Giving Back While Moving Forward
atrick Klesius, the director of strategy for David Yurman, received his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1998 and a master of science in management information systems in 2000 from Auburn University. David Yurman is a globally recognized, high-end luxury jewelry brand. Taking regular flights to headquarters in New York City, Patrick lives in a world where famous designers like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren and David Yurman are not merely brands seen in stores but people he’s worked for.
For the past six years, as director of strategy for the finance team at David Yurman, putting in hard work has been a must. But, having served in the United States Marine Corps for a full decade, Patrick is naturally no stranger to hard work. His day to day is filled with project management, refining the near-term vision for the brand, defining key performance indicators, expertly utilizing Salesforce and countless other tasks.
(’00, MSIS Director of Strategy, David Yurman)
Although he stays busy, he does what he can to give back to the students of Auburn. He has served a total of eight years on the advisory councils for the Harbert College of Business and the College of Human Sciences. Most recently, his major donation to the Harbert College of Business has given marketing students the opportunity to receive invaluable sales training. By giving them hands-on training with Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management platform, these students are getting a competitive edge over other graduates who lack experience with the tool.