Prepared for Life

Jennifer (O'Connor) Piepszak ’92 was recently appointed chief operating officer (COO) of JPMorgan Chase. She spoke with Fairfield University Magazine about the value of her Jesuit education.

Newly appointed COO of JPMorgan Chase Jennifer Piepszak ’92 kick-started her remarkable career with an on-campus interview that landed her a job at a top accounting firm. Fairfield University’s ability to attract recruiters from premier organizations was “a notable advantage,” she said. From that entry point into the business world, she moved to JPMorgan Chase in 1994 and has since built an impressive career at the firm, rising to positions as co-chief executive officer (CEO) of the Commercial and Investment Bank and co-CEO of Consumer and Community Banking, before being named COO in January 2025. In 2024, she was ranked number 31 on Forbes’ annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and number 3 on the list of Most Powerful Women in Banking by American Banker.

With more than three decades of industry experience, including time in top leadership roles, Piepszak offers a unique perspective on what it takes to truly excel in business. “I think we come out of college and end up surrounded by these extraordinarily talented people, regardless of what industry we go into. And so, it’s really easy to get caught up in being the smartest person in the room, and you think that the smartest person in the room wins. And that’s not true,” she said. “You want to be the person that people want in the room. So, you have to be smart, yes. But you have to work hard. You have to be a great partner. You have to be trusted. You have to be a good problem solver, and you have to be the whole package. It is about so much more than just being the smartest person in the room.”

Piepszak recalled the significant impact of her Fairfield education on her career, which involved the combined influence of a values-based curriculum and experiential learning. “What I attribute to Fairfield is not only the rigorous academic standards but also the culture. A lot of that probably goes back to the fact that it’s a Jesuit education, and so humility is built into the culture,” she said.

The experiential learning approach at Fairfield’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business fosters humility in students through exposure to real-world uncertainties, challenges, and failures that classroom lectures cannot replicate. Active learning experiences promote a breadth and depth of understanding by extending classroom learning to in-the-moment critical thinking.

In harmony with the University’s Magis Core Curriculum, experiential learning further demonstrates to Fairfield Dolan students the importance of being able to work as part of a team and the benefits of being exposed to varied perspectives. Such experiences allow undergraduates to gain a stronger sense of self-awareness and confidence, which Piepszak notes as keys to success.

“The idea of being humble but confident is something I see in the Fairfield students I have met,” she said. “The humility will make sure that you’re very well prepared — you want to be authentic and you want to be curious. Nothing can ever replace hard work. All of those things differentiate young people today, and when you come into something with a lot of humility, you’re more likely to be better prepared and invest in preparing.”

“And when you come into something with a lot of confidence, you’re more likely to be authentic,” Piepszak continued. “Building confidence is also really important because sometimes people come into a situation thinking: I’m either confident or not. But confidence is actually built, and it’s built in preparation.”

Consistent with Fairfield’s Jesuit liberal arts education, experiential learning enables students to assess situations, synthesize experiences, and find meaning in them. Students are encouraged by their professors to consider the challenges faced, evaluate what went well or failed, and reflect on how their perspective changed and how they might apply that toward their future experiences. “We are a Jesuit school, which means it’s not only that students ‘do things,’ but they also take that pause to write about it or go through that reflection process,” said Anca Micu, PhD, senior associate dean of the Dolan School of Business.

Fairfield Dolan students have the opportunity to engage in experiential learning in a variety of ways, including: (1) internships, (2) the annual StartUp Showcase, which helps students to develop their entrepreneurial skills by developing their unique business ideas, (3) client-based learning projects that involve collaborating with organizations and applying classroom knowledge to solve problems and gain feedback, (4) collegiate competitions that require teamwork and critical thinking to solve case studies, present research, and demonstrate business-related skills, (5) immersion programs such as study abroad or Silicon Valley Immersion in which students visit organizations and experience different perspectives, cultures, and professional practices, and (6) volunteering and student leadership in a campus club or project.

Dolan faculty members support experiential learning through course recommendations, connections to the Dolan Career Development Center, advisory roles in student clubs, and simply by encouraging students to try new things. “Students need to feel like they have stepped outside their comfort zone,” said Dr. Micu. “If the first time they do is post-graduation, then it’s almost a disservice versus really preparing them to feel that sense of angst and uncertainty.”

Alumni play a critical mentorship role by attending campus events, speaking on panels, and facilitating connections with various organizations through networking, job shadowing, and internships. Additionally, Fairfield Dolan graduates provide invaluable industry insights that help to inform ways for the business school to best prepare students for the ever-evolving workforce. Piepszak has returned to campus to speak with students on several occasions, including at Dean’s Executive Forums hosted by Fairfield Dolan.

Dolan students embrace experiential learning by participating in several career-related activities throughout their four years and completing more than one internship on average. This year, the faculty began requiring a Career Readiness Seminar to help prepare students for the business world through résumé writing, interviewing skills, and professional development. Plans are underway to create a more structured framework to ensure some form of experiential learning is fulfilled by every Fairfield Dolan student, in addition to simulations and other classroom-based activities.

The goal, at the end of the day, is to help students feel empowered in their career readiness and send them into the workforce with that blend of humility and confidence that Piepszak has seen and admired in the Fairfield Dolan students she has met. “Coming into the workplace with humility and a strong work ethic is incredibly important,” she said, “in addition to the obvious academic credentials that you need.”

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