Alumni Spotlight: Dawn Oliver

A headshot photo of Dawn Oliver

Dawn Oliver

Currently I am wrapping up a three-year talent exchange program in South Korea, between my primary employer, Harman International and our holding company, Samsung Electronics. As an inaugural member of this program, I serve as a Senior Automotive Product Planner and Market Insights Lead at Samsung Device Solutions Research (DSR) in Hwaseong, South Korea (~20 miles South of Seoul). Where I work with Samsung Automotive to develop and expand Samsung’s automotive semiconductor platform business by developing market strategies in the areas of Telematics, Connectivity, ADAS, and Autonomous Driving. Prior to this assignment, I led the development and execution of global marketing and product development for our Ford/B&O and Lincoln/Revel automotive business. 

While reaching graduate programs, I knew I wanted to specialize in Marketing. I researched several graduate programs and narrowed my search down to, Emerson College (Boston), Michigan State University, and Eastern Michigan University. When evaluating the programs, Eastern was the best fit. The selection of classes offered were (in my opinion) better in comparison to other programs. Emerson required me to be full-time student, meaning no job to cover my expenses, Michigan State's program specifically focused on advertising, but EMU's program focused on the entire marketing and communications field, including sales, PR, traditional/emerging advertising, and event promotion. The IMC program covered every aspect of every role I’ve held.

One of the best parts of the program is that the classes are online. Online classed allowed me to effectively plan schedules. Classes did not interfere with my job and I was able to manage my late nights in the office, extensive travel schedule, and make sure all of my assignments were complete and on time.

I absolutely love the IMC program. I’ve recommended it coworkers and a few of my mentees. I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in pursuing their master’s degree in marketing.

Dawn Oliver
Senior Product Planner, SOC Marketing Group (S.LSI)
Harman International& Samsung Electronics