Andrea Alfieri graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minor in International Communications from The College of New Jersey. Today, she is the community business coordinator for Barnes & Noble in Princeton, New Jersey. In her role with Barnes & Noble Alfieri works with schools, corporate accounts, and non-profit associations on building library collections, expanding curriculum materials, and helping administer events and fundraisers. “It is a hybrid role where I get to use my marketing skills, but also have had to learn new skills in sales, retail management, community relations, and social media – and I love the variety of activities I get to do every day,” said Alfieri.
Alfieri attributes her success to the comprehensiveness of the School of Business curriculum, which exposed her to many aspects of business, including finance, economics, marketing, and operations. “No matter what position you take after college, you will be expected to understand all of these aspects for your industry,” says Alfieri. “Marketing is not created in a vacuum. There are many dynamic factors that influence and drive the business, and you have to be able to understand them and work with them.”
Alfieri offers three pieces of advice to current TCNJ students:
First, don’t be so quick to specialize. There is much value in learning across different areas and disciplines. Second, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and do some ‘grunt’ work. “Very few go straight to the top, and you can pick up a lot of knowledge along the way.” Finally, never burn bridges. No matter how small or temporary your job may seem, you will always need a good reference and you never know when you will cross paths with your managers again.
Alfieri currently resides in Lawrenceville, NJ. In her free time she enjoys traveling and reading, especially contemporary fiction and historical fiction. Fun fact: Alfieri met her husband at TCNJ on freshman move-in day. They lived across the hall from each other at Travers Hall!