Connections

How Much Do You Make?

Once a taboo question, Hannah Williams asked it openly and publicly on TikTok in order to transform the national conversation about salary.

From telemarketing to TikTok, Hannah Williams

(B’19) has blazed a career following her gut and taking chances. Williams landed a telemarketing job after graduation across the river in Arlington, Virginia. After quickly learning sales wasn’t the right fit, she made her way to data analytics. “I didn’t want to do sales, so I thought let’s see if data is the right fit,” she said. “And sure enough, I ended up liking it.”

Williams found her footing in data analytics working for a small government contractor in Washington, D.C. While she was diving into her new career, she found herself talking more and more about salary. “As soon as I broke into data analytics, recruiters started reaching out to me on LinkedIn.” she said. “I was having conversations frequently about what my salary requirements were, but I didn’t know that you could really negotiate your salary then.” Williams soon accepted a senior data analyst position making $90,000, but through a little market research, Williams realized she was being underpaid by nearly $20,000.

“I should have been making six figures. That was a tough realization for me,” she said. “I thought I was figuring out my career only to find out I was still being generously underpaid because I didn’t know what the salary should have been.” With her new knowledge, Williams found a job that paid her what her research supported—but that experience stuck with her. “I thought, let me start talking about this on TikTok. I’m seeing more people talking about their careers and I’ve learned a lot, so let me share it,” she said. Williams went viral in a flash and garnered a supportive following on the platform.

With a captive audience and a relatable topic, Williams founded Salary Transparent Street in April 2022. She walked the streets of Georgetown asking people what they do and how much money they make. After the first few videos of Salary Transparent Street had millions of views, Williams knew she had a unique opportunity on her hands.

“It was just so groundbreaking that they were all going viral. We were immediately getting press requests from the Washington Post and BBC,” she said. “I was thinking—I may have this moment, and if I don’t go all in right now, that moment might pass me.”

Williams left her full-time job and took a shot on Salary Transparent Street. With over one million followers on TikTok, Williams has transformed the conversation about salary across the country. Originally starting on the streets of Georgetown, Salary Transparent Street will reach all 50 states by the end of 2023.

Although Williams started her career underpaid and uncertain, she has carved a path she only dreamed of as a student. “I was hugely involved with Georgetown Entrepreneurship, and it was my dream to have my own business and to be my own CEO,” she said. “When I graduated, that didn’t happen for me, but I never really gave up on the idea.”

By taking a chance, following the opportunities, and trusting herself, Williams has found success in more ways than one. “The work we do is actually helping people change their lives, make more money, and find careers that fulfill them and empower them,” she said. “I can’t ask for more impact than that. It’s a dream come true for me.”

Williams took advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow as she kept her eyes on her entrepreneurial aspirations. “When I was failing early in my career, I thought it was the end of the world—but I learned failure is something to be embraced,” she said.

“Failure is the best place to be if you are looking to grow.”

—ABBY SHARPE

Class Notes

BSBA

1989

Eric Christ of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, is chief product officer at Inclusivv, an early-stage company that helps organizations have conversations that matter.

1991

Kelly Mariotti (L’94) was named president and CEO of The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM). She joins AHAM with extensive trade association management experience and expertise in consumer durable goods.

1998

Christine Smoragiewicz has been promoted to partner at MPE Partners, a Cleveland- and Boston-based private equity firm. Since joining the team in 2021, Smoragiewicz has served as the firm’s CFO and CCO and has successfully transitioned MPE’s finance and compliance operations from a shared services model to the firm’s first dedicated in-house team.

2006

Surabhi Mathur Visser has been appointed chief investment officer at GuarantCo Management Company. Visser joined GuarantCo from Mirova SunFunder, based in Nairobi, where she led the investments team from June 2019, first as head of investments and then as CIO.

2010

Justin Chen, a private equity partner at Francisco Partners (FP), was named to the GrowthCap Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors of 2022 list. GrowthCap selected awardees based on the depth of deal experience, ability to help scale companies, collaborative work style, and progression towards firm and industry leadership roles. This year, Chen led FP’s carveout of bSwift from CVS Health and co-led the firm’s acquisition of Watson Health assets from IBM to create a standalone health tech company, Merative. He also was a key team member of FP’s award-winning sale of Capsule Technologies to Royal Philips.

2017

Rachel Dansky was named to the 2022 first-year associate class of Faegre Drinker. With more than 1,200 attorneys, consultants, and professionals in 21 locations across the United States, London, and Shanghai, Faegre Drinker provides transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government advocacy services to organizations ranging from emerging enterprises to multinational companies.

MBA

1987

Harvey M. Chimoff is the author of the book Strategy First, Then Tactics: How Practical Marketing Discipline Provides the Winning Edge.

1991

Mary Jean Duran and Layla Kashani launched the “Is It Just Me Podcast with Layla K and MJ” in 2021. The lighthearted yet informative podcast covers just about any topic and asks, “Is it just me?” Episode topics have ranged from IPOs and supply chain issues to top ideas for the new year. A recent episode, “Overrated”, included special guest Neville Waters in what they describe as a “very fun 20-minute ‘all Hoya’ romp through pop culture!” Find the episode at: IsItJustMe.libsyn. com/overrated.

1992

Alma Derricks has joined Korn Ferry as a senior client partner in the consulting business, having most recently worked at a brand entrepreneurship firm she founded.

1996

Sally Yiping Shi was honored as one of the 12 Outstanding Asian American Women by the China Institute in San Francisco, California.

1997

Greg Adams is among five individuals recently elected to the Board of Trustees at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. Adams is senior vice president, finance, risk management, and treasurer of FuelCell Energy, a clean energy company focused on decarbonizing power and making hydrogen.

2000

Matthew Hudson has been appointed managing director of the Business Services Group at Houlihan Lokey, a global investment bank. He previously served as managing director and head of rental services investment banking at Oppenheimer & Co.

2005

Sidd Manjeshwar has been appointed to lead investor relations for Air Products, in addition to his role as vice president and corporate treasurer.

2008

Paul LaRusso has been named CEO of Akoya, where he also is a member of the board of directors. He joins from JPMorgan Chase, where he most recently served as the head of data aggregation for consumer and community banking.

Brenda Loya is the new COO of BlueHub Capital, a national nonprofit community development financing organization. Her experience in the banking, nonprofit, and community development financial institution industries has provided her with a deep knowledge of how to use financial tools to build healthier communities. She also recently was named to the Board of Directors of the Nonprofit Finance Fund, a nonprofit lender, consultant, and advocate.

On a Roll

“Something lobster shack lobster roll,” he said. “And that didn’t exist in New York City.” So Holden dusted off an old business plan from Professor Will Finnerty’s entrepreneurship course and started creating a plan for what would soon be known as Luke’s Lobster.

As a third-generation lobsterman, Holden’s new business idea felt more like returning home than a career pivot—but that didn’t mean it was easy. Holden was still working full-time on Wall Street when the first Luke’s Lobster opened.

“I was doing the books, cleaning the restaurant at night, and running it on the weekends when I wasn’t working at the bank,” he said. In May 2010, Holden left his job in finance and began working full-time at Luke’s Lobster after opening a second location. He has grown his lobster shack into a fully vertically integrated process from the lobsterman and fisherman to the cooks and servers, and he now has locations on both U.S. coasts, as well as in Japan and Singapore.

In 2018, Luke’s Lobster became a certified B Corp (for social responsibility and transparency) and was recently re-certified last year—earning the highest score ever by a seafood company or restaurant in the United States. From sourcing sustainable seafood to using 100% renewable energy, Luke’s Lobster has embodied the ethos of a certified B Corp, and Holden is committed to making Luke’s Lobster and his entire team the best it can be.

“The concept of cura personalis and taking care of the whole person is the type of leader I want to be,” he said. “We apply that principle across our entire business.”

—ABBY SHARPE