Communication director of General Motors speaks

James McClendon, Editor-in-Chief

Utica College graduate Michael Albano came back to his alma mater as a representative of General Motors Friday, March 31. He talked to students and faculty in the Carbone Auditorium.

Albano is currently the Communications Director for GM however, coming out of school that was not the career path he expected.

“I think what happened was over the first couple years in the auto businesses, working for the public relations firm in New York where we did a lot of automotive communications, I started two realize I liked the automotive industry a lot,” Albano said.

It was hard for him to adjust to an industry that he did not have much interest in previously.

“I know how luck I am to have this job, so I don’t take it for granted at all,” Albano said. “The hardest part was I wasn’t a ‘gear head’, I didn’t know every piston size and ratio. I didn’t know all that stuff, so I had to learn it.”

Albano said the most important thing he can do is spend time with up-and-coming talent at his company.

“I spend a lot of hours with my team, especially the ones we have identify as high-potential employees,” Albano said. “I think I’m pretty good at what I do, but if I can take four or five people that work for me and make them as good as I am if not better then that’s a great contribution to the company.”

Senior Nathan Bridge took a lot of useful information from the presentation.

“I didn’t know really what to expect, but I think he did a great job painting a picture of his path to success and he had a lot of real world knowledge,” Bridge said.

A big part of Albano’s job is to recruit and develop young talent. The advice he gives to students looking to get into any professional industry is to build a portfolio of work.

“All I can say is go find a way to get experience,” Albano said. “When I look for people in my organization, I look for that little spark of creativity. I want a person that’s very creative and willing to try new things.”