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Parent Department University of Florida

IA Alumni—Where are They Now? Featuring Olivia Stultz

By Josephine Cioffero

Olivia Stultz’ career has been nothing short of sweet since her graduation from the University of Florida and the Innovation Academy in May 2019. Currently serving as a marketing project manager for The Hershey Company, Stultz has handled projects for its iconic Reese’s, Kit Kat and other candy products.

An active student on campus, Stultz was the vice president of IA Ambassadors and a member of IA Serve and Agricultural Communicators and Leaders of Tomorrow (ACLT). But she credits the Innovation Academy’s open fall semester as the highlight of her experience at UF.

“The Fall is also an amazing time to get internships at large companies that usually have competitive Spring and Summer internships,” Stultz said, who completed internships at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort while earning her undergraduate degree. “I also found that explaining the Innovation minor in these interviews came naturally since the interviewer would be curious about my time off in the Fall.”

As Stultz continues to grow her career in project management, including earning her Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) in July 2024, she sees nuggets of what she learned in the innovation minor pop up in her daily work.

The Agile Methodology, for example, is a framework that encourages collaboration and change when developing a product or idea. “My first exposure to Agile was actually in my Innovation in Action class,” she said, in which student teams are tasked with designing prototypes and business solutions to be presented and judged at the Catalyst Innovation Showcase that takes place at the end of each summer semester.  The process “helped me stick with what I had learned in class for years to come,” continuing to use the Agile Methodology in her work at The Hershey Company.

“In the [project management] world, they say that a project seldom goes the way you planned,” Stultz said. “When I have projects that are derailed, I know how to problem solve and think of new ways to get them back on track.”