Photo by Joseph Xu

When Jennifer Judge Hensel ’19 first began her career journey, her heart was set on journalism. But, as she helped tell stories for student newspapers, she discovered a new passion: graphic design and layout. “I wasn’t much of a reporter, but I really liked organizing information on the page,” she explains.

After earning an AS in Media Communications, Print Media/Journalism from Pima Community College, Judge Hensel headed to the University of Arizona for a BFA in Visual Communications with an emphasis in graphic design. While in college, she worked at the Tucson Citizen Newspaper—one of two papers in town.

Because the publication printed in the afternoon, it was rarely the first to report on breaking news. At the time, online news was also starting to emerge, and many newspapers were closing down. Seeing the writing on the wall, Judge Hensel wanted to help the publication stay relevant—so she helped lead an overhaul of the 60-member newsroom to a focus on digital delivery and online content.

After eight years—and a successful transformation—she moved to Michigan and left the newspaper to pursue teaching, freelance web design, and branding work, which gave her the flexibility she wanted as her children were growing up.

Once she was ready to return to a full-time job, Judge Hensel joined the communications and marketing team at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Her variety of experiences helped her land a web content specialist position involving web design and writing, with gradual increases in responsibility involving marketing strategy and management.

“Once I started at the University of Michigan and began to see my career grow, I set my sights on next steps and what I wanted for the future,” explains Judge Hensel. “Especially in higher ed, the higher the degree you have, the more you’re considered for administrative roles. I decided I needed a master’s degree to compete in that space.”

She wanted more than just a piece of paper—she wanted a degree that would make her better at her job. Her goal was to enroll at a top-ranked school that would allow her to earn an MS in Communication quickly—and online.

“I watched peers go through being full-time parents and full-time workers while taking years to get a master’s degree,” she says. “I didn’t want to put my family or myself through that, so I was looking for a program that was super flexible. Northwestern is one of the few that does this—and does it well. Their focus on diversity, equity, and cultural competency also aligns well with my values and what my employer believes.”

Shortly before beginning the MSC Hybrid Leadership Program, the University of Michigan College of Engineering promoted Judge Hensel to executive director of communications and marketing. Starting on Day One, she began using what she learned in class on the job—from strategic planning to inclusive leadership. Northwestern’s emphasis on the science aspect of the MS in Communication degree ensured that she not only knew the “how,” but also learned the “why” behind her work as the voice of the college. Not too long after graduation, COVID-19 hit.

“I was suddenly managing a 24-person remote team that, up until that point, had worked in the same office together. And we were responsible for communicating around the crisis to thousands of people. We’ve now been in constant-crisis mode for eight months in addition to our normal jobs—plus doing everything remotely. This degree has helped me weather all of that. It’s also prepared me to shift my mindset into ‘long-term mode’ so we can think about refining collaboration, re-evaluating communication channels, and finding ways to make adjustments.”

In addition to the relatable and actionable curriculum, Judge Hensel also found unexpected value in the relationships she built with her cohort. Working alongside other professionals to finish the degree together helped her build lasting connections.

“I remember the first in-person residency,” she explains. “I was thinking, ‘I’m just going to earn my degree and move on.’ And I remember the team at Northwestern saying, ‘You’re going to leave this weekend not only knowing everyone in this room but also loving them all.’ It sounded crazy at the time, but it turned out to be absolutely true.”

Not only do today’s organizations value expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion—they also require it of their communication leaders.

“Whether you’re measuring innovation, goal attainment, financial performance, or any number of metrics, diversity is great for business—and research proves it,” says Amy J. Hauenstein, adjunct lecturer and director of curriculum and non-degree programs for Northwestern University’s MS in Communication (MSC) program.

With a PhD in curriculum studies, Hauenstein has learned to question how curriculum is culturally, politically, and economically positioned—and how it impacts the audiences it reaches. As a result of her education, she brings a unique view to integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with curriculum.

Not only does she want to make sure Northwestern’s MS in Communication graduates are valuable and effective leaders, but she also wants them to understand how to use communication to reach different stakeholders to move and motivate them. “If not in a program dedicated to leadership, management, and communication,” she asks, “then where else does learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion belong?”

Hauenstein points out that MSC students are already an incredibly diverse group, superseding national averages in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, and racial identities. But, to make sure the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into MSC curriculum, she and former faculty director Dr. Michelle Shumate led a year-long case study research project in 2016 that involved faculty and an advisory board made up of industry leaders. The goal: to define what MSC students should be able to do with their degrees once they graduate—and what they should be able to produce in the real world.

“We pulled old course descriptions, faculty bios, and syllabuses, looking for commonalities over the 35 years of the program, and we looked to national associations and at the knowledge and behavior demands on leaders of industry,” she explains. “Up from that data bubbled core curricular themes and important points in terms of learning outcomes and dispositions.”

She then used this information to build impactful statements about what MSC does, what it believes, and what it values—and how these factors align with the student experience and Northwestern’s emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The work served as her foundation while she realigned courses, added new curriculum, and implemented capstone projects to help students understand how DEI values show up in the real world.

“Really, we took what already existed in our program and organized it in a different way,” she explains. “We developed co-curriculum activities focused on DEI—including workshops, seminars, speakers, opportunities to visit businesses, and career coaching—that complement what students already learn in class.”

The end result: students learn to develop a critical consciousness. “Critical consciousness is the ‘it’ skill of today’s leaders,” she says. “Our students have the advantage of working through the development of critical consciousness with an expert support team to coach, encourage, and push them. They leave understanding how complex diversity, equity, and inclusion are—and that they must be woven through business practices, policies, and cultures.”

Because most MSC students work while they earn their degree—or worked full time before returning to earn a graduate degree—many have experienced “diversity training” before. “This is much different,” she says. “Usually, diversity training is about studying others. Instead, we focus on studying yourself in relationship to others. When you’re immersed in a deep self-study next to someone who’s doing the same thing, a visceral human connection is formed.”

Moving from diversity to inclusion has been a strategic priority at Northwestern and E. Patrick Johnson, the new Dean of the School of Communication, has declared the pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion a central tenet of his deanship. By first understanding DEI on an individual level, Hauenstein says MSC students learn to critically and respectfully challenge and interrupt inequitable and exclusionary norms and systems.

And although specific steps have been taken to integrate DEI concepts into the curriculum, it’s not touted as the focus of the program. “It’s a priority and value in all things we do. My grandma always said, ‘When you are who you say you are, you can stop announcing it,’ and I truly believe that’s the case here,” says Hauenstein. “I don’t know of any other program that is so intentional about working students through this practice. We just want to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive. It’s who we are.”

To hear more from Amy Hauenstein, please join us for the next Webinar Wednesday, where she will speak in more detail about the MSC curriculum. The webinar will be at 12 PM CST on Wednesday, November 4th. REGISTER HERE

Art teacher. Organic caterer. Crate & Barrel recruiter. Staffing firm owner.

To hear more from Pat Messina please join us for a webinar next week where we will talk with Pat in more detail about her approach to career services for students in the MSC program. The webinar will be at 12 PM CST on Wednesday, October 28th. REGISTER HERE

When you think of the skills needed for a career in biotech, communication may not rise to the top of the list. But, for Adam Zetter ’19, it’s exactly what he needed.

His path began with a degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1996. His first full-time job was at a small startup conducting research as a formulation engineer: evaluating, formulating, and developing products to fill the company’s drug-development pipeline.

When his employer was acquired by a larger company, there was an opening for a junior project management position. He got to know some of the people on the team and decided to try it. “The unique thing about being a project manager in drug development is that you’re right in the middle of everything,” says Zetter. “Manufacturing, regulatory, research, development, marketing—all of it.”

After a year and a half, he was lured by the thought of working for a bigger biotech company and went to serve as a product development project manager for a genomics organization in a software development role—which turned out not to be a great fit. “At the time, I wasn’t a seasoned project manager with enough knowledge of software development to make that position work and handle the pace,” he explains. “The science and genetics, yes. Software development, no.”

So he returned to smaller startups and spent the next seven years honing his project management skills in a drug development environment, where he also gained experience in roles focused on training, learning, and development. In 2007, when his employer was preparing to close its doors, he got a call from one of the biggest players in biotech: Genentech.

To work for Genentech, he went back to a drug development project manager role before transitioning to a business analyst position and serving as a liaison between IT and the business. Five years in, he shifted gears once again to become a business manager, where he learned about business from a different perspective as he worked with senior executives on strategy and tactics to help shape and advance their organizations while overseeing strategic, cross-functional initiatives—a role he still holds today.

“The great thing about this job is that there’s not any one way to do it,” he explains. “We’re counted on to leverage our experience in a multitude of situations to be thought partners on strategy and drive execution.”

Spending nearly 24 years in biotech, Zetter knew he had his technical skills down. After some personal reflection, however, he asked himself some tough questions: Where are my gaps? What’s holding me back from getting to a higher level? That’s when he realized it all came down to communication.

“It took me over 20 years to figure that out,” says Zetter. “Once it crystallized in my mind, I started researching and looking at different programs to see what they offered.”

When he discovered the MS in Communication (MSC) program, its three learning themes—managing complexity, collaborative leadership, and elegant communication—spoke to him. “At the end of the day, I only applied to the MSC program,” he says. “It’s the only one I wanted.”

Because he was based in California, Zetter appreciated the Hybrid Leadership Program option, which gave him the opportunity to learn online while still being physically present on occasion. With a young family at home, he recognized it would be a hard year—but the one-year commitment vs. two or three years made it more realistic.

“Even though we were predominantly online, the professors were incredibly engaged, and we were an extremely tight cohort,” he says. “We still message each other almost every day. These aren’t just classmates. We formed lifelong bonds, and I learned so much that I use every day.”

He credits the Understanding and Leveraging Networks course for sparking new ideas in learning and development as he builds and trains successful teams. “Helping people learn and imparting information is going to be the hallmark of the second half of my career.”

Information Design was another highlight for Zetter—if for no other reason than it inspired him to revamp his résumé, which has generated so many compliments that he says it’s now worth its weight in gold.

“I have real confidence in my communication skills and ability, knowing I can apply them in nontypical ways,” he says. “The MS in Communication program gives you skills you can apply in any business situation. Even if I go outside the biotech industry someday, I have these skills to leverage. Everything I’ve learned is going to add value.”