Chris Hodges, '08 Finance

As VP Global Supply Connectivity & Partner Solutions for Expedia, Chris Hodges oversees all travel supply technology partnerships and commercial operations for hotel, vacation rental, air, car, activities, and cruise.

How does your background in sport impact your leadership and management practices?

I love soccer because it is the ultimate team sport, and playing at the highest collegiate level readies you for all sorts of team environments and pressure filled rooms and stages in the business world.

Leadership on the field is about setting a shared vision and goal and getting the best out of every player on the team, with the coaching and training staff, to the pregame meal cook, to the person helping with laundry and logistics … all to buy in and believe and put their best foot forward toward that common goal.

It’s no different off the field as well; those ingredients are the keys to great outcomes and meaningful shared experiences, whether in a sport or professional environment.

What, if any, lessons from your time at Albers do you continue to apply to your life and career?

I was lucky enough to lead the Albers Investment Club for a couple years and with the other officers we incubated this idea, that we could help manage part of the school’s endowment fund and this would create meaningful and applied experience, with great fiscal responsibility. We made a pitch and got approval, and it lives on today.

The lesson is to surround yourself with smart, ambitious people, then push the boundary and create win-wins.

What is one piece of advice you would share with a sports-inclined or sports-passionate student about following in your footsteps?

Carry the principles that made you successful on the field, to off the field. Double down and embrace your key strengths and apply them to other areas: it could be passion, discipline, creativity, offensive or defensive mindset (both are ok!), visualization, a helper, a leader, a teammate, a culture builder. Reinvent yourself, but don’t forget where you came from and your unique path, it is your story.