Success Stories

Melinda Dunn, 2026 Women’s History Month Profile
A GGU MBA alumna and Chair of the GGU Board of Trustees, Melinda Dunn spent more than two decades as Global CFO and Chief Compliance Officer at Sequoia Capital, overseeing financial and regulatory operations across one of the world's most influential venture capital firms.

Lauren Speeth, 2026 Women’s History Month Profile
Dr. Lauren Speeth — author, filmmaker, and co-founder of the Elfenworks Foundation — has built a career at the intersection of education, philanthropy, and social justice, including a $500,000 grant that established GGU's Elfenworks Center for Employment Justice.

Karen Hawkins, 2026 Women’s History Month Profile
A GGU-trained attorney and former Director of the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility, Karen Lee Hawkins devoted her career to ethics in tax administration, championing pro bono representation for vulnerable taxpayers and earning the ABA Section of Taxation's highest honor.

Elisha Finney, 2026 Women’s History Month Profile
As EVP and CFO of Varian Medical Systems, Elisha Finney helped guide financial strategy behind technologies used in cancer treatment worldwide — then carried that expertise forward as a board director for more than a dozen public companies across healthcare and technology.
Juliette Hirt

From Counsel to Counselor
After 25 years as a corporate counsel, Juliette Hirt traded contracts for connection—earning her MA in Counseling Psychology from GGU and launching a private therapy practice for lawyers. Her journey proves it’s never too late to reinvent yourself—and that some careers will always need the human touch.
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