Alumni Q&A: Sophia Shoate
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | hallie.hart@okstate.edu
Sophia Shoate’s career began with a part-time counter clerk position at UPS.
She recently retired as the well-known shipping company’s President of Global Enterprise Sales.
Advancing with guidance from her Oklahoma State University business degree, Shoate held various leadership roles through 34 years at UPS.
Those experiences gave her valuable insights as one of three featured guests at the Spears School of Business’ CEO Day on April 1. Shoate, a 1989 management and marketing graduate from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, spoke on a panel with BOK Financial Corporation CEO Stacy Kymes and Pyramid Global Hospitality co-founder Jeff McIntyre, a 2019 Spears Business Hall of Fame inductee.
CEO Day helps students understand how business leaders chart their career paths, and Shoate’s steady progression set an example for the packed crowd in the Student Union Theater. Attendees filled every row and overflowed into the stairwells to hear the business executives’ wisdom.
Earlier in the day, the business leaders met with MBA Association and Business Student Council members.
As the theater emptied, Shoate reflected on her CEO Day experience.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a featured business leader on CEO Day?
Shoate: It’s humbling to think that the university values what I’ve done in my career. It’s special because I have this career because of the university. What the university has put in me is what helped me to be the person that I am, so it’s coming back full circle.
What memories stand out most about your OSU student experience?
The people. I have lifelong friends I met here at OSU; had I not come here, I wouldn’t have met them. I’m very grateful for that.
You shared a story about applying for a full-time position at UPS, and when they hired someone else, you accepted a part-time role there. Within six months, you were promoted to a better job than the one you initially applied for. What kept you motivated?
I had researched UPS and knew it was a great company to work for. Now, did I know I was going to be there for 34 years? No, but I knew it was a great place to start my career and it be a career and not a random job. That’s how I had to start. You have to get your foot in the door, and that part-time counter clerk position got my foot in the door. But, I immediately started applying for the position that I wanted. I had a very good mentor. He helped put me in the right places, and he got me the exposure to the right people, so when it was time for them to expand the sales force and look for new people, I was in the mix.
Since you landed new jobs throughout your advancement, what would be your advice for someone starting a new job?
Put your head down and get the results. Really learn as much as you can about the job; take in as much as you can that makes you a better businessperson, a better employee, a better overall person. Take those things and take advantage of those things, but get the job done and focus on that as you look for additional opportunities and network within the company. That’s what people are going to look at first. Can you even do the job, and do you do the job well? Then, you can branch out from there.
You also talked to the students about the importance of work-life balance. What are some keys you figured out?
You have to put focus on the area that needs focus at the time. There are going to be times where the job takes a lot of your attention, and there are going to be times where your personal life — for me, travel, family events, activities — takes precedence. You cannot miss those important times in your life; you cannot miss those critical events. To think that there is a 50-50 balance, it doesn’t exist. You can’t have it every single day. You just have to find what is needed for whatever that time is at the moment.
What stood out to you about the OSU students you met on CEO Day?
I love coming back and talking to the students because it gives me hope for the future. The thought-provoking questions that they asked showed their high level of intelligence, attentiveness and respect. The opportunities they’re pursuing and their desire to impact communities is inspiring. Their tenacity for going after their dreams is encouraging. They continue to make me proud of my university.