While an undergraduate at BYU, Jennifer Magleby-Lambert didn’t just pursue one degree; instead, she graduated with two—a BS in conservation biology and a BA in anthropology. When the opportunity came for an advanced degree, she followed the same pattern, earning both an MA in international development and an MOB from the Marriott School. Her academic ambition reflects the way she approaches all aspects of life.
Since graduating from the Marriott School in 2002, Magleby-Lambert worked as a generalist in CIGNA’s HR Leadership Development Program. She rotated from the retirement and investments division to the healthcare division and says she values the experience gained in these positions.
“I learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of HR in practice,” Magleby-Lambert says. “It is one thing to learn theory and another to apply it—especially in the realm of the human behavior component of organizational effectiveness. Both areas are critical.”
During the two years Magleby-Lambert worked for CIGNA, the company laid off nearly six thousand people as part of major cost-cutting initiatives. Ultimately, her own program was cut. While the situation could have been seen as a major setback, Magleby-Lambert saw an opportunity for growth.
“Being laid off has given me a huge sense of empathy, which I believe will be very helpful in my future work,” she says. “I am also enjoying exploring the possible paths my life and career can take right now.”
Recently, Magleby-Lambert joined with other MOB and OB alumni to build a virtual community where alumni and practitioners can share ideas and learn from one another. Though the project remains in the beginning stages, Magleby-Lambert is confident it can be a great resource for all involved.
“One of the challenges is that people are spread all over the nation and world, which makes it difficult to form the same level of connection and learning that you have when you can physically meet,” she says.
While advancing her alumni community project, Magleby-Lambert volunteers thirty hours a week at New Profit, an organization that functions as a venture capital group for social organizations.
“I am excited to learn how they hold social organizations accountable and how they help them to progress,” Magleby-Lambert says. “This may be a direction I decide to pursue long term, in one form or another.”
Magleby-Lambert resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband, Rock, who is earning his PhD in economics at Boston University.
