Zach Luedtke
April 14, 2020
Zach Luedtke (2019)
Zach Luedtke is a communications specialist with a background in writing, online media, and proposal development. For the last three years, he has worked in St. Louis, MO as a proposal writer on Centene Corporation’s Information Technology Business Development team. At Centene, Zach is responsible for developing responses to complex Requests for Proposals and assessing IT and business impacts from associated contracts. He is motivated by the notion that good story telling ultimately allows Centene to provide care and services to the people who need it most. Outside of work, Zach enjoys film, hiking, and spending time with family.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in December 2015, with a concentration in Public Communication and a Film Studies minor.
Zach at a ΦΣΠ rush event (2015).
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was involved in Phi Sigma Pi, serving as the honor fraternity’s Historian for a year. I loved teaching our new initiates and shoving a camera in my brothers’ faces at events. I also was a member of Lambda Pi Eta, my favorite Communication honor society at Truman, and served a year as the FUNdraising Chair.
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
I did not go to grad school. After Truman, I felt well-equipped to enter the workforce, and really wanted to jumpstart my career. Now with some stability and a few years under my belt, I’m considering the future and what my next move looks like – adventure (grad school while working full-time) is out there!
What was your first job after graduation?
I worked as a Public Relations Specialist at a start-up company offering career training for job seekers. At the time, the company was focused on reaching recent college graduates, and I helped bring that perspective to the table, tailoring their marketing strategy and outreach content for this audience. Because it was a start-up, we worked out of the café portion of a grocery store for the free internet. But from there, I leveraged my experience and relationships to move from a start-up, to a nonprofit, to a local business, and ultimately an international enterprise. So, shout out to my Advisor, Mark Smith, for forwarding this start-up opportunity my way and putting me on this path. The Truman COMM Department set me up for success from day one.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
I work in business development as a proposal writer for Centene Corporation, a multi-national healthcare enterprise focused primarily on government sponsored healthcare programs. There, I get to write about innovative healthcare technologies, programs, and processes to drive new business, ultimately enabling increased access to health services for the people who need it most. I never imagined I’d be working in the healthcare industry, but I consider myself very lucky to have leveraged my writing abilities to be adopted into this field that I have grown to love so much.
Zach visiting the ocean for the first time on a work trip (2018).
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
By the end of my time at Truman, I thought I was going to lose it if another COMM professor reminded me to consider my audience before developing my message. But having the adage drilled into my head, paired with the tools and hands-on experience the COMM Department provides, proved invaluable. In my experience, career success comes from being able to present your ideas clearly, and in a way that will be well-received by your audience. My COMM education prepared me to do this.
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
Experimental Methods. The course pushed me to use a different part of my brain that rubbed me the wrong way at the time, but ultimately helped me develop the type of writing stamina and research-oriented style needed for my current role.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
Zach celebrating with fellow Truman COMM grads at a friend’s wedding (2019).
Truman was where I gained the confidence to really define my personal “brand,” and grow as a person. Through the support of my professors and classmates, I was able to develop my voice into one that felt genuine and something to be proud of. So that, or sprinting from one end of campus to the other in 10 minutes for a final that didn’t end up being that day – toss up for sure.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
At Truman, your professors are on your team. They know your name. They know what you’re interested in. They know how to support you so you can get where you want to go. They genuinely care about your success, and only consider themselves successful when you are. Study at Truman like…yesterday.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Be a Teaching Assistant! Great way to strengthen relationships with professors, and meet more COMM students.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Zach and his writing chops at work (2020).
I am where I am because I happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right people. Life has a fun way of rewarding those who make time for a meaningful conversation, so always be willing to put yourself out there, and never burn bridges.
Specific to proposal development: hone your craft. Most companies have a wealth of industry knowledge, but lack the writing chops to properly convey their expertise. If you come to them with a fundamental understanding of writing principles and communication theory, you’re in. They want and desperately need your outsider perspective. They know that company-specific subject material can be easily taught; good writing, not so much.
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
The walkability of everything. My best friends lived five minutes from me. I could walk down the street to get the second-best cheeseburger in town. Even the walk to Barnett from my house on Washington Street has its memories. Mostly regretting not driving, but memories nonetheless.
What tag line would you create for the COMM department at Truman?
“Let’s get rhetorical!” (Editor’s note: Nice!)
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Digital Communication Etiquette. The course would explore how to navigate passive aggressive emails and phrases like “per my last email,” “bumping this to the top of your inbox,” and “let’s circle back on this.”
What did we not ask that you think is important for people to know?
Except for death and paying taxes, everything in life is only for now.
Zach with dogs (2019) and Zach outside his second home on graduation day (2015).
If you would like to learn more of Zach’s story, you can follow him on LinkedIn.