ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Tracey Bennett Stanton, '83

Commercial Product Development, WellPoint, Inc.

I currently serve as a Senior Director in Commercial Product Development for WellPoint, Inc., a Fortune 100 health care company based in Indianapolis. I graduated from Moravian in 1983 as a Journalism major, thinking I would conquer the public relations or newspaper (yes, it was the 80s, so newspapers were king) world. But practicality meant I needed a job, and I began my career writing technical bulletins at Blue Cross of New Jersey. I have over 25 years of experience in product development/management, marketing and business development, mostly in the health care sector. I also owned my own business and worked as a freelance editor and marketing consultant for six years while my children were young.

Moravian gave me a solid foundation from which I built a rewarding and successful career, both in the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. When I moved from Virginia back to Pennsylvania in 2000, I was looking for freelance work that would allow me to spend more time with my three young children. I applied for a freelance editing position with a firm in Bucks County. One of the requirements was passing an editing test – a very daunting proposition since I was 17 years out of college. I passed it with flying colors and got the job. I thank Moravian and my professors for that success. I actually did remember most of what I was taught in those Journalism classes all those years ago! As an English or Journalism major in today’s world, I would recommend working as many internships as possible – the real world experience is invaluable and employers are interested in hiring job-ready workers. If possible, try your hand in several different industries and don’t necessarily go out into the working world with a narrow definition of a successful career. Leave yourself open to possibilities and know that your Moravian education, hard work and dedication will help you find a rewarding and sustainable career path.