Business and Beyond Panel
All students are welcome to join.
Learn from six Honors College alumni who’ve created success by carving their own paths. A Q&A opportunity is included in the panel.
Business and Beyond Panelists
Jennifer Nichols
Jennifer Nichols graduated from the Honors College in 2003. She serves as executive vice president and general counsel of CRG, a national real estate development firm. With more than 20 years of legal experience counseling corporate clients on all aspects of real estate, corporate, tax, and commercial matters, together with her business background, Nichols brings a unique perspective to each project.
She has also held positions with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and Warner Norcross & Judd LLP. Nichols has bachelor’s degrees in finance and Spanish from MSU, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, a master’s of science in taxation from Grand Valley State University, and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Nichols has been admitted to state bars in Oregon, Michigan, and Illinois.
Paige Kennicott Jacques
Paige Kennicott Jacques graduated from the Honors College and MSU in 2013 with a degree in business management. Since then she worked for the family cut flower business, Kennicott Kuts.
Jacques began at the farm level managing daily operations, fulfilling orders, and preparing shipments. In 2018, she took over sales for all six farm locations. Since then she has worked closely with her father and grandfather, focusing on products that set them apart from the global competition.
Harrison “Red” Kennicott III
Harrison “Red” Kennicott III was part of the first Honors College cohort, graduating from MSU in 1959 with dual degrees in business and floriculture, a combination that would shape his career. For Kennicott, flowers have never been simply a business. They are a family legacy.
He began working in the family business at age 12, weeding peonies at The Grove and spending Saturdays at Kennicott Brothers, the wholesale floral company his family founded in 1881. After briefly attending law school and serving in the U.S. Army, he returned to Kennicott Brothers full-time in the early 1960s. When his father partially retired, Kenicott took over leadership of the company, guiding it through growth, expansion, and technological change. Today he serves as chairman and remains its oldest employee-owner.
Kennicott was inducted into the Society of American Florists Floriculture Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Great Lakes Floral Association Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2026, he received the CalFlowers Distinguished Service Award. Through it all, his philosophy has stayed simple: “People and personal relationships are what the flower business is all about.”
Matt Elliott
Matt Elliott is co-chair of MSU’s Green and White Council and founder of Blue Lake Ideas. He advises CEOs, leadership teams, and boards on corporate transformation, growth, and capital structure. In his forthcoming book, “Overloaded: Recapturing Leadership Capacity with the Power of &,” he argues that capacity is the defining leadership constraint of our time.
Drawing from research and his own executive experience as a market president at Bank of America, his frameworks equip leaders with tools to thrive in the always-on AI era.
Varsha Monick
Varsha Monick is a vice president and general manager at Georgia Pacific, leading beloved household brands including Brawny and Sparkle paper towels, Vanity Fair napkins, and Kraft paper.
Monick’s experience spans profit and loss management of a $1B+ portfolio; Big 4 consulting; leading capabilities like marketing, product management, and customer experience; and driving innovation in products and services. She is a proud mother of two wonderful boys and serves on the executive board of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Sara Dolan
Sara Dolan is the chief financial officer of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) and CFO of The Reseda Group, MSUFCU’s wholly owned credit union service organization. Since joining MSUFCU in 2005 and becoming CFO in 2013, Dolan has played a key role in the organization’s growth, helping triple its asset size.
A recognized industry leader, she received the 2022 Outstanding Service Award from the Credit Union National Association Finance Council and was named Michigan Credit Union League’s 2017 Credit Union Professional of the Year. Dolan serves on multiple boards, including Delta Dental of Michigan and Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA from Western Michigan University. Dolan is an active community volunteer and proud Spartan.