written by special contributor, Lance Fleming

Whitney Herrington (’14) is a great believer in servant-leadership, which she saw exhibited every day while a COBA student at ACU. Perhaps that’s why she has spent the early part of her career in roles where she can best serve others, whether as the program director at a local non-profit working with women and children, as the assistant director of the Griggs Center, or in her current role as the Marketing and Development Director at Frontier Texas!.

The emphasis on leaders serving others stuck with her, and she’s been giving back to her home community since she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and then in 2019 from the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada) with a Master’s in Global Business.

An Abilene native, Herrington graduated from Abilene High School in 2010 and enrolled at ACU that fall as a management major. In 2014 while finishing her degree, she began working as the A-Teens Director at the Alliance for Women and Children, working with middle-school girls during a 10-week summer camp and after-school care program. In her role, Herrington worked to help young women build their confidence and develop healthy self-esteem.

She was hired as the Assistant Director of the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy in the summer of 2016, where she worked as a teammate with many of the men and women she had taken classes under as a student just a few years before. One of those was Jim Litton, an Associate Professor in the Department of Management Sciences and the Director of the Griggs Center.

​​”One of the things I appreciated about my time working at the Griggs Center was that there was something new every day,” said Herrington, who worked there from 2016-19. “The energy of the students and the activity of the various projects was something I was fortunate to witness daily.”

Herrington worked closely with Litton and the Griggs Center team to implement the center’s strategic goals. She also worked on various projects, including organizing domestic trips to places like Silicon Valley in California, implementing communication strategies, and managing budgets and expense reports.

She began working at Frontier Texas! in November 2022 as the Marketing and Development Director, and even though the title is different, Herrington’s work as a servant-leader is ongoing. She works on fundraising events and connects with supporters, museum members, and donors, all to connect the community with the museum.

We recently caught up with Herrington to get her perspective on where she’s been, her experience at ACU and the Griggs Center, and her passion for entrepreneurship and servant leadership.

Q: What did you learn about yourself and working with people in that role at the Griggs Center? 

Herrington: “The main thing I learned about working with people is that everyone sees the world differently, and being open to other ideas and different points of view is important. The beauty of the Griggs Center is that students (and faculty, staff, volunteers, etc.) can all benefit from thinking entrepreneurially. It’s a true skill that I am grateful I was able to continue developing during my employment. Even though I wasn’t a student, I learned each day. I always appreciated the entrepreneurial mindset and knew it would be a skill set I would value and continue to value no matter what job I held.”

Q: What professor or professors had the most profound impact on you and why? 

Herrington: “This is such an interesting question because many COBA professors became my co-workers a few years after graduation! Jim Litton, of course, had a profound impact as a professor and employer. I took Jim’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship course my sophomore year, and that class was tough! But it taught me how to work through case studies at a higher level (which paid off during later undergraduate classes and into my Master’s program). As his employee, I appreciated how Jim created a supportive and collaborative work environment. Strategizing and implementing large-scale projects in such a fast-paced environment was fun. He genuinely valued the ability of our team to provide input on the projects and overall strategic plan for the Center.”

Q: What prompted you to work toward and attain your MBA? 

Herrington: “As I worked in the world of academia, the thought of pursuing my Master’s degree was always in the back of my mind. By the fall of 2019, it was time to earn that degree. I chose to study through a unique program, the Masters of Global Business, at the University of Victoria, located in British Columbia, Canada. The program is designed as a tri-continental program, where you spend several months in three countries. I started the program in January 2020, where I spent three months studying in British Columbia, but soon transitioned into a fully remote program because of the pandemic. I had always been interested in pursuing a post-graduate degree; it was just a matter of when. I have always believed in the idea of lifelong learning and wanted to broaden my knowledge base within business. I have a fascination with the global business community, and that is essentially what prompted me toward the Master of Global Business program.“

Q: Tell me about your role at Frontier Texas and what makes it work for you. 

Herrington: “I started as the Marketing and Development Director at Frontier Texas in November of 2022. Some aspects of my job include developing and executing various fundraising events, writing grants, and working with our docent and volunteer base. I also assist in creating our marketing material, including our advertisements, brochures, website, and additional materials as needed. Helping maintain contact with our supporters, members, and donors is another highlight of this role as it allows me to connect with the community.”

Q: How are you applying the lessons you learned in COBA and the pursuit of your MBA to your role at Frontier Texas? 

Herington: “One important lesson that I have continually been learning is the ability to be adaptable. That was especially relevant in the pursuit of my Master’s degree. My cohort shifted from a fully integrated, multi-cultural program to an online program. What I appreciated about that time, though, was that I was living out the case studies we were studying. Working in groups of individuals who were spread across the world added a level of learning in a global business context. Adapting to various opportunities and daily challenges is important in any field.” 

Q: What are the lessons you learned while in COBA that you carried with you when you left ACU, and how have they shaped you in the years since you graduated? 

Herrington: “It’s hard to put into words the lessons I learned while studying at COBA; it’s truly become a bit of a combination of lessons learned over time. I remember when working on a project researching the 2012 Olympic Legacy of the London Olympics. Dr. Monty Lynn was the professor and advisor for that project/course and was overseeing our research project and presentation. I remember seeing the hard work that he put into the project and creating this exciting opportunity for his students: it showed how dedication and commitment to a project are necessary no matter the stage of your career, whether you are a student or a CEO.”

Q: What do you appreciate most about your time at ACU and in COBA? 

Herrington: “The opportunities to learn and grow into becoming a servant leader. The emphasis on servant leadership is a unique characteristic of COBA.”