Vivian Hairston

Tri-C Taught Alum To Strive for Excellence

Vivian Hairston, MBA is Senior Vice President and Director of Portfolio Management at Huntington, where she is responsible for all portfolio managers within the Private Bank across 11 states. She is a member of the Investment Policy Committee and Chair of the Portfolio Risk Committees, which is responsible for approximately $26 billion in assets under management. 

So, it’s no surprise that, with that financial expertise and responsibility, she begins by describing Tri-C as “cost-effective, offering a wealth of courses, certifications and degrees to prepare students for successful long-term careers,” she remarked. 

Hairston was introduced to Tri-C when she accompanied her older sister to enrollment day. The registrar suggested she enroll, too, and she was on her way to an associate’s degree in business, where faculty and staff helped her secure financial aid. Hairston went on to earned her Associate of Applied Business degree in 1988. She credits then-chair of the Business Education Department for demanding excellence, while encouraging her success. “Dr. Lovid Owens was such a stickler for accuracy and professionalism,” she recalled.  “He was so inspiring and taught the importance of striving for excellence and not settling.”

Along with her degree, Hairston says she found her confidence growing, as she learned time management skills and the value of building relationships.  She quickly transferred after graduating from Tri-C, and earned a B.A. at Baldwin Wallace College, concentrating in economics and finance.  She went on to earn an MBA in banking and finance from Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management. She joined Huntington in 2003.

She stated, “I had a wonderful experience at Tri-C and continue to recommend potential students explore all the college has to offer.”