Director of Global Strategic Planning, Nike, Inc.
Portland, Oregon

On how he changed at Barton:
Barton really built my confidence on multiple dimensions. I was your typical high school graduate. I went to Barton to play tennis, but I hadn't really expanded beyond that one arena. Barton enabled me to emerge at the end of four years confident in my abilities in more than just athletics. For example, I didn't display much leadership in high school. By the time I came out of Barton, I had been Student Government President and a leader in my fraternity. It also helped me excel academically and develop greater confidence in my academic abilities.

On what builds confidence:
The support I got was important to building that confidence. When I ran for student government, I had all these people behind me. The members of my fraternity, my friends on the tennis team -- even my professors -- were excited for me. I felt like was running from a position of strength.

On the promise of college on a first-name basis:
I was looking for a smaller school that would give me a greater level of personal attention. Barton delivered on that promise. I was always impressed by the way professors got so involved helping students. It might be the star student who wanted to take their thinking to the next level or the student who's struggling but is putting the effort to move forward. Barton really is a place that knows who you are and looks out for you. For me, personally, one of the things that always made me feel great was that the president knew me and took an interest in my development. To this day I've remained in contact with him.

On how far Barton can take you:
I've been able to work at some blue-chip companies -- Procter and Gamble, McKinsey & Company, Nike. You don't have to go to a Harvard or Stanford to end up at a great place to work.

On engaged learning and experience:
As I look back now, I think Barton's engaged-learning approach is a key success factor. Several of my classes had us go out into the real world. That made a big impact on me.

Gareth is a certified tennis coach, a keen golfer, and an avid runner. Perfect for someone working at Nike!