Alum
Jason Wadler
CEO and co-founder of The Wisory
Jason Wadler, BA’89, CEO and co-founder of The Wisory, a membership-based platform that connects business executives with a network of highly experienced and accomplished advisors.
“As a student, I chose IU because of my campus visit. The beauty of the campus, the friendly students, and great tour guide all played a role. It also helped that the basketball team had just won the national championship.
One of my fondest memories is actually in my History of Rock and Roll class taught by the legendary Glenn Gass. We came to class, and Lou Reed was at the front of the class — we were all blown away. He then played with John Mellencamp at the Bluebird that night. In fact, that may be why I like to bring in my own rock stars from the business world.
My advertising copywriting class was taught by a legend, Phil Burton. Getting a C was like getting an A, he was tough. But he became a friend and mentor and helped me get my first job. In a way, what I’m doing is a ‘pay it forward’ for him.
I thought I was going to be a creative director at a major ad agency. I started as a copywriter but soon realized my writing was too personal, and I did not like being critiqued. So, I moved to the marketing/strategy side of the business and have evolved from there.
There are three parts to my career path. The first was building products and innovation at Fortune 500 businesses — Discover Card, Ameritech/AT&T and MediaOne/Comcast. The second was building businesses — Townsend Agency, Leapfrog Online, JiMMYBAR, and inTandem Health along with advising/investing in other businesses.
This third part is what I’m in now, building leaders, which includes my teaching at IU as an adjunct instructor, mentoring at University of Chicago and building The Wisory to help leaders and their businesses get to the next level through executive networking.”
Written By Emerson Elledge
Photos By Katherine Maners