Susan Grafton impressed by BSU’s small and welcoming campus as she explored potential universities. So she made the trek from the Twin Cities to continue her education. After graduating with business and finance degrees in 1979, a different person returned home.

“My undergraduate experience was transformational,” said Grafton, who now lives in Edina with her husband, Rick (’78). “It was during this time that I developed confidence and really understood what I was capable of doing. I purposely used this time and experience to decide who I wanted to be. I think a smaller, more intimate school is a place that makes this much easier.”

After obtaining an MBA from the University of Minnesota, Grafton embarked on the successful career path she envisioned. Now the executive vice president and chief financial officer of SuperValu, she was named among Minnesota’s top women in finance for 2015 by the newspaper Finance & Commerce. It was her second recognition by the publication, which also gave her its Circle of Excellence Award.

Grafton began her career as a financial analyst at Pillsbury, worked at Pitney Bowes and joined the management team at Best Buy, where she eventually advanced to be senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer before moving to SuperValu in 2014. At her new company, she oversees financial reporting, accounting, treasury, capital management, corporate finance, financial services, investor relations, tax and indirect procurement.

Reflecting on her experiences and looking ahead, she encourages students to have confidence and courage as they step into a changing technological environment.

“Today’s graduates have grown up with technology,” she said. “But what may be different from what they expect is the amount of data they will encounter and the necessity of technology to handle it.”