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“I Started Right” Campaign Features New
Personalities
By Mary Ann Kiczek
The artist Antoine de Saint Exupery once said, “You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.” That expression relates well to outdoor advertising, where the viewing time is often a few seconds.
By all accounts, the CCM “I Started Right” billboard campaign does it right. It offers a quick burst of information and contains just one design element – the CCM alum’s photograph. .
The latest I Started Right billboard campaign features a radio personality, an insurance executive, an attorney, and a scientist. Together, they demonstrate the diversity of professions enjoyed by CCM graduates and share the prestige of having had the right start.
Shannon Holly ‘96
 Shannon Holly has been in radio since the day she graduated. She started out as a radio personality for a small station in Pennsylvania, and then moved to medium market radio in Southwest Florida, where she remained with her own show for seven years. .
The highlight of her career came in 2006 when she landed her current job as the newest member of the Star 94 FM morning show in Atlanta. “Everyday I get to talk to celebrities, make listeners happy with contesting, and most importantly, on the air I can raise pertinent topics and have intelligent dialogue about them,” she commented. .
For the foreseeable future, Holly hopes to continue to hone her broadcasting skills at Star 94, although she readily admits that becoming a Z100 FM radio personality would be “amazing.” .
For Holly, CCM was “the best possible step” after high school. It’s where she learned to take school seriously and focus on the future. She went on to graduate from Penn State University with a major in broadcast journalism. .
When Holly is off air, she enjoys spending time with her two-year-old daughter, Bella, visiting NYC, reading, skiing, shopping, dining out, and doing anything that makes her laugh.
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William McElroy ‘83
 William McElroy has come a long way from his post-college job protecting bird colonies on Brigantine Island for $750 a month. Today, he is a Senior Vice President at Liberty International Underwriters’ Environmental division. “The work I do now in cleaning up the environment is not all that different from protecting the birds at Brigantine, but it pays better,” he quipped in a recent interview. .
McElroy has 22 years experience in insurance. Prior to joining Liberty International, he was president of Kemper Environmental, a unit of the Kemper Insurance Companies. In the mid-1990s, he was appointed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to serve on the Federal Title X Task Force focused on childhood lead poisoning. Today, he is on the Board of Directors of Healthy Housing Solutions, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in government projects that strive to achieve and maintain healthy living environmental conditions in public and private housing.
McElroy spoke highly of his CCM years, noting with humor, “I spent four years at CCM and all I got to show for it was a degree, a couple of scholarships, pictures in the newspaper, various honors, trips to places I never would have seen, a robust understanding of the natural world, and an enhanced sense of decency that I use pretty much every day.” .
Had he not pursued a career in the insurance business, McElroy, who comes from a family of teachers, thinks he would likely have been an academic. Putting on his teacher’s hat, he had this advice for today’s CCM students. “You will meet many who seem better prepared, more powerful, smarter, richer, and stronger. Trust me, they are no different than you. Hard work, perseverance, and dedication to being the best you can be is all that is required for success.” .
Earlier this year, McElroy was named CCM 2006 Alumnus of the Year.
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Galen Grey Medley ‘91
 For Galen Medley, CCM was “a great experience.” In a recent interview, he commented, “CCM will prepare you as well as any four-year institution. At CCM, the professors’ primary focus is on teaching, not research. And CCM is so much more affordable. I spent more on the meal plan in my first year at New York University than I spent for my tuition at CCM.” .
While a student at CCM, Medley was the President of the Student Government Association and served on several committees. That experience, he believes, led to a deep interest in education issues. He encourages today’s students to get involved “not only in academics, but in other aspects of college life.” .
Even before CCM, Medley had planned to attend law school. However, he wanted to gain experience in other areas that interested him first. After graduating from NYU with a B.A. degree in Politics and, while earning an M.A. in Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education, Medley worked as a student affairs administrator for colleges in the New York City area. After completing graduate school, he worked in Marketing and Sales Operations for the Ford Motor Company. .
In 1999, he began studying for his law degree at Howard University. Following graduation and a clerkship in Washington DC, Medley brought his passion for law and for education to the Office of General Counsel at Howard University. .
In March 2005, he joined Schneck, Price, Smith and King in Morristown NJ, working primarily in education and banking law. Although not exactly sure where his path may lead, his guiding principal is to work within his sphere of influence to make the world a little better and life, for others, a bit softer. “When my life is over, I would like to be remembered as a good man,” he concluded.
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Zaher Shabani ‘01
 For Zaher Shabani, appearing on a CCM billboard helped to fulfill a promise he made to his mother, Najet Shabani. “I told her that one day I would be up there. Although she passed away last year, before she had a chance to see it, I am honored to have been selected,” Shabani said. .
After graduating from CCM in 2001, Shabani transferred to Cook College, Rutgers University, where he majored in biochemistry and worked as a research assistant. Upon graduating with honors, Shabani was hired by Schering-Plough Corporation. .
As a scientist there today, he is responsible for performing physical and chemical characterization of new drug lead compounds and preformulation studies for development candidates for respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases. He is also involved in analytical method development and formulation support for preclinical activities. When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his work, Shabani said, “To me, reward is about making a difference in someone’s life, and working in a pharmaceutical company allows me to do just that.” .
Shabani has many publications, presentations, and patents to his credit and serves on a number of professional and leadership committees and organizations, both within and outside Schering-Plough. He is the recipient of the Schering-Plough 2005 President’s Award for Discovery. Shabani is also pursuing a Master’s degree in biotechnology at Columbia University. .
In reflecting on CCM, Shabani vividly remembers his involvement in extracurricular activities. “Getting involved improved my communication, leadership, and people skills,” he offered. He also spoke highly of Dr. Edward Yaw, Dr. Bette Simmons, and Dr. Joseph Nazzaro. “They were always willing to listen and help. They have had and will continue to have an impact on my career,” he said.
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