Alumni Spotlight: Maci Maness

Maci Maness

What is your title and what does that entail?

I am currently an Advanced Trainee for Sanderson Farms, Inc (SFI), based out of the General Office in Laurel, Mississippi. It is such an honor to be a part of the trainee program at SFI. The trainee program molds employees for future management positions within the company. Through a rotational schedule, trainees gain exposure to their area of expertise. Every day I come to work, I learn something new. Currently, it is my job to observe and work in each area of our corporate accounting department. In addition to endless departmental training, I am given the opportunity to attend organizational development seminars with other trainees in order to build leadership and management skills. Previously, I was the Chief Accountant for our live production side of the business in Kinston, North Carolina.

Did you have an internship? If so, where and how did that prepare you for your career?

I had several internships while I was studying for my undergraduate in accounting at the College of Business. I worked several tax seasons with Cayton, Collins, Asblell, Ward and Greene, LLP, (now Cayton & Associates, LLP) in Greenville, North Carolina. I worked with Credit Suisse in RTP and Coastal AgroBusiness, Inc., in Greenville, North Carolina. All of the internships I had while at the College of Business helped prepare me for a couple of different aspects of my career. First, I learned what I wanted to do and where I wanted to work, and for what type of company I wanted to work. Second, the exposure to different types of people and management styles was the main take away from my internship experiences.

If applicable, how did the ECU College of Business Career Center get you ready for your internship, job and/or MBA?

I loved the database, CareerNET, that the College of Business Career Center has online. It was such a wonderful tool for me when I was a student. I actually landed two of my internships using this tool. I applied for a ton of internships every year. Even if I was not selected, the exposure to recruiters or business executives was worth it. The more practice I received, the better prepared I felt. Business is all about networking and connections.

When did you know you wanted to get your MBA?

I always wanted a graduate degree. I was completely set on earning my MSA. However, when I was hired by SFI upon completion of my BSBA, I knew the MBA was the route for me. A couple of factors were the reason for my decision to switch to the MBA program.  First, I needed the program to be online. The MBA program at the College of Business is one of the best online graduate programs. Second, although I initially did not realize how much management molding I needed to be successful in business, I quickly realized that a leader and a manager are not the same thing. A leader is someone who realizes the need for a change or a decision needs to be made. A manager carries out the change, makes sure that the job is complete, and is able to make the hard calls. When starting my job with SFI, I realized I was a leader, not a manager. Throughout the MBA program, I interacted with so many managers. I learned from not only text, online sources and professors, but also from my peers. I learned from their tenure and experiences in the business world. My MBA molded me into a manager that is able to more patiently listen, better articulate expectations, and most importantly, analyze and interpret what my company and staff needs from me in order to be a successful team.

How did you learn about the career opportunities at Sanderson Farms?

A Sanderson Farms recruiter came and spoke to my Governmental Accounting class when I was in my last semester of my BSBA program. At the time, I was set to begin the MSA program the next semester and was not looking for a job. I really liked what the recruiter had to say about SFI, the culture, the mission, and the type of people they were looking to hire. She talked about the accounting trainee program. I remember thinking at the time, “this company wants to pay pretty decent money for people like me, right out of college, to learn everything there is to know about their company.” It is awesome.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I married my high school sweetheart about five years ago. Traveling and exploring are some of our hobbies. We plan to visit every state in the United States as part of our bucket list!

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