Running Away with It All

Leigh Ann Nicholson Errico

She ran and finished two New York City Marathons and one Las Vegas Marathon; and Leigh Ann Nicholson Errico, MA’95, MA’00 (M), feels those experiences have helped her in her corporate life. “Training for a marathon teaches you discipline; it allows you to clear your head, concentrate and sort through problems. It also absolutely teaches you to not procrastinate,” laughs Errico.

The Mendham, N.J., native is the vice president, human resources (HR), for the global pharmaceutical business within the United States at Schering-Plough Corporation and is responsible for coordination of worldwide HR responsibilities within this unit. As one of the pharmaceutical giant’s top HR people, Errico has found the perfect use for her wide-ranging people skills. “I love the challenge of creating opportunities for our people to be more engaged and motivated to contribute to the growth of our company.”

There was no procrastination on her ascent to the top of the corporate ladder, which began immediately after her graduation from Salve Regina University, Newport, R.I. “I majored in English writing and human resource management and quickly found that I enjoyed high levels of interaction with people and leading others on projects.” Her first job at AT&T is where she “fell in love with the HR function.” She “gained confidence” in that job, but wanted to round out her skills. So, she temporarily switched careers to gain sales experience. “It taught me the importance of customer focus and keeping my eye on the bottom line.”

“ I am especially proud when I coach others to realize their goals.”

She eventually joined Merrill Lynch, where she started to rise on the HR career path. “I had a wonderful mentor at Merrill Lynch who encouraged me to pursue my HR career growth.” While honing her people skills, Errico realized, “I wanted to work for a pharmaceuticals company because of the noble mission this industry holds, and I believed I could make a significant contribution.” Errico gained global pharmaceutical experience when she joined Pharmacia Corporation. The Pfizer acquisition of Pharmacia eventually landed Errico at Schering-Plough. “I am especially proud when I coach others to realize their goals. Particularly satisfying is helping junior professionals and administrative colleagues achieve promotions into management. That pride keeps me going on the toughest days.”

Errico says her career success was aided by the pursuit of two graduate degrees, an MA in organizational behavior and an MA in corporate and organizational communication at FDU. “I admired some FDU alumni who were successful and heard great things about the school.” She worked full time while studying and found the challenge of attending school on nights and weekends to be particularly grueling, albeit satisfying. “Graduate school had a big impact on my career. I was given tools to use the very next day at work, and this helped build my confidence in my own abilities.”

Errico was particularly satisfied with her instructors, the course work and her programs’ guest speakers and symposiums. “The speakers were part of the business world I was working in, and they were in complete alignment with that world. The programs kept students fully engaged and connected.”

Errico especially credits Michael Goodman, professor of English and then-director of the MA in corporate and organizational communication, and Martin Green, professor of English and now interim chair of the department of English, communication and philosophy and assistant campus provost for planning and assessment at the College at Florham. “They extended their support and treated me like a colleague.” She also feels grateful for the teaching of adjunct professor Howard Guttman, principal, Guttman Development Strategies, Inc. “Howard is a fascinating person who inspired me in my job. He is so passionate about his work and is an excellent leader and coach.”

Errico is willing to share her own insights with current FDU students. As a member of the Board of Corporate Advisers for the MA in corporate and organizational communication, she says, “I hope to support the vision of providing quality education that has a very practical application in the business world. As a busy professional who made time to earn advanced degrees, I feel I can provide the board with a unique perspective.”

With two master’s degrees behind her, Errico has been able to focus more fully on her family life. She has been married for two years to her husband, JP, and their first child, Samantha Rose, was born in December 2006. Errico has found great satisfaction and an even greater challenge to her time-management skills; though she wryly notes that she has not quite found the time to start training for another marathon.

— M.D

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