Amway’s Regional President of Americas is determined to give both credit and time to those who deserve it the most.
“To whom much is given, much is expected.”
Candace Matthews, Regional President of Americas at Amway, would have it no other way. She credits much of her success to a continued relationship forged 30 years ago with Ann Fudge, a prolific executive who at the time worked at General Mills. Fudge taught her the importance of balancing life and career. She was also a shoulder to cry on and offered Matthews a rational voice, helping her to see every angle of a problem. In return for her mentorship, Fudge asked only one favor in return—that Matthews gives back what she has received.
Matthews with Figure Skating in Harlem participants.
Along with mentoring up-and-coming executives, Matthews also looks for opportunities to give back to the many causes she cares for. Recently, Matthews volunteered for sitting duck duties at a dunk tank to raise funds for the Boys and Girls Club. Matthews also serves on the board of the Figure Skating in Harlem organization, which provides girls the tools and confidence they need to be successful. She is able to use her marketing and financial expertise to help the organization fundraise and be fiscally sound. “It is just an amazing way of paying it forward and helping young women (particularly young women of color) know what they can become in the future,” Matthews said.
It isn’t the field you choose but what you do with that choice that matters.
Matthews received her undergraduate degree in metallurgic engineering. Yet she never operated a steel mill like she thought she would as a girl growing up around Pittsburgh and throughout her college career. In fact, while she was working hard earning her career, the steel industry was unfortunately floundering.
But Matthews has no regrets. “It created discipline in me, and how to break things down,” she said. “Those skills, to this day, still help me. When I talk to people about something that is being manufactured or in a plant, or how we can do something, I can actually add a point of view from knowledge learned while earning my degree.”
It just shows that while there is much trepidation and a great deal of emphasis on choosing just the right degree, field, or specialty of study, it isn’t so much about the knowledge, but how you apply it.
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