Award-winning journalist and corporate communications executive David Rubinger offered career tips, media industry insights and observations on the Atlanta business climate at the 2024 Mack A. Rickard Lecture Apr. 30 in the Cousins Center.
Hammack School of Business Dean Stephen Craft facilitated the chat with Rubinger, who has served as market president and publisher of the Atlanta Business Chronicle since 2015. Rubinger shared that his journalism career began in high school as a reporter for the student paper, and his experience at Trinity College-Hartford, a small liberal arts college, launched him into business journalism.
“I went to an institution that is very similar to Oglethorpe,” Rubinger said. “I was very curious to learn, and I asked a lot of questions.”
Craft and Rubinger discussed many timely topics, including how to be a discerning news consumer, exercising editorial judgment, the role of social media and what it means to work remotely. Rubinger advised students to keep an eye on the clean energy and manufacturing sectors, as well as health care, sports, and the entertainment industry, which are growing areas of Atlanta’s business community.
He fielded students’ questions, offering insights from his experience, and concluded with three career tips: don’t be afraid to make mistakes, engage in human interaction, and send a note to the boss to introduce yourself—even if you work at a big company—to take advantage of every opportunity to interact with the leadership.
“You’re going to make a mistake somewhere down the line, and it’s not the end of the world,” said Rubinger, who shared a story about an error he made in his reporting early in his career. “You will learn from it.”
The Mack A. Rikard Lecture Series introduces students to current issues in business as presented by business and civic leaders who are recognized leaders in their professions. Established in 1991, it is named after the late Mack A. Rikard ’37, an Oglethorpe alumnus, honorary degree recipient, Athletic Hall of Fame member and Trustee Emeritus. Rikard was former president of Allied Products Company in Birmingham, Alabama, and a supporter of Oglethorpe athletics and student scholarships.
When Oglethorpe University relocated to Atlanta in 1870, it was one of the first institutions offering business and commerce courses in the U.S. Funded by a transformational gift from 1973 Oglethorpe alumnus and Atlanta business leader Q. William “Bill” Hammack, the Hammack School of Business launched in fall of 2019 and represents the newest chapter in Oglethorpe’s innovative history of business education.
