in turn can lead to opportunities to branch out and give back to the community.”

Kumpon participated in a seven-month long leadership development program at Harvard Business School (HBS). The executive education program centered around the HBS case study method and also involved working with global teams to solve complex organizational problems.

Despite the Harvard program, Kumpon said her professional goal remains the same — helping others.

“I think giving back to our community is an incredibly important responsibility,” she said. “No matter what realm you work in — whether it’s directly through a non-profit or indirectly through the for-profit — we can still give back a lot and I always have that in the back of my mind.”