Syracuse University alumna Kimberly Townsend ’98, G’99, LAW ’01, G’09, president and CEO of Loretto
The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars is celebrating Women’s History Month with a dynamic speaker, Kimberly Townsend ’98, G’99, LAW ’01, G’09, who will share her story, along with lessons from her new book, “Lifecircle Leadership: How Exceptional People Make Every Day Extraordinary” (Advantage Media Group, 2018), on Friday, March 22, at noon in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, 114 Bird Library.
Townsend’s personal story is inspiring. Growing up in Windham, New Hampshire, near Boston, she went to Boston University for two years before leaving school to marry and have a family. After several years as a stay-at-home mom, Townsend decided it was time to act on her dream. She went back to school in her early 30s, and her passion for learning led her to earn five degrees. She worked throughout her schooling, supporting her children, sometimes as a single mother. She has since remarried and is now a mother of six and grandmother of three.
Townsend has four Syracuse University degrees—a B.S. in accounting and an MBA from the Whitman School, an executive M.P.A. from the Maxwell School and a J.D. from the College of Law—as well as an Ed.D. from St. John Fisher College.
She is a role model for anyone who wants to make positive change in the world. Like many women, she juggles the demands of family and the pressures of a full-time job—she is president and CEO of Loretto—while still finding time to volunteer and better the community.
Townsend is passionate about living a purposeful, connected life. She is driven by a deep desire to improve herself personally, her company and her community through her philosophy of Lifecircle Leadership and pragmatic altruism. She invites others to reconsider their approach to business and life, and hopes they discover, as she did, that being and doing good is good for business.
Before joining Loretto, Townsend spent 13 years at Welch Allyn Inc., a medical devices and software company, working her way up from attorney to associate general counsel to senior director of government affairs. Her previous work includes positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Ernst & Young LLP.
In addition to being an attorney admitted to the Bars of New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., Townsend is a certified public accountant and is SHRM-certified in global professional human resources.
She was an adjunct professor at Syracuse University from 2001-11 and was recipient of Welch Allyn’s 2010 President’s Award-Customer First.
Refreshments will be served at the event. Reservations are requested by e-mailing LaunchPad@syr.edu.
