An Anthropologist Out of Water: Utilizing Anthropological Methods and Thought in the Banking and Government Sectors

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This talk will be presented online using Zoom. Registration is required. Log in information for Zoom will be emailed to those who have registered by 3:00 pm on Wednesday, October 7.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK49WJ6tWrk

Speaker:  Matt Stoffer, MA, State University of New York at Buffalo

About the talk:

It's a frightening prospect when graduation is on the horizon, and it feels like your dream job is fading away in the harshly dawning light of debt and responsibility. Back in 2011, with my own graduation looming, I remember hearing then-Florida governor, Rick Scott, ask why his state should use its higher education budget to fund anthropology programs, and I was terrified by the public's general agreement with that question. I'm here to tell you that there is life, and prosperity, beyond an anthropology degree. I'm here to tell you that working outside the traditional lanes of an anthropologist is an opportunity, not a failure. By tracing my professional trajectory these last few years and discussing a number of instances in which the problems and challenges I encountered were overcome with anthropologically-driven solutions, I intend to draw a distinction between anthropology as an implicit, professional skill set and anthropology as a vocation. My hope is that this discussion can encourage students to focus and develop one in order to grow toward the other.

About the speaker:

Having completed his M.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology, with a focus in medical anthropology, from the SUNY University at Buffalo in June 2014, Mr. Stoffer is an early-to-mid career professional with experience in the banking and government contracting sectors. Mr. Stoffer is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) currently supporting a contract with the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a federal agency that regulates domestic financial institutions and functions as the financial intelligence unit (FIU) for the United States. Combining a diverse skill set, Mr. Stoffer aims to promote a practical, everyday anthropology by providing innovative, anthropologically-driven solutions to challenges in private and public industry.