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Jennifer Stredler
Jennifer Stredler
01:17

Jennifer Stredler

Salesforce

New York, NY USA

"People need and deserve advocates."

Career Roadmap

Jennifer's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Vice President, Workforce Development

I oversee our global workforce development strategy to help young adults succeed in their careers.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

There's a difference between going to business school because you want to do corporate social responsibility and going to business school because you want to work in something like investment banking. When I decided to go back to school for my MBA, there were some naysayers among the more traditional business people who questioned my decision. There are always going to be naysayers in your life depending on circumstance and it can be hard, but you have to make decisions that are right for you.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Organizational & Human Behavior

    Washington University in St. Louis

  • Graduate Degree

    Business Administration and Management, General

    Yale University

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Growing up with a younger brother who had special needs taught me very early on that people need and deserve advocates—that perspective has influenced all of my career decisions.

  • 2.

    I grew up wanting to become a teacher—I loved school and would even play school for fun.

  • 3.

    By the time I got to college, I still wanted to pursue a career that would focus on supporting others, but I didn’t think I specifically wanted to be a teacher anymore.

  • 4.

    I went into college to study psychology, but transitioned into business because I wanted a more generalized and versatile set of skills.

  • 5.

    While in college, I spent a lot of time volunteering in my community and then eventually planning events and rallying others to volunteer as well.

  • 6.

    I eventually realized I could merge my interests in business and community through the field of corporate social responsibility.

  • 7.

    I’ve spent my career working at the intersection of the public and private sectors—I’ve held roles with Capital One, the GE Foundation at the NYC Department of Education, and Eagles Youth Partnership.

  • 8.

    I’m now the vice president of workforce development for Salesforce, where I work to help untapped talent gain the skills, networks, and resources to succeed in their careers.

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Peers:

    Why are you doing this? You don't need a graduate degree for what you want to do.

  • How I responded:

    There's a difference between going to business school because you want to do corporate social responsibility and going to business school because you want to work in something like investment banking. When I decided to go back to school for my MBA, there were some naysayers among the more traditional business people who questioned my decision. There are always going to be naysayers in your life depending on circumstance and it can be hard, but you have to make decisions that are right for you.