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Welcome to the third installment of The Decades Edition for AXO Omega Alumnae. The Decades Edition is an ongoing series in which Sigma Psi Sigma, the virtual AXO Omega Alumnae Chapter, profiles alumnae from different decades. Check out these other AXO Omega Decades Editions: 1960s, 1970s Each profile celebrates an inspirational and energizing sister. We hope these profiles inspire you to connect with an AXO Omega sister or two.
Introducing Colleen Coady - MC1980
Colleen Coady is our Omega Eighties Lady and we have some great stories for you!
Hailing from the rural city of Kirkland in 1979 (population 15,000 as compared to today’s 100,000), Colleen followed the sun to Washington State University to find her independence and academic future. In a dorm filled with new member hopefuls, Colleen landed in the same dorm with her future lifelong sister, Debbie (Siljig) Regan.
Colleen and Debbie ran home to AXO and continue to spend time together today. In fact, Colleen had just had lunch with Debbie a few days prior when I interviewed her. Colleen and Debbie are part of a group text named “The ‘Stache Club” in honor of WSU’s most adorable football player and the sisters keep in contact with roughly 11 Omega sisters on a regular basis. It's just one way these loving sisters "Cultivate a Culture of Connection"!
A Cruise to Remember
A self-described nerd, Colleen typically led a somewhat introverted life until the Spring of 1980 when a Beta member asked her to a Priest Lake Cruise. I know what you are thinking – Beta?! With a nerd?! But wait – there’s more. As fate would have it, the cruise was held on May 17, 1980.
Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m. By noon, volcanic ash began raining down on Spokane. As Colleen and her date drove back from Priest Lake, they faced driving through miles of an eerie cloud of billowy ash. The Beta thought they should stop in Spokane, but Colleen wanted to get back home to Pullman. Not all motorists had the option to continue because car engines frequently filled with ash and disabled the vehicles. However young Colleen and her date were able to make it home safely to the Palouse.
Back in Pullman, a Coug-friendly chaos emerged. Jimmy Buffet’s Volcano song blasted from every tape player on campus. Not as fun; however, was the impact of the supply chain. Trucks couldn't get on the road for days. Food got scarce because provisions simply could not get into Pullman. Empty shelves lined all the aisles at the grocery stores, and the unthinkable happened: Pullman ran out of beer.
Eventually, WSU administrators made the call and offered the students the option to go home early if they were happy with their current grades. Fortunately, Colleen was a rock-solid student and was content with her grades. She made the trek back to Kirkland with her sorority sister Carol Seng (also a part of The Stache Text group)
Fun Fact: Future Journalist extraordinaire, scholarship honoree, WSU Communications building namesake, and Omega AXO reported on the eruption at WSU studios.
Au Revoir WSU
Colleen was a strong math student and found herself as the Omega Treasurer when she was a mere sophomore. During this time, she also fell in love with a special type of engineering math class called Operations Research. These classes focused on math modeling of business problems. In today’s job market, they would be considered industrial engineering or data science classes.
Unfortunately, WSU didn’t have a full offering of these classes at the time, so Colleen chose to transfer to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where she would graduate with a degree in Management Information Sciences. However, she had one semester to fill before she could start classes at RPI, and Colleen took this opportunity to study abroad.
She enrolled in a program that would highlight French history, art, and cooking in Avignon, France. This would be one of many adventures for our '80s lady. One quick look at Colleen's Facebook page and you'll see she's no stranger to an airplane seat. From Phoenix to DC to California to Switzerland; Colleen loves to travel and is energized by the experiences travel offers.
When Wall Street Used 56K Modems
After graduating from RPI, Colleen was ready to start her career. She looked at a number of openings; including one at a toilet paper factory, and ultimately chose to work for GTE (which is now known as Verizon). As a star recruit, Colleen was entered into the Fast Track executive training program and enjoyed a variety of short-term assignments.
In one of these short-term assignments, she partnered with sales teams as a sales engineer. She loved it and began a career in strategic sales. Colleen moved to Philadelphia and then New Jersey where she commuted to NYC to support Wall Street clients and pitch 56K internet access.
As Colleen’s expertise grew, she became an expert in building and managing sales teams in organizations that ranged from telecom start-ups to localization leaders. Over her 30+ year career, she had many highs, several lows, was hit by the 2008 recession, eventually faced ageism, and started new businesses. Her marriage was good until it wasn’t and she has two sons she adores.
A Beginners Mindset
As a newly retired woman, Colleen is now focusing on what her life looks like without a work identity. Colleen sees life with a beginner’s mindset; approaching life with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to learn. She took a leap of faith, sold her home in Washington State, and moved full-time to the Phoenix area where she can enjoy professional Baseball all year round. She joined a house sharing network to enable more travel. She is now a certified meditation instructor and is taking violin lessons.
Colleen believes that throughout life she had a healthy practice of risk taking and that this experience enables her to continuously grow, make new friends, cherish existing friends, and truly Seek the Heights. She encourages all women to practice taking risks; no matter how small and enjoy what the world has to offer each one of them.
Colleen Coady – We are proud to call you Sister!
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