Kate McAfoose is a spring Executive Master of Business Administration graduate from the Davis College of Business and Technology at 小蓝视频 and was recently named by the Jacksonville Business Journal as a 鈥�40 Under 40鈥� nominee.
For the 38-year-old Chang Industrial president, there is no typical day in the office. One minute she鈥檚 on a Zoom conference call with a client, then writing proposals for a new client opportunity, while the next she鈥檚 on to coordinating the company鈥檚 marketing team for an upcoming print job or developing a patent strategy on a new IP opportunity her team has developed.
Armed with a civil engineering degree from Syracuse University, McAfoose鈥檚 career
path to Chang Industrial president started with a civil engineering 
associate position with RS&H in Jacksonville. After passing the professional engineer
exam, she decided on a career pivot where she could use her technical skills in a
managerial capacity. It was then that she joined Haskell as part of their project
management team, learning a new skill set that complimented her engineering background.
In 2018, she began her journey with Chang Industrial, where she had the opportunity
to learn the new industry of automation and robotics, which augmented her previous
engineer and project manager capabilities.
McAfoose says the Davis College EMBA program provided her with valuable formal training in accounting, marketing, HR, business strategy, investing, and more. 鈥淭he program taught me how to maintain composure and sort through details to get to the main point of a discussion or conflict quickly and how to analyze and make decisions efficiently,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭ime is the most valuable asset any of us have and so being able to be decisive has been key to growing our business.鈥�
McAfoose says the Davis College EMBA program provided the perfect educational environment. 鈥淭he in-person setting and small class sizes made it a perfect conduit for access to top-notch professors and their insight to, not only the subject they teach, but their views of business and Jacksonville as a whole.鈥�
She says several Davis College faculty members helped shape her, especially spending a week in Barcelona with Dr. Doug Johansen, Marketing, International Business & Sports Business department chair. 鈥淲e experienced another country and culture to understand the differences in how business can be conducted.鈥�
As she has been shaped by her current career path and JU education, being nominated for JBJ鈥檚 鈥�40 Under 40鈥� makes her feel a responsibility to help shape the next generation.
鈥淏eing a mom of three young girls, I鈥檓 already engaged in making sure the next generation is being raised up with core values and focus,鈥� said McAfoose. 鈥淥ne of our company values is mentorship and as individuals, everyone is encouraged to volunteer their time to community enhancements.鈥� She focuses her time on youth through serving as a life group leader in her church and supporting causes like Girls of Virtue and the PACE Center for Girls.
Her biggest career accomplishment to date has been leading the Chang Industrial team in the development and deployment of a robotic system at a local hospital here in Jacksonville that is focused on benefiting nurses and staff by saving them time and reducing stress and burnout.
鈥淎s the daughter of an RN, I鈥檓 really proud of what our team has been able to accomplish in creating a true co-botic system that benefits the workforce and enhances both provider and patient experience,鈥� said McAfoose.
She notes being open to learning new skill sets has helped set her up for success in her current position. One piece of advice McAfoose shares with others is 鈥測ou鈥檙e never too old to learn new things!鈥�
