Women's Volleyball 11/4/2020 1:54:00 PM

Alumni Spotlight: Volleyball's Blakewood Finds Success in Corporate Sales

Since earning her bachelor's in Business Administration degree in 2009, Elon University volleyball alum Kelley Blakewood has had quite the career climb. Currently the Senior Director and Global Head of Operations for Client Development & Sales at CME Group, the Gainesville, Fla. native reflected on life after college athletics and how her time at Elon prepared her for success in overseeing the world's leading and most diverse financial marketplace.

Kelley Blakewood vs. Wofford | Sept. 28 2007

After playing two years at NC State in 2005 and 2006, Blakewood transferred to Elon for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In her first year with the maroon and gold, she appeared in all 33 matches and recorded double-digit digs in 26 of them, to include nine outings with 20 or more. She tallied a team-high 538 digs (4.41 per set) and added 51 service aces to her season totals.

As a senior in 2008, Blakewood led the Phoenix with 521 digs (4.34 per set) and was second on the team with 36 service aces. She was tabbed the Team's MVP and garnered Academic All-SoCon honors.

In the program's Division I record book, Blakewood holds both first and third place for digs in a single season and is second in aces in a single season. Her 33 digs versus McNeese State in 2007 is also third for most digs in a single match, and she is also tied for fourth on the same list with 32 against Chattanooga that year. For Elon's All-Time records, she holds the fourth spot and sixth spot for digs in a season.

Off the court, Blakewood became the team's representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also coached the 18-elite team at Piedmont Volleyball Club in Greensboro, N.C. alongside Associate Head Coach Tina Readling before Readling joining the Elon staff.

In addition to her bachelor's in Business Administration, Blakewood added a minor in Spanish, which afforded her the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico during winter term of her junior year. After graduation, she then earned her Master's in Marketing degree with a focus in Analytics from Northwestern University. Her experience in Mexico helped her land her first international marketing manager role at CME, which tasked her with leading the marketing efforts in Latin America, particularly Brazil and Mexico. One of her tasks was overseeing the development of the company's Spanish and Portuguese websites.

From there, she took an international assignment in Hong Kong a few years later. While she did pick up some basic conversational phrases, most international business is conducted in English. Blakewood did feel that her language skillset added a layer of credibility in addition to being a resume booster.

Kelley Blakewood vs. Wofford | Oct. 5, 2008

Kelley Blakewood - 2007 SoCon Tournament vs. Chattanooga

Elon volleyball vs. Wofford | Oct. 5 2008

In her current role as Senior Director, she leads the operations for a sales team that delivers $200 million in annual sales and $80 million in annualized sales wins. She also develops and tracks sales performance metrics and their ties to incentive compensation, regularly presents to the CME Management team and Board of Directors, develops and employs global strategies for sales segmentation and client coverage, and leads the annual account planning and goal setting exercises for clients. Blakewood deploys sales training across 14 different countries worldwide and oversees the development and usage of technology utilized by sales globally.

In high school or college, I never would have imagined my job today working in the global financial markets, but looking back there was a lot that prepared me. First and foremost, life as a student-athlete teaches you the discipline and time management skills which help prepare you for success in any field. Athletics, especially volleyball, is such a team sport. That experience of leading effective teams and knowing how to make the sum better than the individual parts really translates well into corporate America. A little bit of competitive edge definitely helps too, especially in the more high-paced, Wall Street-type environment of financial services.

Blakewood also pointed to the culture of Elon, both the university and athletics, and how students are encouraged to get involved. Whether that means study abroad, joining organizations or clubs on campus, or fully immersing yourself in your classes. That engagement helped build your resume and find a career path and future that fits your passions and strengths. “One of the most unique things about being a student-athlete at Elon is that you get the best of both worlds - you get to compete at the highest level as a Division I athlete, while still getting a highly-immersive, well-rounded college experience.”

Blakewood says that early on, she was drawn to the team dynamic of corporate culture and that she loves being able to drive change by being part of something bigger than herself. Sales is fast-paced and competitive, and while marketing was her major at Elon, she was quickly drawn to sales because it's closest to the action. The better you know the clients, the more value you're going to add to the company. And as you begin to add more value, you are entrusted with more responsibility.

The number one piece of advice I’d give to undergrads is: Don’t wait until you need a job to start networking! Start the process early. Research companies you may be interested in and roles you think would fit given your interests and experiences. Consider creating a top 10 target list for companies you would want to work for. Then search your network methodically to find individuals that work at those target companies. LinkedIn is a great tool to do this. Once you find a few folks to network with, reach out and offer to buy them a coffee to pick their brain or in today’s world set up a zoom meeting for a virtual coffee. It’s amazing how open people are to connecting, especially with students who demonstrate a curiosity to learn and ask good questions.

-Blakewood on how undergrads can best position themselves for post-grad life

When not at work, Blakewood continues to play in an indoor volleyball league in Chicago that features several former Division I players, including some former Elon teammates and student-athletes she played against while at Elon. She also enjoys reading articles and books, is learning to play golf, and serves as an Advisory Board member for Dress for Success Worldwide Central. A global non-profit organization, it seeks to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools that help women thrive in work and in life.

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