FROM RETAIL TO ROUTERS IN SUNNY SILICON VALLEY

David Campbell, MBA 2005
Senior Manager of Human Resources
Consumer Business Group, Cisco Systems, Inc

David Campbell joined Cisco in June of 2005 as an HR Manager in the Human Resources Leadership Program, the three year accelerated development rotational program within the Cisco HR organization.  David has had the opportunity to develop his skills across a wide range of HR competencies, including program and project management, process improvement, organizational design, consulting, organizational adoption, staffing, HR information systems implementations, coaching, and talent and leadership development.

After completing his HRLP assignment, David became the Senior Manager of HR for the Consumer Business Group.  In his role, he currently leads a team comprising global HR Partners as well as a full complement of functional HR Managers.  “The Strategic Human Resource Management Program prepared me by giving me both a broad view of all aspects of strategic human resources that I was going to come into contact with at a corporate environment. It also gave me the depth of understanding of these areas that allowed me to hit the ground running. From my very first day at Cisco I felt confident that I could make an impact.” 

When looking back, David cites several reasons for selecting Strategic Human Resource Management as his program of choice: "I chose Wisconsin for a lot of the same reasons that others enter the program, it provides a combination of general management education and a deep dive into Strategic HR Management.  I had a lot of hands-on experience in general management in retail performing many basic HR functional competencies and I started to see just how strategic the skill set that goes along with a Strategic Human Resource Management degree really is."

From sunny California, David keeps close ties to the Strategic HRM Program, both as a Cisco mentor and a connected alum.  "The culture of the university, the charm of Madison, the sports, the people, and the MBA experience are second to none when compared to other programs.  Overall, the dedication of the faculty and administration in providing a best in class HR specialization is a highlight of the program. This dedication carries over to the student body and creates a sense of camaraderie and pride in the program.  The specialized approach means that you are not going to school with people who are trying to find themselves.  You are going to school with people who know what they want. That sense of purpose is evident in the coursework, team projects, and the overall approach of a Wisconsin MBA student.”