Young Alumni Spotlight: Jade Skarda

Jade Mulvaney Skarda always looks forward to one specific part of her annual reviews at Deloitte. The review includes normal questions about performance and goals, but at the end, there’s always a question about what Deloitte refers to as “people contributions,” an important part of its evaluation process. It focuses on how employees are investing in others and building up employees in the organization.

It doesn’t come natural for many, but for Skarda (BSBA ’16, MS-ISOM ’17), it’s a passion that was molded during her time at the Warrington College of Business.

“As a part of people contributions, we often talk about how you are impacting or developing other people at the firm,” Skarda said. “That has always been an easy area for me to excel in because of my time at Warrington. Warrington values leadership and mentorship ­– and instilled in us to do the same. Because of that foundation, coupled with the fact that I sincerely enjoy helping others, I don’t have to think twice about doing it at Deloitte.”

Many of those opportunities at Warrington came as Skarda was a CAP Mentor. She often sat down with younger students who were looking for insight on internships, jobs, classes or even their major. In those meetings, there was always one moment that stood out to Skarda.

“Over time as I would meet with someone, I always loved that specific moment where you helped them figure something out and you could see the immediate relief in their face, or you helped them land that big internship offer,” she said. “I still think about those moments to this day. It was so rewarding to help others achieve what they were striving and working so hard for.”

Today, Skarda is a Product Manager at Deloitte Digital. She got connected to Deloitte at Career Showcase and went to multiple presentations by the company during her time as a student. The connections turned into a job offer at their Government & Public Services hub in Rosslyn, Virginia.

Her time as a combination degree student at the Heavener School of Business and in the Master of Science in Information Systems and Operations Management program made sure she was ready to have an immediate impact at Deloitte.

“Warrington taught me how to think critically,” Skarda said. “There are a lot of fellow Gators who work at Deloitte, and a common thread we all have is an innate sense to think beyond the surface level. We ask ‘why?’ frequently and dig deeper to tackle problems for our clients, while also prioritizing ethical standards and decision making, which were woven into the curriculum and programs at Warrington. This way of thinking is really valuable with the federal clients I work with.”

These important lessons that impact the way she solves problems for clients were learned at Warrington, and they continue to impact the way Skarda works today.