Lou Nieto

Former President

ConAgra Refrigerated Foods Group

“The INROADS experience helped me develop into a leader and rise to the top."

-Lou Nieto

Many INROADS Interns are pioneers in their families. That was true in the case of Lou Nieto. “I graduated form the University of Chicago in 1977. I was the first in our family to finish college and it was a proud moment for my father,” recalls Lou.

Thanks to his INROADS Internship Lou had a diploma and a job.

“After graduation, I went to work for my sponsoring company, American National Bank of Chicago for two years, before getting my MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration,” says Lou.

Today, Lou is President of ConAgra Refrigerated Foods Group, one of the nation’s leading packaged food companies, which counts among its brands, Healthy Choice, Hunts, and Orville Redenbacher.

“The INROADS experience helped me develop into a leader and rise to the top. As a member of the INROADS process, I learned the importance of teams and how they work, and exposure to corporate America. This was a real bonus for me because I had no idea what the corporate business world involved,” adds Lou.

The INROADS investment continues to give back, long after your internship is over. “The training and development I received as an INROADS Intern helps me in my current role as president, but it’s not just the training, it’s also the experiences that make you a leader,” recalls Lou.

A major component to the INROADS process is community service. “At home, at my Jesuit prep school, and with INROADS, the importance of giving back has been a primary lesson. As a result, service is an integral part of my life and my success,” says Lou.