3 People 3 Questions

The Carlson School catches up with an alum, a student, and a professor to talk books, podcasts, and aspirations.

Kelsey Baumann, '11 BSB

Human Resources Specialist 3, Minnesota Department of Transportation

What are you reading?

Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense and Sensibility by Mireille Guilano. This book, from a female executive of Veuve Clicquot, speaks to the importance of balance in life, and that career success must be paired with personal happiness and self-actualization.

What is your favorite website?

Like any millennial, I love Pinterest. I read an article about how people spend too much time pinning, and not enough time doing, so I only pin things that I plan to execute.

What is your dream job?

I love the strategy components of my job, so someday, I would love to go into failing organizations, help them find the HR link to their failures, and fix them! Not sure what the job title would be for this…perhaps “HR Fixer?”

 

Professor Alok Gupta

Associate Dean of Faculty and Research, Curtis L. Carlson School-wide Chair in Information Management

What are you reading?

David vs. Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. A fascinating read on how we think disadvantages in general turn out to be opportunities and greatest strengths.

What is your favorite website?

How do I choose one? CNN for news snapshots and FiveThirtyEight for finding tidbits about what may be driving sentiments and trends in different domains.

What is your dream job?

I’m in my dream job. OK, maybe teaching in the undergraduate program—which I have not had the time to do since I last took a group of students to India in 2009.

 

Adam Rao, '17 MBA

What are you reading?

I just finished The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, which outlines the importance of habits in life, business, and society, and best practices for how to develop new habits when necessary.

What is your favorite website?

I’m a big fan of FiveThirtyEight. Nate Silver and his staff do an incredible job covering sports, politics, and more through the lens of statistics.

What is your dream job?

Leading an organization that transforms people’s lives. I’ve been fortunate to have done it twice already, and I hope I get the chance to do it again!