Anette Eilertsen Dillon ’24
MBA
After several early roles in marketing, Anette Eilertsen-Dillon knew she wanted to take the next big step in her career.
“I’ve always been a person that loves school. I love learning and sharpening my skills,” she says. "Long-term, I want to be in leadership. I’m very intentionally building toward that, and an MBA gives you a real edge.”
After initially starting an MBA while living in Texas and finding the program wasn’t the right fit, her husband drew her attention to LeBow, and things clicked.
“The curriculum and the professors had a very strong reputation. It immediately felt aligned with what I was looking for,” she says.
Having come to the U.S. from Norway, Eilertsen-Dillon was studying on an F1 visa and was attracted to LeBow’s strong support for international students. As a bonus, LeBow’s location in the Northeast meant proximity to New York City, where she had hoped to live and work one day.
She completed her MBA at the end of 2024, and by early 2025 she had checked her two biggest boxes: earning both a Permanent Resident Card and a job in the Big Apple. Today, she works as a Creative Account Manager at WITHIN, a performance-branding agency linked with renowned brands like Ben and Jerry’s, The North Face, Touchland and 1800 Tequila.
Her role sits at the intersection of creative strategy and account management.
“I work on the creative side, but I also manage client relationships. We handle everything from strategy and creative planning to performance and execution, making sure clients are maximizing the impact of their investment. I feel like I do a little bit of everything.”
It’s the kind of job that keeps you on your toes, she notes.
“Marketing, as an industry, is constantly changing and evolving,” she says. “And each client brings different sets of goals, needs and priorities.”
Eilertsen-Dillon said her LeBow experience gave her the skills she needs to navigate in this complex environment. One class in particular, Negotiations for Leadership, made a deep impression.
“That class taught me so much, not only about how to negotiate in a professional setting, like a big contract for a client, but also had to negotiate personally. If you’re just starting out in your career, that could be negotiating your salary or your PTO days. That class really changed my outlook.”
Another standout course was Business Law, which continues to show up in her day-to-day work, even in a creative role.
“In my job, everything ties back to deliverables and contracts in some way. As a Creative Account Manager, you always need to understand how your work aligns with contractual agreements.”
Her work has proven both fun and fulfilling, but best of all, she gets to live out her dream in New York City.
“I remember visiting New York for the first time after moving to the U.S. seven years ago," she says. "Now I walk those same streets every day on my way to work. It’s still a major ‘pinch me’ moment.”