The Business and Entrepreneurship Department is excited to introduce its two new Graduate Assistants, Annalise and Tricia! Their previous academic pursuits are vastly different, but they both share a passion for learning business skills and applying them to future areas of employment.
Annalise Winter is in the MBA/MA in Food Studies dual degree program where she is continuing her passion for combining food and entrepreneurship. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Annalise began studying at Saint Louis University in 2012 where she earned her 
degree in Nutrition and Dietetics with emphasis in Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Here, she discovered her passion for nutrition, culinary arts, business, and entrepreneurship. After graduation, she made her debut in the professional world working as a kitchen supervisor for a start-up food company in St. Louis, Fred and Ricky’s Plant Delicious Foods, where she learned how to grow a small business from concept to multiple retail locations, develop recipes, as well as manage a small staff.
Annalise was able to follow her dreams of studying abroad while living and working as an au pair in Paris, France in 2017. She spent this past year studying the French language, travelling, and learning about the food culture in this foreign country. It was here that her passion for food was re-ignited and she decided to continue her studies and refine her knowledge in the realm of food and business. This is what brought her to Chatham University. With the dual degree program, Annalise wants to learn more about food production, the significance in cultural food norms, the inequalities in food access, and social entrepreneurship. Her plan after graduation is to work to promote food knowledge and entrepreneurship and help individuals start their own small food companies that support financial independence.
Tricia Wancko hails from Massachusetts via New York where she has been working in businesses that focus on hospitality, food and beverage retail, and farm arenas for the past 12 years. She says working in the food industry satisfies her need for multifaceted work environments, ones that engage not just her desire for systems, order, and progress but also allow for creativity, spontaneity and problem-solving. Tricia is interested in exploring food’s role not only as a basic right but also its place in identity formation, as an economic force, and as a cultural vessel for the future. Chatham’s dual degree, MBA/ Masters of Food Studies, marries her passions for the art of food, culture, and experience with her interest in entrepreneurship, food economies, and sustainable business practices.
Her past experiences include working in fine dining in New York City, running a boutique hotel and restaurant in New York’s Catskill Mountains and working on an Animal Welfare Approved pig and chicken farm. She’s grateful for her hands-on experience thus far and is excited to explore all that Chatham has to offer.
Outside of academics Tricia loves cooking and eating, crosswords, all things black and white, and getting her hands dirty at Chatham’s Eden Hall. She’s great at making funny faces, cleaning and organizing, and exploring rabbit holes. Stop by the B&E Department to say hi!
We also welcome back Corey Doeing, Jessica Vallee-Vasquez, Maura Rapkin, Aashima Chhabra, Trevor Gamble-Borsh, and Ashley Jones! We are certain they will be great mentors to our new Graduate Assistants as they learn about Chatham and the B&E Department. Stop by our offices in Falk and Coolidge Halls to say, “Hello!” as at least one Graduate Assistant is present every day. Working in the B&E Department is an excellent opportunity to build skills and expand your professional network, while also providing a flexible schedule around your classes at Chatham.
