Spring 2014 Communiqué

NEWS ABOUT THE DANIELS P IONEER NETWORK: IMBA P IONEERS AROUND THE WORLD

DANIELS COLLEGE OF BUSINESS | UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

IMBA Inside | SPRING 2014 Announcements ................................ pg 2

Alumni Notes.................................... pg 3

Global Theory in Practice ................... pg 4

International Exchange Program ......... pg 5

Unexpected Road to Romance ........... pg 6

The Faces of the IMBA Program .......... pg 7

Photo Contest ................................... pg 8GO-IMBA Brazil class at the Daniels alumnus Caio Marins’ (far left) family farm. Thank you to Caio and his father, Luiz Marins (far right), for hosting a wonderful lecture about Brazilian culture and business and an amazing Brazilian BBQ!

Special Thanks

Image credits: Doug Allen

Contributing Writers: Chelsea Lehman Jared MarlingMark McCoy

The opinions expressed in Communiqué are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent official positions of the Daniels College of Business or the University of Denver.

2 | COMMUNIQUÉ | SPRING 2014

Dear Friends, Greetings from Denver!

Ram Charan, the well known consultant to CEOs, recently released a book, Global Tilt, that is well worth reading. The book is a message to leaders and managers in the “global north” documenting the rising influence and

opportunity resident in “global south” economies. Charan explains: “The world has tilted. Its economic center has shifted from what have traditionally been called the advanced or Western countries of the northern hemisphere to fast-developing countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and others in the Middle East and even parts of Africa.” He suggests that many “global north” leaders will require new skills and perspectives to successfully participate in “the biggest change in the history of business” and “for most business people… the biggest challenge of their careers.”

As many of you know from personal experience, the Daniels IMBA has and will continue to focus on developing countries in the global south as an important part of our curriculum as well as the geographic focus for our Global Theory in Practice travel experiences. You will see in this issue that Daniels is also systematically expanding opportunity for overseas study and travel.

This past fall, our first exchange students traveled to Tongji University in Shanghai and at the same time we welcomed our first students from Tongji University here in Denver. The Daniels College has also recently established a donor-supported fund to make overseas travel possible for more students. We hope that you enjoy reading about these and other developments at Daniels in the following pages.

Douglas AllenDirector, International MBA ProgramDaniels College of Business

Doing business in the 21st century involves crossing borders and cultures, and requires a different kind of leader. The Daniels International MBA (IMBA) prepares students for careers in a highly complex and globalized business environment. An MBA program at its core, the IMBA provides a solid business foundation taught by faculty with deep international experience, and includes the Compass courses required in Daniels other MBA programs. In addition to Daniels course work, students take classes at the renowned Korbel School of International Studies that help develop practical international management skills and a broad global perspective. The Daniels IMBA features a required international travel course—past trips include Tanzania and Brazil, along with China—and a second-language proficiency requirement.

Originally founded as the Master of International Management (MIM) in 1975—one of the first graduate business programs in the country to focus on global business—the Daniels IMBA gives students the global perspective, business skills and cross-cultural training to succeed in a global business world. Today almost 900 Daniels IMBA and MIM alumni are living and working around the world.

IMBA Board of Advisors Ms. Myrna Ann Adkins, Dr. Douglas Allen,Mr. Roy Becker, Mr. Paul Bergman,Mr. Ian Bird, Mr. Matjaz Bren,Ms. Leslie Carter, Ms. Sally Covington,Dr. David Hopkins, Dr. Lloyd Lewan,Mr. Trip Mackintosh, Mr. Tim McCune,Ms. Angela Mutungi,Dr. Ved Nanda, Mr. Jim Reis,Mr. Tom Ritter andMr. Brian Thompson

Why the International MBA?

The International MBA (IMBA) program and the Daniels community are excited to welcome the new incoming Spring 2014 graduate students as they begin their educational journey!

Lena GerberNhu Pham

Mark McCoyJames MacAulay

Megan Murobayashi Nikki Sengsavanh

Congratulations to the June 2014 IMBA graduates!

Trevor BazleyWhitney BradfordWalter CottinghamAmanda FordLauren GeistAllen Groue

Adam Kibble Dana LewisYao MuDena NewTimothy Otto James Spear

Matthew TuckerMatthew WagnerBorui ZhangLing ZhangHexiang ZhangXinyu Zhang

Congratulations to the March 2014 IMBA graduates!

Matthew BowersCraig ForsterLauren GeistAlexander Knopes

Chelsea LehmanAustin MowryKavita RodgersStephen Schlieman

Samuel SmartCharles Thompson

Letter to Alumni

Announcements

SPRING 2014 | COMMUNIQUÉ | 3

Alumni Notes

NOAH ECKERT, IMBA/MS FINANCE 2007

Noah Eckert currently serves as senior vice president of sales and business development at Martifer Solar, a Portuguese renewable energy developer.

Since graduating with an IMBA in 2007, he has worked internationally in China, Taiwan, Portugal and the UK. He has developed over 500MW of commercial and utility solar PV projects, with more than 60MW fully commissioned. This is equivalent to powering over 9,300 homes with clean energy per year. He and his wife Allison recently welcomed their baby boy, Orion Deane, into the world.

SHAMREE (LANDIS) HOWARD, IMBA 2003

For ten years, Shamree Howard has worked in many different aspects of technical marketing for Agilent Technologies, utilizing her BS in Electrical

Engineering, her IMBA and knowledge of French. Her experience with outbound marketing for new products has allowed her to travel within 12 countries, visiting customers and running tradeshows. During her time with Agilent, Howard married, had three children and enjoyed the California lifestyle. She has since moved back to Colorado and recently became the senior manager of marketing and communications for Danlaw Inc., an engineering firm focused on innovation of services in the usage based insurance (UBI) industry. Howard’s specialty is “herding technical cats” for a concentrated marketing effort. She was recently published in EETimes for “Women in Engineering: The Balancing Act.”

SCOTT HUANG, MIM/MS IT 2001 After Scott Huang graduated from Daniels in 2001, he decided to return to his native Taiwan and work for Dell Taipei as the design manager

for its tablet product development division. This challenging role requires a keen knowledge of ODM engineering and operational management and technology management across functional design. Within this position, Huang has gained experience in an expansive company that hosts projects across different organizations. He still loves Denver and hopes to find an opportunity to visit with his new wife and DU alumna, Flora, and their two children. In his free time, Huang is eager to connect with DU alumni in Taiwan and share the experience he had at DU.

ALI MCELROY, IMBA 2013Since graduating, Ali McElroy traded her winter clothes for shorts when she moved to Panama to work with a nonprofit organization called Global Brigades.

Her primary job is the liaison between volunteers (university students and business professionals) and local communities who work to make development projects in rural Panama possible. She has especially enjoyed setting up community banks in indigenous communities where access to financial resources is limited. More than anything, she has realized that there is much more to Panama than just an impressive canal!

CHRISTINE PACK, IMBA 2013After graduating from Daniels, Christine Pack moved to Uganda to work as the regional director for the Global Livingston Institute, an organization that

engages the public, private and nonprofit sectors to foster innovative and strategic solutions in international development. Currently she is working on scaling businesses in the region, including a business for farmer extension services in northern Uganda and a candle making business comprised of only female employees. Her focus is on tackling the youth unemployment rate in Uganda, which is the highest in Africa.

TROY STILES, IMBA 2010After graduating from Daniels in 2010, Troy Stiles has been able to maintain his focus on international issues. In 2013, he managed an entertainment group

that traveled to US military bases and embassy functions in Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. Most recently he has assumed the role of communication manager for GlobaLinks Learning Abroad (formerly AustraLearn) to oversee the customer communications and public relations efforts of the organization. He also runs a small bicycle tour company, Crazy Spoke Cycling Adventures, where he oversees marketing and operations.

CALLING FOR ALUMNI NOTES

New career, new promotion, recently married? We want to know. Please contact Leslie Carter at [email protected] to submit an update along with a photo.


Global Theory in Practice

Global Theory in Practice: New Streams of Funding Last summer, the Daniels College of Business unveiled the Joseph W. and Sharon P. Saunders Endowed Global Education Fund. The $1.55 million endowment is directed towards the expansion of global impact through scholarships that will support graduate students participating in selected international travel courses. The first round of funding was awarded to second-year IMBA student Adam Kibble. Kibble was the recipient of both the Saunders Global Scholar Award and the Leigh Rogers GO-IMBA Scholarship, which supported his educational pursuits in the field of international business. Kibble participated in the Daniels GO-IMBA trip to Brazil in December of 2013, working on a four-month consulting engagement with the Vail Resorts marketing division.

The Saunders Global Scholar Award assists students with pursuing international consulting experiences and provides opportunities for global career placement and global executive programs. With ever-increasing travel costs to locations such as Brazil, Tanzania, and China, the scholarships enable students to participate who would not otherwise be able to afford such experiences. According to Leslie Carter, associate director of the IMBA Program, “the cost of running overseas programs for our students has continued to climb since we first implemented the required overseas experience in 2001. We have seen costs rise substantially, particularly in the last few years—even in the emerging and transitional economies where we tend to focus our programming.” Another goal of the fund is to further the Daniels Global Initiative, which facilitates new educational partnerships, such as the Tongji and Doshisha exchanges, and enhances international business partnerships, such as those with Opera Software, Vail Resorts and Crowe Horwath.

The Leigh Rogers GO-IMBA Scholarship is named for Leigh Rogers Slack, who graduated with her MBA from Daniels in 2012. While at DU she was involved with Net Impact, worked as a student business plan mentor for the Greater Good Academy, and as a sustainability consultant for Microfinance Institutions. She participated in the 2011 GO-MBA Israel program and found it to be very rewarding. She can recall many students who wanted to participate in either a GO-IMBA or GO-MBA international program, but could not do so due to the rising expenses. In August 2013, Rogers approached DU Advancement and committed to providing $4,000 to support two graduate students with financial need in the Daniels GO programs. After deliberations by the Global Scholarship Committee, two $2,000 Leigh Rogers GO-IMBA Scholarships were awarded to Daniels graduate students to support their participation in the December 2013 GO-IMBA Brazil program. According to Matt Wagner, the other recipient of both the Saunders Global Scholar Award and the Leigh Rogers GO-IMBA Scholarship, “this scholarship and the IMBA program in general have really opened doors for me and put me on the path to a successful global career.” Wagner and Kibble have sent Rodgers reports on the Brazil program and have expressed deep appreciation for her support.

Without the participation of the sponsoring companies, Daniels students would not be able to get the value and rich texture that an in-country experience with an internationally-based company provides. If you or your organization are interested in working with our students regarding an internationally based consulting project, please contact Tom Dowd at [email protected].


The international exchange program at Daniels is built on the startegic goal of increasing the College’s global impact. Though the program was initiated with Queensland University of Technology in Australia in 2010, it recently gained substantial momentum sparked by a few key partnerships in East Asia with Doshisha University and Tongji University. These partnerships will result not only in a significant level of collaboration between the universities, but also allow students on both halves of the equation

to experience short-term and long-term learning experiences in unique cultural contexts. Daniels is at the forefront of international exchange opportunities at the University of Denver, and hopes to pave the way for the rest of the University. According to Tom Dowd, Daniels senior director of globalization, “The key to success for these exchange agreements is to have a faculty champion at the heart of the relationship on each side.”

International Exchange Program

International Exchange Program

SHANGHAI, CHINA Tongji University Tongji is one of the leading universities in China. Dr. Doug Allen, director of the IMBA Program, has a long history with the university as a visiting professor, and is Daniels champion for this partnership. In the fall of 2013, the first Daniels student completed a semester abroad at Tongji, while two students from Tongji completed courses at Daniels. The Daniels student was able to experience life in China and “deepened his language and cultural skills in a way that will work to his advantage as he does business in or with China in the future,” according to Dowd. In addition, the student was able to provide insights from his experience that will help to improve the exchange relationship.

KYOTO, JAPAN

Doshisha University Doshisha is a highly-esteemed university in the gorgeous city of Kyoto, about two and a half hours from Tokyo. Its Global MBA program is composed of a highly international student body. This exciting new partnership is being championed by professor Dr. Cindy Fukami, who connected with members of the university while visiting her daughter in Japan. Dr. Fukami says she is optimistic about this partnership, because “the Global MBA Program at Doshisha is very similar to Daniels, and emphasizes sustainability, which is critically important in Japan.” After follow-up visits by faculty and staff members from both universities, the agreement was approved in late January 2014. Daniels faculty and staff are very enthused about the quality of the Doshisha program, and are in the initial stages of recruiting students for participation in the program in late 2014 and early 2015.


Adam Kibble traveled to Brazil for the GO-IMBA program in December 2013 with ambitions to finish his trip honeymooning with his wife, Jessica. When the trip ended in Rio de Janeiro, Kibble flew three hours to meet his

wife in the north-eastern city of Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará state, a city

known for its beautiful beaches. She had just completed more than 24 hours of traveling-from Denver, to Miami, to Sao Paulo, and finally to Fortaleza. Their final destination was Jericoacoara, located on an isolated peninsula and named by TripAdvisor as one of the world’s most romantic beaches. They enjoyed their trip immensely and found out that life in “Jeri” is all about the sun, the sand, the ocean and the nightlife.

Erica and Jorge Maciel unexpectedly found love in the London airport on the way to their Global Theory in Practice trip to Egypt in June 2004. According to Erica: “Jorge and I never had a chance to really meet each other in class, but when our paths crossed at the London airport on the way to Egypt, we were immediately drawn to each other. Nothing like flying all the way to Egypt to meet the love of your life. We dated while on the class trip. It was definitely the most unexpected but best part of my whole IMBA program!”

Bo Storozuk and his wife Chelsea met while pursuing their undergraduate degrees in Wisconsin. In November 2011, they travelled halfway across the globe to Brazil for a GO-IMBA program and chose to stay afterwards and explore South America. Bo and Chelsea created some amazing memories, and Bo recalls one in particular:

“After backpacking through Bolivia and ten days of consulting in Brazil, we made our way to Argentina with two of our classmates to visit Cataratas del Iguazú (Iguaçu Falls). After getting some advice the night before from our hostel owners, we decided to start the day off down the Macuco walking trail. So with a bottle of bubbly in Sebastian’s backpack, a rolling camera in Brian’s hand, and a faux engagement ring in board shorts pocket, the group set out. After a 3.6km hike, we reached our destination of the Arrechea Waterfall. We got there early enough in the morning that we had the falls almost all to ourselves. After a little coaxing, I convinced Chelsea to join me for a swim, and standing underneath the roaring waterfall she said ‘Yes!’”

Truly a happy ending to the 2011 GO-IMBA trip.

Tia (Johnston) and Charlie Brown met in 2002 on their capstone trip to Vietnam. After many more trips around the world, the two were married in 2007. Today, they live in Portland, OR with their two small children. Guthrie and Juniper. Charlie runs his own design

consulting firm called Context Partners, and Tia works for an international development organization called Ashoka, helping young people around the world gain change-making skills.

The Unexpected Road to RomanceGlobal Theory in Practice travel experiences are a unique part of the International MBA program at Daniels. These opportunities prove to be fun bonding experiences for students, as well as an outstanding global business preview for all participants. Over the years, these trips have led some students to an unexpected result—romance!


The Faces of the IMBA Program

Meet Our Current IMBAs

ALEX KNOPES Alex Knopes is in his last quarter of the IMBA/GFTEI dual degree. He came to DU after studying biology, economics and Spanish at Wake Forest University. Korbel’s GFTEI degree provided the opportunity to study how international financial markets function

and how globalization has affected various countries, specifically developing countries. Daniels IMBA degree afforded him time to travel to Brazil, consult for multiple companies, and study with a wide variety of people through a more business-oriented lens. Studying at DU has allowed Knopes to follow his passions and to reach his goals. He looks forward to disrupting the working world with his skills, energy and work ethic.

SYNDI LEAV Syndi Leav, a Colorado native, is a first-year IMBA/GFTEI dual degree student who plans to focus on international trade and economic development. After obtaining her BA in International Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder, she continued to travel

internationally while working in retail. Leav currently works full-time as a trade analyst for a Canadian customs and compliance company and hopes to use her international experiences and education from Daniels to work abroad. Leav chose the IMBA program at Daniels to gain the knowledge necessary to prepare for a successful international career.

CODY ROTH Cody Roth is a first year IMBA student who came to Daniels after working in the management consulting field in Washington, DC. His specialty has been working with the Department of Defense on performance management, strategy and foreign military

sales. Roth has worked on international projects in Brazil, Finland, Japan, Germany and Canada. He earned his BS in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University. Roth has also worked on two presidential campaigns where he was an operations field officer in Iowa and Michigan. He came to Daniels to shift his career to a more international focus and looks forward to the opportunity to participate in the Global Theory in Practice course.

MATT WAGNER Matt Wagner came to Daniels from his home state of Minnesota. His educational background is in liberal arts, majoring in both English and Spanish. The event that most inspired Wagner to pursue his IMBA was the semester he spent abroad in Bilbao, Spain. Wagner is currently in the management consulting industry and is looking forward to utilizing the skills he has gained at Daniels during a rewarding global career path.

LING ZHANG Ling Zhang is a second-year IMBA student. She received her BA in International Business and Management from The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China. After that she started her own international business. Most recently, she travelled to Brazil where she

worked with a team of Daniels students on a live consulting project, providing analysis and recommendations for an international accounting firm.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2014 Outstanding IMBA Student Award Winner

STEPHEN SCHLIEMAN Stephen Schlieman grew up in Saudi Arabia and Germany and has always been inclined towards an international career. After graduating from the George Washington University, he worked for the IMF, World Bank and in international corporate governance. Schlieman also lived and worked in London for seven years managing a multinational operations team. He pursued the IMBA/GFTEI dual degree that Daniels offers with Korbel because it combines core practical MBA skills with the global awareness required to be a successful leader. Schlieman’s goal is to apply these skills as an economic officer and diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service or as a leader within a globally oriented business.

Runners Up for the Award: Trevor Bazley

and Warren Booth

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Do you have any great photos from your international experiences? If so, we want to see them! We are having a competition to feature photos of alumni from locations across the world. Submit the best photos of you and your family, friends or other Daniels Pioneers (preferably wearing Daniels gear) from all corners of the globe, and you could see one of your photos featured in the next newsletter! Remember this is a competition, so show us your best Pioneer pose! Send your submission to Leslie Carter at [email protected].

Show Us Your Daniels Pride From Around the World!

Spring 2014 Communiqué

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Transcript of Spring 2014 Communiqué