As an English education major at WMU, Podany knew he wanted to make a difference in the lives of high school and college students and felt empowered by the many high impact experiences he had on campus.
“The amazing staff and faculty at WMU provided me leadership opportunities, which showed me that I wanted to channel my interests and skills within Higher Education Administration,” he said. “I am wired as a leader, entrepreneur, and coach, and have been able to live that out through university career services on a wonderful path since 2001.”
Even as a student, Podany was no stranger to academic and student affairs as a result of being “mega-involved” on campus. He was on residence hall staff for three years, on the Campus Activities Board, a tour guide, an orientation leader for three summers, on the Homecoming court, and also on President Elson Floyd’s student services task force.
Today, Podany serves as Director of the Colorado State University Career Center, Director of the CSU Ascend Initiative, and CEO and Co-Founder of the Fairs App.
The Fairs App was originally exclusive to Colorado State University and used to help run career fairs, student organization involvement days, graduate school expos, housing fairs, and more.
“It more than doubled our educational exposure, saved us money in paper brochures, made us money in advertising, better prepared our students, and got a lot of positive feedback,” Podany explained. “So Chris White, our career center web developer and Co-Founder of The Fairs App, and I created a way to allow multiple types of organizations to produce their own custom app for any event, and then took it to market.”
Before the app launched, more than 150 organizations around the country requested early access to see how it worked. Moments after the app launched on February 2, organizations were already logging in and building sites for their events—one event was only two days after launch.
“They had thousands of user downloads in the first 24 hours, and provided an enhanced fair experience for all involved. It’s amazing how technology put into the hands of event planners can help thousands become better educated about a very important event experience. We are just thrilled!”
Podany is grateful to the career center staff, CSU students, his supervisors, CSU Ventures, and many other great colleagues who helped along the way.
To learn more about the Fairs App, visit thefairsapp.com.
Jeremy Podany lives with his wife and four children in Colorado. He enjoys volunteering with emerging leaders through his church, hiking with friends and family, trying new restaurants, and is a self-proclaimed college basketball junkie.
“I count my positive experience at WMU as a pivotal life milestone, which propelled me into my future. Thank you to all the faculty, staff, and administration who continue to believe in the raw potential of students. Go Broncos!”
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