Marcia Friedkin, MBA 2013

Marcia began her professional career in financial services as an Analyst for J.P. Morgan & Co. after receiving her A.B. in American studies from Mount Holyoke College.  

Prior to forming M.H. Friedkin & Co. in 1993, Marcia was Director of Harrigan-Bodick, Inc., a marketing research firm specializing in children's research.  Before that, she was an Associate with the New York Office of Mercer Management Consulting, a full service marketing and consulting firm.  

She is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA).

If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to go, and why?  

Honolulu, Hawaii!  I’ve never been, but my best friend from high school just moved there with her family, and I would love to see her while enjoying such a beautiful place.

What is your favorite book, or genre of books?

I am addicted to cookbooks! I love to read them as well as cook and bake from them.  My collection is close to two hundred, including the classics like Julia Child and The Silver Palate as well as early Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson and lesser known, obscure titles. I’m particularly obsessed with Ina Garten – I have all ten of her cookbooks and she is my go-to for entertaining.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Growing up, we had a night blooming cereus plant on our sun porch. To be frank, it was ugly, except for one day a year when it bloomed at night!  My dad and I watched it closely throughout the summer and when it was about to bloom (usually just one bloom), he and my mom let us stay up late and camp out on the porch to see the flower open up.  More often than not, my siblings and I fell asleep and awakened to the spent bloom, but the lovely fragrance lingered.  It became a family tradition and something we all looked forward to every summer.  I can still remember the beautiful distinctive fragrance all these years later.

What is your favorite memory from your time at Stern?

The Student Government Elections were always a fun time for me. I ran for President of the Westchester Langone Student Government two years in a row, and each year had a friend who was running for President at Washington Square. We all took it really seriously and had a war room mentality, texting and calling 24/7 to plan and strategize. It was a true bonding experience and we developed strong lasting friendships. These shared experiences were some of the best times I had at Stern.

Why do you choose to stay engaged with Stern as an alumna?

I got so much out of my experience at Stern, more than I ever could have imagined as a part-time student on the Westchester campus. It amazed me how many opportunities and possibilities were – and still are – available to me and what a wonderful community I had become a part of.  I was an active student volunteer, and now I consult for the Westchester program. I view my continued involvement as a way to pay it forward for students who are just starting their time at Stern. I want the School to be there for them in a compelling way, just like it was for me.

What quote most inspires you?

“To laugh often and love much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived: this is to have succeeded.”
~ Bessie Anderson Stanley (often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson)