Admissions

It's no wonder Cory Klafehn '05 can easily manage huge teams of people, move millions of cartons a week, and make decisions that affect Target stores across the globe.

During his time at Siena, the Oneonta, NY native was b-u-s-y.

In addition to his major studies in Marketing/Marketing Management and minor studies in Creative Arts, Cory participated in Delta Sigma Pi and two intramural sports—basketball and flag football. 

Read about his journey from the Siena townhouses to Target, and see what he's currently doing in sunny Savannah, Georgia. 

WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE SIENA?

My older brother went to Siena (Class of 2000) and as with many things in life, I wanted to be like my brother. I remember going to visit him for Siblings Weekend. We had so much fun and I immediately felt part of the Siena family.

When I started looking at schools, Siena was an easy choice based on the school's reputation for educational excellence and small community feel. Every time I had ever been on campus, I saw faculty and students interacting and laughing , and I saw the bonds my brother had created with his friends. I knew I wanted to do the same. 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PROFESSOR OR COURSE THAT REALLY IMPACTED YOU, EITHER PERSONALLY OR PROFESSIONALLY? 

I remember the Capstone Business class taught by Professor Erik Eddy. It was my favorite class and looking back I greatly appreciated Professor Eddy bringing real-world experience and challenges to the classroom. We had to present our end-of-year project to local professionals who gave us feedback on our work. I think about how much that  prepared me for all of my career interactions and personal growth.

Hearing from individuals who were in the fields I was studying helped me to understand a broader perspective and learn to accept and grow from feedback. Professor Eddy was always great at sharing his professional experience which helped to connect course material to how we would potentially see it show up in future roles. The class required collaboration, a great deal of preparation and ultimately the challenge of public speaking. All fundamentals of the work I've done since graduation.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH, AND WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR CURRENT ROLE?

After college I worked for Liberty Mutual. It was a great first role out of school. I learned a lot of skills sets that I still rely on today. Most importantly it taught me to be detail-oriented and organized as part of my role was to negotiate with attorneys. I gained confidence in my ability to influence and was given the responsibility to handle all litigated cases in Canada while earning licenses in all 50 states. Additionally, Liberty Mutual paid for my MBA, which I greatly appreciate.

After five years with Liberty, I was looking for a transition and was hired by Target Corp as an HR executive in our stores organization. I became the Capital District Regional Trainer and spent time supporting and onboarding new HR executives around the 518 and also supported stores in MA and CT. I transitioned to our distribution centers where I continued HR for a much larger population. 

After a few years in that role, I became a Senior Operations Manager where I ran three different departments in our two NY facilities. My last team included eight executive reports over 300 team members in a site with nearly 1,500. I loved the role as it reminded me of playing team sports. It was all about engaging the collective to buy in and problem solve while moving over 1 million cartons per week during our peak weeks. 

Ultimately, I knew I wanted to get back into HR and had the opportunity to move to Savannah, GA-where my family and I still live-to be responsible for two distribution locations. Looking again for a new challenge, I then supported our Global Supply Chain HR team in an HR capacity. 

Currently, I'm the HR Director for our Food and Beverage organization. I am responsible for six distribution centers located across the country as well as supporting the SVP of Food Supply Chain and their HQ team as our food business has grown to over $5 billion in sales. My role requires developing future talent strategies for the broader network as well as travel to each site where I greatly enjoy connecting with, teaching, coaching and developing my team to support their personal career growth. I am very proud to work for an organization that models my personal values around diversity, equity and inclusion—values that were instilled in me during my time at Siena.

WHAT VALUES OR SKILLS DID YOU LEARN FROM SIENA THAT YOU APPLY TO YOUR LIFE AND JOB TODAY?

First and most important, I learned to genuinely connect with others. Build relationships, learn about their backgrounds, families, build trust and strong working connections. The people were the most important part of Siena to me and likely why I've gravitated to working in HR. Much of my course work involved working in groups or teams. This required me to understand others strengths, where they may not be as strong and how as a team we could achieve goals together. This also helped me build strong communication skills. Additionally I developed very strong analytical skills. I learned the ability to connect data and how to use data to tell a story. Lastly, I learned to see the world differently. My creative arts classes were so much fun and offered a unique lens into the arts and how to see the beauty in life. Shout out to Professors Trutty-Coohill and Karimi-Hakak for opening my eyes to better understand others through their teaching of peace, tolerance, and co-existence. 

SO, GLAD YOU CHOSE SIENA?!

I think about my time at Siena often. It was the perfect environment in which to grow and mature. Classes were small enough where teachers truly knew you and wanted to see you succeed. I think about playing wiffle ball outside our town houses while Father Kevin rollerbladed by. I think about Mrs. V checking you in at Saga while she peddled her stationary bike. I think about all the great times with friends around town. I loved Siena and am so appreciative of my time there.

ADVICE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS?

Go visit. Ask questions. See all the beautiful spaces, eat at Saga, walk through the townhouses, watch a baseball game through the library windows. Play pick up in the gym. Attend teachers' hours between classes; they are always there to help. You won't find a more caring school that instills those values in their students that carry on long after graduation. The connections and network you make will support you throughout your career.