Thresette Briggs & Stephen Nelson

By: Dezaray Barr

Briggs and her husband
Briggs and her husband

Thresette Briggs graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1999 with a Master of Business Administration. “My time at IWU was a real Godsend. I feel it was another demonstration of how well God knows what we need, and when,” Briggs explained. “At first, I hesitated to attend graduate school, but after much prayer I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I never would. Because I was traveling and working 12 plus hour days at the time in a very high stress position, the accelerated program for adult students was extremely attractive to me.”

Briggs is now the owner of Performance 3, LLC (P3), a leadership and professional development firm that helps leaders and organizations achieve high-performance with integrated coaching, speaking and training services.

“I launched P3 in 2010 after spending 20 plus years in corporate America in global HR and organizational development leadership roles. While my company primarily provides services to leaders in small business, nonprofit, and higher education, we have collaborated with leaders in multiple industries, and I get to work with some great clients,” Briggs said. “After being in corporate America for as long as I was, God was calling me to do things differently. After getting enough courage to launch my own business, I wanted to focus on how I could use my spiritual gifts and professional strengths, as well as multiple business certifications including being a certified member of The John Maxwell Team of coaches, speakers and trainers – to help leaders and organizations achieve high-performance by breaking down barriers to be able to do what they thought was impossible.”

briggs
Briggs receiving her qualification from The John Maxwell Team

Briggs is also an Adjunct Professor in the DeVoe School of Business for HR and business-related courses. “After 2 years of teaching at IWU, I was called to teach Sunday School,” Briggs explained. “Through my former church, I had the opportunity to attend courses at Crossroads Bible College, then I began teaching adults. I now teach in the Women’s Ministry at my church and sing on the Praise Team.”

Because of Briggs’ line of work, there is not always room for discussions about faith and religion. “My time at IWU gave me additional confidence and allows me to be the authentic Christian business owner and leader I was meant to be. People know that’s who I am. If a client wants to have conversations about their faith or discuss ways to Biblically address an issue, I actively engage with them. They even seek me out for these conversations!” Briggs shared.

Briggs wants IWU students to remember that their time in school will go by faster than they think. “Enjoy it, and don’t be so focused on graduating that you forget to be present during the daily moments, Briggs said. “Value and nurture the relationships you’re developing, and remember that they can be some of the best friends, colleagues or even potential employers you’ll ever meet.”

Briggs is married to her incredible husband, and they have three children and four grandchildren.

 

Stephen Nelson, the Associate Director of Multi-ethnic Recruitment at Indiana Wesleyan University for the adult program, was born on the beautiful island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean and lived in Antigua and Jamaica. “I was born into culture and grew up in culture for the first ten years of my life. This greatly influenced my life in what I am doing today at IWU,” he said.

Nelson’s primary objective is to develop trust, friendships and relationships, which develop into partnerships with individuals or Community Groups within the greater Indianapolis area.

“Higher Education is a key to help make our community a better place to live in and for our children to grow up in,” Nelson said. “It is my desire to help make the greater Indianapolis a better place to live through higher education.”

 

 

Written by Dezaray Barr, PR Specialist for the Alumni Office. Dezaray is a junior Strategic Communication and Honors Humanities double major at Indiana Wesleyan University in the John Wesley Honors College. At IWU, Dezaray runs both the JWHC Blog and her own blog. Visit Dez’s website at www.dezaraybarr.weebly.com.