Personalized MBA Curriculum at MIT Sloan

A journalism alumna of the University of Missouri, Stephanie O'Dear is a former columnist with SPACES Magazine and contributor to the local Kansas City NBC television morning show focusing on personal brand and style-related trends. Since 2011, she has been in various roles with Empower Retirement and is currently Vice President, Government Markets. To augment her experience in sales and marketing, Stephanie O'Dear recently completed an MBA at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management. 

Regarded for its collaborative learning environment in which goal-oriented students learn about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, the MIT Sloan School of Management offers much more than an education in finance and entrepreneurship. While students are required to complete only core courses in their first semester, they are able to personalize their curriculum going forward to match their career goals and interests. 

In order to earn an MBA from the school, students need to complete 144 elective units and can even enroll in as many as three non-MIT Sloan graduate-level or Harvard classes during their program, providing the courses are approved by MIT, such as those offered by the MIT Media Lab. Elective subjects generally range from 3 to 12 units depending on weekly classroom hours and outside preparation time. Some non-core courses offered during the fall 2018 semester include Principles and Practice of Drug Development and Communicating with Data.

Lyric Opera Express Allows Students to Perform with Professionals

A senior executive with over a decade of experience in leadership positions, Stephanie O’Dear serves as Vice President - Government Markets for Empower Retirement in Overland Park, Kansas. Stephanie O’Dear also formerly served on the board of directors for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, an opera and performing arts center that presents live operatic performances. The opera company also engages in outreach and education initiatives such as the Lyric Opera Express program. 

The Lyric Opera Express program allows students to perform alongside professional opera singers. Performances are held at the school, and the Lyric Opera Express Troupe provides all necessary props, costumes, and set pieces. Before work on the production begins, teachers attend a workshop and receive educational materials to help students prepare for an operatic performance. Students rehearse on their own or during class time, and the Express Troupe joins them for a final dress rehearsal on the day of the performance. 

For the 2019 season, students in second through sixth grade will perform in Susan Kander’s opera She Never Lost a Passenger, which recounts Harriet Tubman’s acts of bravery while leading people through the Underground Railroad. The Express program also offers a performance of Héctor Armienta’s bilingual children’s opera The Coyotes and the Rabbits for students in second through fifth grade.

The Junior League of Kansas City’s 2018 Holiday Mart

Since 2011, Stephanie O'Dear has served in various roles at Empower Retirement in Overland Park, Kansas, and was recently promoted to Vice President, Government Markets. Active in her local community, Stephanie O'Dear has collaborated with a number of community organizations, including the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, which will hold its Holiday Mart from October 18 through October 21, 2018. 

The annual Holiday Mart brings together local merchants and community members for a nonprofit shopping event. Since its inception 30 years ago, the event has raised over $10 million to improve the Kansas City community. 

This year’s Holiday Mart will feature two special events, Preferential Shopping and Ladies’ Night Out. Scheduled for October 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Preferential Shopping will include a continental breakfast buffet and will give attendees early access to this year’s retailers before they open their doors to the public. 

Ladies Night Out will take place on Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will give attendees an opportunity to enjoy uninterrupted holiday shopping with their friends. Attendees will also receive access to the VIP lounge for snacks and beverages as well as two cocktail tickets, a buffet voucher, and a swag bag.

A Behind-the-Scenes Opera Experience with Opera: Up Close and Personal

Stephanie O’Dear brings 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business development to her position as the head of marketing for the Retirement Solutions Group at Empower Retirement in Kansas. Outside of her career, Stephanie O’Dear has held leadership roles with multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Holding interactive student workshops, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City offers the program “Opera: Up Close and Personal.” The program provides students with the opportunity to interact with and learn from the professionals behind an opera performance.

During the workshop, students are visited by a Lyric Opera staff member, an opera singer, and a pianist. Performances feature music from current productions in the Lyric Opera season.

After the performance, students receive an in-depth presentation about a specific aspect of opera. Example presentation topics include backstage careers, life as an opera singer, wigs and makeup, and scenic and costume design.

Workshops accommodate up to 50 students and are tailored to various age groups. For more information, visit kcopera.org.

The Lyric Opera of Kansas City Spring Break Opera Camp

With an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Stephanie O'Dear is an experienced marketing and sales professional who heads the Retirement Solutions Group of Empower Retirement in Overland Park, Kansas. Before joining Empower in 2014, she served several years as vice president of sales strategy/support with JP Morgan. Outside of the professional arena, Stephanie O'Dear has held multiple positions as a volunteer with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City has been sponsoring world-class opera productions for more than 40 years. The opera house also supports community outreach and education initiatives, including both a summer and a spring-break youth camp.

The Lyric Opera’s Spring Break Opera Camp is a week-long opera and performing arts event that attracts regional young people who love to sing and act. Dividing campers into two groups (grades 3-7 and grades 8-12), the Camp sponsors a range of age-appropriate opera- and music-related activities to build on-stage performance skills. Older campers also receive targeted and practical training in areas such as auditioning and resume creation.

Customer Lifetime Value - A Part of the Modern Marketer's Toolkit

An experienced sales and marketing leader, Stephanie O'Dear currently serves as head of marketing for the Retirement Solutions Group at Empower Retirement. In this role, Stephanie O'Dear works closely with a team of data scientists to create models to help the company evaluate and pursue leads. One of those models is the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV).

As its name indicates, Customer Lifetime Value aims to predict the total amount of revenue that a customer will generate throughout his or her relationship with a company. Businesses typically calculate and express it within the parameters of a certain period of time, such as six months or a year, as there is no accurate way of predicting how long a customer will remain with a business.

There are a number of ways in which a company can determine CLV, from the basic to the in-depth. The most basic estimate is available by subtracting the customer's percent chance of making a repeat purchase from the number one, then dividing the customer's average order value by the resultant number. From this total, the company subtracts the cost of acquiring the customer to get a CLV.

Many companies use CLV to determine which customers are driving the most value for the company and thus to make decisions about the allocation of targeted marketing dollars. CLV may also be a predictive tool in understanding the potential impact of customer retention or other efforts, as it can determine how CLV would grow with increased average order value or rate of repeat purchase. CLV is just one of the many tools available in today's savvy marketer's toolkit which combines available data and predictive modeling for optimal results.

Helpful Tips for Bikram Yoga Beginners

Since 2011, Stephanie O’Dear has worked at Empower Retirement in Overland Park, Kansas, and currently serves as the head of marketing for the Retirement Solutions Group line of business. A fitness enthusiast, Stephanie O’Dear enjoys practicing Bikram yoga as part of her regular health routine. Stephanie says it promotes overall well-being, flexibility, has strength and cardiovascular benefits, and is a great addition to any fitness regimen.

Popularized by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s, Bikram yoga involves repeating 26 poses in a specific sequence over a 90-minute span. Classes typically occur in rooms with a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit and 40 percent humidity. Consequently, Bikram yoga is often called hot yoga.

The following are a few tips to ensure that newcomers to Bikram yoga have a successful session:

- Stay hydrated. Beginners should have a water bottle with them throughout the day. They need the extra water before, during, and after class.

- Dress for comfort. Bikram yoga classes aren’t a place to worry about appearance. Beginners should dress for comfort and to minimize body heat. Due to the warmth of the room, participants should opt for shorts and tank tops in breathable materials like cotton.

- Keep an open mind. Beginners should avoid putting pressure on themselves to be experts. Maintaining a positive attitude is ideal since everyone in the room feeds off energy from others.