Leadership Spotlight: Lynsay Belshe, Vice President

Can you describe your career path and how you arrived at your current position?

In college, I majored in leadership studies.  My courses challenged me to see that change is certain, and leadership can help people, businesses, and communities navigate that change.

I then began my professional career at a large, international management consulting company, where I specialized in change management. That gave me the opportunity to help a variety of organizations in all different industries build their capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness by developing, improving, and reinforcing strategies, structures, and processes.

At some point, I had the good fortune to begin working with a university as my client.  I was still using all that change management experience, and I was helping an organization that had a mission that I personally believed in.

I found it incredibly rewarding to have that increased sense of purpose, and eventually made the decision to leave consulting and work directly for the university. I then went on to hold several positions in higher education on both the academic and administrative/operations side that gave me a rich and full perspective.

Then along came Virginia Tech and its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). I knew this is where I wanted to be.

So, I am not sure if I would call it a career path, but it has been an incredibly rewarding leadership journey.

How do you see Auxiliary and Business Services evolving in the next five years?

I see us continuing to build on our solid foundation by focusing on employee engagement, striving for continuous improvement, and having a customer focused mindset.

We have awesome people who care about each other and care about this university. Our people are the greatest lever we have for organizational success. I want ABS to be an environment where every employee feels valued and appreciated for their contributions.

We make things happen, we get things done, and we can keep improving. We exist as a team to enhance the overall university experience by providing innovative, efficient, and sustainable products and services that enrich the entire Virginia Tech community. We need to strive to anticipate and exceed the evolving needs of our diverse stakeholders while stewarding the resources entrusted to us.

I am excited about the future of Auxiliary and Business Services.

How do you maintain a work-life balance?

First, I allow myself the power to define what work-life balance means to me, and I allow myself to change that definition. Everyone’s definition could be different.

For me, I am focused on self-care. I try to make regular time for physical and emotional wellbeing activities. If I get regular physical activity, quality time with family and friends, and rest (sleeping and meditating) I am less stressed, and it gives me the energy I need for work.

How do you stay informed about industry trends and best practices?

I am a lifelong learner who stays curious and asks a lot of questions.

I love to learn directly from people who are doing the job – you can learn so much by observing others and asking them about what they do.

People in higher education are usually very willing to share what they have learned. So, I often reach out to other universities and ask them about their business, customers, and trends they are seeing. I also do not limit this to just higher education – there is always something to learn from any other organization.

I also sign up for and read a lot of industry publications about higher education, auxiliary services, and change management.

Sometimes I blend self-care and work by going for a walk while listening to an industry relevant podcast.