HPU Talent Acquisition Expert Dee Ann Turner Mentors Students, Parents

Dee Ann Turner, High Point University’s Talent Acquisition Expert in Residence and former Chick-fil-A vice president for talent and sustainability, spoke to parents at Congdon Hall’s Callicutt Life Skills Theater as part of HPU’s Fall Family Weekend.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 26, 2024 – Dee Ann Turner, High Point University’s Talent Acquisition Expert in Residence and former Chick-fil-A vice president for talent and sustainability, shared her experiences and wisdom as she mentored students and parents during her Sept. 20 visit to campus as part of HPU’s Fall Family Weekend.

Turner taught finance and event management students, led two leadership classes and shared lunch with students. While talking to students, Turner shared her experiences, starting with earning a journalism degree during a recession and veering through the advertising field toward human relations upon advice of an executive who recognized her strengths. Selected as Chick-fil-A’s first female officer in 2001, Turner was instrumental in building and growing Chick-fil-A’s well-known culture and talent systems before her retirement in 2018 after 33 years. Now CEO of Dee Ann Turner & Associates and a best-selling author, she is an expert in understanding how employers identify and attract talent to help lead their organizations. She said her calling is to help other people find theirs.

When considering a job, Turner said students should look at the company’s character, competency and chemistry to determine whether it’s a good fit. She encouraged students to ask themselves several questions, such as:

• Do I enjoy what I’m doing?
• Do I like the company?
• Do I like who I work for, and do they like me?

Dr. David Bergen, the Z. Smith Reynolds professor of management, shared with students copies of Turner’s book, “Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job, and Launch Your Future.” Turner said they don’t have to read the book but should keep it on a shelf for when they need step-by-step advice about the job market.

“It’s refreshing to hear a woman’s perspective on this,” said Bridget Valeiko, a senior international business major from Long Island, New York. “Listening to someone who is a female in a predominantly male industry, especially in the South, to be at the position she was is really inspiring as a woman myself who wants to eventually get there someday. I just think there are a lot of new things that I didn’t even realize when it comes to being prepared for a job and interviews. Now I want to dive deeper into reading the book to understand better.”

“I respect her passion for leadership and her passion for people,” said Jaydon Carter, a senior business administration major and health care management minor from Martinsville, Virginia. “She has a really big purpose for spreading awareness about leadership and just helping people along.”

During her afternoon session at Congdon Hall’s Callicutt Life Skills Theater, she spoke with visiting parents about how to be extraordinary HPU parents. She told them she had been in their shoes and that HPU was the perfect place to launch their students’ career visions. Successful parents should act like CEOs, she said.

“If you know much about that role, effective CEOs are the ones who believe in their people and consult them,” Turner said. “They can be heard saying things like, ‘I wonder what would happen if you tried this?’ or ‘That sounds like a well-thought-out plan. Why don’t you give it a try and let me know how that goes?’ The language is a little different than being so directive. It’s allowing them to be responsible for their life instead of you being responsible.”

Turner shared a list of tips for parents, which included:

• Let your students launch
• Encourage them to get engaged early on
• Offer support and allow them to solve problems on their own
• Establish a communication plan to catch up and for emergencies
• Require them to gain work experience while in school
• Convey confidence
• Enjoy the ride

Turner told parents how she first got to know HPU President Nido Qubein and his vision of transformation for the university in 2007. She was impressed with the way Qubein came out of his office and spoke to students by name. On later visits, she witnessed the transformation and culture he had described.