WomenLead-State Farm Event Blends Lunch, Leadership and Business

ATLANTA – Georgia State University’s WomenLead program and State Farm recently hosted “WomenLead Presents: The Corporate Journey,” a lunch-and-learn event at which students networked and heard from corporate leaders about their paths to success.

During the program, State Farm associates connected with Georgia State undergraduates to answer questions about their professional journeys, and two longtime leaders with the company discussed their different routes to leadership.

Shanita Drake, director of enterprise technology for State Farm, has more than 25 years of experience defining and leading the implementation of business-driven technology strategies, principles, and standards at all organizational levels. Kim Mays, State Farm agent, has been listed in the top 10 percent of the approximately 19,000 State Farm agents across the country.

Both women talked about their life journeys, including their college experiences and their first jobs, and how interdisciplinarity was a superpower. For example, Mays majored in architectural engineering and worked in the commercial construction field for 10 years. She then transitioned to selling homes and later opened a State Farm agency at the encouragement of a recruiter.

“Before opening the State Farm office, I had never sold insurance in my life,” Mays said. “Don’t be afraid to do something just because you’ve never done it before.”

Drake began her college journey majoring in computer information systems and spent two years as a coder before realizing it was not her passion. Her love of people, problem-solving, and collaboration led her to focus on leadership. She describes her journey to State Farm as “happenstance” but is grateful for the experiences she’s been able to have.

“For 27 years, State Farm is a choice that I make every day just because I’ve been able to sit in so many different seats and do so many different things; tapping into skills I didn’t know I had and growing skills that I didn’t know I wanted to grow,” said Drake

The “WomenLead Presents” programming series is made possible by State Farm. Events are open to GSU students, faculty, and staff. Follow WomenLead on the Panther Involvement Network at https://pin.gsu.edu/organization/womenlead.

WomenLead is a three-hour elective course which centers on a mission of advancing women’s leadership in the world by empowering students to aspire to and achieve leadership roles. The class is open to any student with a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and at least 30 completed credit hours. Launched in 2015, more than 1,700 students have completed the course. WomenLead will celebrate 10 years on March 11, 2025. Learn more about the program at robinson.gsu.edu/womenlead.