Noelle Owusu-Akyaw

1. Tell us about your career and life path since graduating from Fuqua in 2017. What have you been up to?

After graduating from Fuqua, I joined Arosa, a national home care and care management organization that was acquired by Bain Capital’s Double Impact private equity fund in 2018. I assumed the role of chief financial officer for this newly formed entity and led the due diligence and integration efforts across the finance, legal, and HR workstreams for this rapidly growing company.

After relocating to Richmond, VA, I joined McKesson Medical-Surgical in 2020 as a senior manager of corporate strategy and business development. I recently transitioned to a newly formed team, and I am currently the director of market strategy for the extended care segment at McKesson Medical-Surgical.

However, my biggest life change since graduating has been becoming a mom! My son was born in January 2020, and my daughter was born in April 2022. Becoming a working mom has been both challenging and rewarding, and I’m excited to continue growing my career while raising my two little ones!

2.  What is your favorite Fuqua memory?

My favorite Fuqua memory is participating as a speaker with Fuqua Talks – an event in which an individual within the Fuqua community shares a short personal narrative followed by a brief Q&A session with a broad audience. I was nominated by a classmate to share a story that was meaningful to me. It was an incredibly terrifying and vulnerable experience that also led to tremendous personal growth for which I continue to be grateful.

3. Why did you choose to accept the leadership position on Fuqua’s Minority Alumni Advisory Board (MAAB)? What has been your most meaningful engagement as the chair member?

I chose to accept my leadership position with the MAAB because I believed I could help advance the mission of this vital organization for the Fuqua community. I also viewed this role as an opportunity to serve and volunteer my time for a school and alumni community that has done so much for me and many others over the years.

My most meaningful engagement as the chairperson has been creating alumni-specific programming for the 40th anniversary of the Duke MBA Workshop. This event is cherished by so many alums, and it was gratifying to play a large role in planning an important part of the weekend.

4. Which upcoming MAAB event or project are you most excited about and why?

I am excited to kick-off the next generation of our mentoring program with current Fuqua students and expand opportunities to provide meaningful points of engagement for our future alumni. We are also initiating an overall strategy refresh for the MAAB so that we can better serve the stakeholders across our diverse community in the long-term. I am very excited to see where this vision takes the MAAB and the broader URM community.

5. What can Fuqua alumni do to support MAAB’s goals of nurturing, growing, and capitalizing on the resources of the underrepresented minority community?

My top three asks are:

1. Recommend an engaged and active alum from a historically underrepresented minority background to serve on the MAAB or any of Fuqua’s other alumni boards.
2. Ask Fuqua’s and Duke’s leaders how they will continue to advance antiracism efforts.
3. Reach out to the countless number of highly talented and capable students and alumni within the URM community for an internship or full-time opening on your team.

6. What does #TeamFuqua mean to you?

Team Fuqua means a loyal, collaborative, and supportive community that motivates you to grow professionally, inspires you to act with integrity, and empowers you to make a positive impact on the world.