UA EMBA To Visit Peru and Ecuador in 2018

• August 17th, 2017
• in International Trip

The University of Alabama Executive MBA Class of 2018 will be visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu and Lima, Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador Feburary 23-March 3, with an optional post trip to the Galapagos Islands March 3-6.
The UA EMBA Program has been taking students abroad since 2003. We have visited 20 countries, 35 cities and over 135 companies. The trip is a requirement of the International Business course taught in the final semester.  A benefit for our EMBA alumni is that trip is always open for them to attend.  A guest package is also made available with many students bringing a family member.

The trip is considered a highlight of the program including visits to a wide range of industries and a consulting project focusing on a social enterprise and a community project in Lima, Peru. No trip is complete without exploring the culture and sights of the cities we visit.  The upcoming trip begins with Machu Picchu, located 7,972 feet high in the Andes Mountains showcasing an impressive five-mile and 3,000 stone step man-made wonder. A tour of Cusco, the “Archaelogical Capital of the World” and an afternoon at a Hacienda in Guayaquil are included.

A special tradition for our EMBAs has been the optional “Bucket List” location.  In 2018 the post trip is to the Galapagos Islands.  This once in a lifetime location will allow students to observe the fragile ecosystem and get up close and personal with the unique animal species that populate this magnificent archipelago and surrounding waters.
More than half of all American Fair Trade Partners are in Latin America, making the choice of these countries simple. The selection of Peru and Ecuador allows us to compare and contrast between the two Latin American countries.
According to the U.S. State Department, “Peru has had two decades of pro-growth, yielding unprecedented economic expansion, low inflation, investment-grade status for the country’s debt, significant foreign investment in mining and manufacturing and a dramatic drop in poverty rates. The U.S. and Ecuador share a history of partnership and cooperation, and have mutual interests in reducing poverty, fostering Ecuador’s economic development, increasing trade and addressing environmental conservation and biodiversity.”

Our travel agency for 2018 is The Austral Group. Austral has been conducting trips for Executive MBA programs for almost a decade. Headquartered in Santiago, Chile they have an international staff of 47 organizing programs throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Austral is focused on creating an extraordinary international education experience for students. Dynamic, energetic and truly passionate about what they do.

For more information on the international trip and how you can enroll in the UA EMBA, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501.

To request information now, click here.

UA Welcomes 10th Huntsville EMBA Class

• August 9th, 2017
• in EMBA Uncategorized, UA EMBA Latest News/Events

The University of Alabama and Culverhouse College of Commerce welcomed the 10th Huntsville Executive MBA Class on August 3-5, for orientation and the start of classes. Twenty students make up the HEMBA Class of 2019 representing industries from government, engineering, energy, defense, automotive, retail/services, media, finance and manufacturing.
With an average age of 40 and 14 years average work experience, the class is comprised of 85% managers and 15% vice president, C-level or owners of companies.  Twenty-five percent are military, defense or veterans.

During orientation students are involved in team building activities to help them get to know their new team members and others in their class.
In addition to sessions to help students “get back into school,” they also met with Gary Ward, director of career services for the Manderson Graduate School.  Ward addressed those looking to make a career change or are involved in the hiring process in their current job.  He also covered CareerLeader, a business career self-assessment survey that shows how your interests, skills and motivators match career paths or company cultures.

The night before classes began on August 4, the students took part in the EMBA tradition of the University of Alabama campus Scavenger Hunt.  Students spread out all over campus to take selfies at UA landmarks.

The orientation dinner was hosted by the EMBA Alumni Network Board with President Russell Shamburger (EMBA 2004) welcoming the new HEMBA class. Students had the opportunity to also meet and talk with faculty and class representatives from current classes.

The next day the students began their first semester courses in Accounting, Marketing, Project Management and Statistics.

The class is already hard at work with their first term courses.  “It was a great, well-run orientation,” said Cindy Vigil “So glad to be part of the Class of 2019!”

The HEMBAs will join the 34th Tuscaloosa class that will start in November 2017 to form the EMBA Class of 2019.

Congratulations to our incoming HEMBA Class of 2019:

• Rodrigo Gallegos, Electrolux Major Appliances, North America
• Diana Goss, Dekalb County Economic Development Authority
• Ray Kolis, Nissan North America
• Jonathan Lewis, Kord Technologies
• Stirling Macfarlane, PPG Industries, Inc.
• John Malloch, Motion Industries
• Ray Morris, VentureSouth
• Taylor Nelson, Southern Nuclear Plant Vogtle
• Nicole Parker, PPG Industries, Inc.
• Shane Peek, Heil Environmental Company
• Custis Proctor, Synovus Corporate Banking
• Cabel Rich, Mars Wrigley Confectionary
• Scott Staples, Fidelity Investments
• Shintaro Teranobu, OSG USA, Inc.
• Joe Thomas, Orascoptic
• Denise Vickers, WHNT News 19
• Cindy Vigil, Army Material Command/U.S. Army Reserves
• John Waltz, Ecolab
• Tamara Washington, Reckitt Benckiser
• Cathy White, First Impressions Integrated Marketing

For more information on how you can enroll in the UA EMBA, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501.

To request information now, click here.

Recent UA EMBA Graduates See Advances In Their Careers

• August 2nd, 2017
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

It is always a proud moment to see our EMBAs students graduate.  Lots of amazing memories and “Roll Tides!”  For 17 to 21 months our office has the pleasure and privilege to work with and get to know our amazing students as they complete their master’s degree.  They enroll in The University of Alabama’s Executive MBA Program for many reasons, but the number one reason is to enhance their careers and further their business knowledge.

The results of the UA EMBA End of Program survey of the 2017 class showed that the program had a 100% impact on the career and personal aspirations of our graduates. The graduates also reported a 16% salary increase from beginning to end of the program with employers receiving payback of their investment six months on average from the time they entered the program.
The EMBA Class of 2017 graduated in May and are already being promoted and making changes in their careers.

After graduation, Doug Lafont and Frazer McCurdy became owners of International Crating and Assembly Corporation in Montgomery.
ICAC delivers packaging solutions to OEMs and top-tier suppliers, as well as mid-large scale manufacturers. They specialize in all types of crating and packaging in wood, steel, plastic and corrugate, from the seed of an idea to the final product.
Receiving promotions following graduation were Bhuwan Thakur, who is now associate director of strategic accounts for Infosys, a global leader in technology services & consulting, in Los Angeles, California and Michael Adams, who became Ad Operations Specialist for marketing services company Randall-Reilly.
Katie Askew made a move to staff accountant at Cardlytics. Headquartered in Atlanta, Cardlytics partners with more than 1,500 financial institutions to run their online and mobile banking rewards programs.
Nicole Reynolds changed jobs to become an executive assistant at Appleton Talent, a company that provides HR management and staffing services. Ryan Stallings is the new senior commercial loan officer at Alabama One Credit Union.

After graduation Matt Zepp became senior analyst with Millennium Systems Service, Inc. (MSSI) in Huntsville. “As the subject matter expert, I will be traveling the country and internationally to support the American Apache helicopter programs, foreign military sales for Apache, and provide operational guidance and training support, analysis and logistics,” said Zepp.
UA EMBA typically has 25 percent military, defense or Veteran enrollment.  They may be advancing their military career or transitioning as Rich Winstead did recently from the U.S. Navy to regional manager of the Southeastern U.S. for Power Service.
We are proud of our most recent graduating class’s success as we are of all of our alumni and students as they advance their careers, further their knowledge, or start a new business. Roll Tide!

For more information on the EMBA Program and how you can advance your career, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu.