For LaTricia Frederick, ’04 MBA, a career inventory assessment helped her identify human resources as a way to combine interests in business, people, and technology. And the Meredith MBA program provided her with the opportunity to further develop her skills in the HR field.

“What I like best about human resources is helping people start their careers in new areas and use their strengths to help the business reach its goals,” said Frederick. “I love discovering new things and ideas related to helping people achieve more.”

In her current role as director of people & communities for Cisco Systems, Inc. Global Corporation Sales, Frederick consults, advises, and counsels on the organization’s overall people strategy including strategic talent programs and initiatives, talent management practices, and inclusion and diversity.

“My typical week may include attending forecasting calls, working with leaders to interpret human resource policies, advising on diversity, inclusion, and culture initiatives, or exploring workforce planning options in light of the socio-economic environment.”

Throughout her career, Frederick has identified her own professional strengths ranging from connecting with people to distilling information into bite-sized pieces to influencing others to work toward a common goal. 

“I am also a bit of a chameleon. I have an uncanny ability to learn different disciplines and apply them in a unique way to my preferred focus area – people.” 

While Frederick was attending Meredith, she was part of the inaugural student association for the MBA program. This involvement coupled with her courses allowed her to build on her strengths through various opportunities.

“From budgeting, to planning, to coordinating, to problem solving, to visioning … you name it and I had the opportunity to experience it as a part of my Meredith MBA,” said Frederick. “I am grateful for the opportunity to complete my program and for all the lessons learned that I continue to apply today.”

Frederick offers the following advice to anyone pursuing a career in human resources.

“Try to understand the goals of the business and then work backward to understand how people bring those goals to life. Be intentional about building your skills and experience in many areas and continue to invest in adjacent skills that can be applied to this area.”