EMBA Alumni Return to Tuscaloosa for Networking Conference

• October 12th, 2017
• in EMBA Alumni Network

By Kate Hampton

Members of The University of Alabama’s Executive MBA program returned to Tuscaloosa for the fourth annual EMBA Alumni Network Conference, October 5^th – 6^th. Alumni from the very first 1986 class to recent 2017 graduates were in attendance. The conference commenced at Heat Pizza Bar in downtown Tuscaloosa, AL with a networking reception. It was exciting for alumni to reconnect with classmates and professors.

The second day of the conference took place at the Bryant Conference Center where attendees reunited to discuss innovative ideas and connect on future work and passion projects. The conference opened with speaker Dr. Greg Michaelson, Director of DataRobot Labs. His illuminating presentation on data science covered the four keys to building a competitive advantage.

Matthew Lawrence, Advanced Analytics Consultant for Slalom Consulting, followed Dr. Michaelson’s presentation as he challenged attendees to explore the application of agile methodology to analytics projects.
In the afternoon, Dr. Brian Gray, Associate Dean of Manderson Graduate School, provided alumni with updates regarding the Culverhouse College of Commerce’s 2017 rankings. Forbes ranked the MBA Program 43^rd overall, 21^st public, and 2^nd in the SEC (moving us up 6, 4, and 2 spots, respectively) as having the best return on investment for students.

Gray also reported the 1^st place finish of the full-time MBA case team at the 2017 National Black MBA Association Conference Case Competition in Philadelphia, PA.

Donna Blackburn, Executive Director of the EMBA program, presented the 2017 EMBA Alumni Survey results with 26% responding to the survey. The surveyed alumni reported a 51% salary increase on average after graduating from the EMBA program. Program satisfaction rate increased to 99% this year (a 4% increase over the last survey conducted in 2015).

The president of the 2016-2017 EMBA Alumni Network, Russell Shamburger (TEMBA 2004), recognized outgoing board member Ben Paulk (TEMBA 2012). An active member of the board, Paulk has served as Communications Chair and 2015-2016 President. During his acceptance speech, Paulk stated, “The EMBA Alumni Network has been incredibly valuable to me and I encourage everyone to get involved and continue to help grow the network.”

Shamburger also introduced the 2017-2018 EMBA Alumni Network Board President, Jennifer Thomas (TEMBA 2014), who shared her goals for the upcoming year, including mentorship and career development initiatives.
With a final sendoff, the conference closed with a “Roll Tide” and reminder of the November 4^th Alumni Tailgate for Alabama vs. LSU.

To learn more about the UA EMBA Alumni Network and how you can become a part of the next incoming class, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501. To request information now, click here.

Get Ready for the EMBA Alumni Network Conference

• September 20th, 2017
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

On October 5-6, The University of Alabama Executive MBA Alumni Network will host alumni, students and guests for their annual conference. The focus of the conference includes learning from great speakers and each other, networking and uniting to foster and grow the EMBA Program that brought them together.
The conference will kick-off with an opening reception on Thursday, October 5, at Heat Pizza Bar from 5:00-6:30 p.m.  The conference begins at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, October 6 at the Bryant Conference Center, 2nd floor, Lackey Room.
If you have not registered, NOW is the time to reserve your spot! Click here to register!

Great Speakers

This year we have two speakers that will inspire you with their own approaches to solutions and improving outcomes.

Update Your LinkedIn: You Can Be a Data Scientist
Greg Michaelson is Director of DataRobot Labs
Advanced tools have automated the process of building and deploying predictive models from credit scoring to customer churn to marketing response models.  Technology is forcing business people to learn and adapt to AI solutions to standard business problems.  In this talk, Greg will give a gentle introduction to some common terminology in data science, help you differentiate between hype and substance, and demonstrate the power of machine learning automation through a live demo of DataRobot.

Applying an Agile Methodology to Analytics
Matthew Lawrence is Advanced Analytics Consultant for Slalom Consulting
Many analytics projects begin with great vision and end with disappointment. Managing expectations, getting stakeholder buy-in and participation, integrating business needs with the IT departments strategy are all necessary to being successful in larger organizations. Often, these areas create hurdles to successfully developing analytics solutions that are both technically sound and useful to the business. CRISP-DM and SEMMA tend to follow a more traditional waterfall approach to analytics development. We at Slalom have developed our own approach to using agile in our analytics development that has greatly improved our outcomes.

EMBA Review & What’s Ahead
Hear from the president of the EMBA Alumni Network, associate dean of Manderson Graduate School and director of the EMBA Program as they reveal the results of the EMBA Alumni Survey and discuss future goals.

Networking, Reconnecting and Food
There’s more to the UA EMBA Alumni Network Conference than just great content—it’s also a lot of fun! Reconnecting with classmates, forging new friendships and business relationships, and enjoying local Tuscaloosa dining.  How could it not be an amazing event? It’s your University of Alabama Executive MBA. Roll Tide!

Register now. You do not want to miss the EMBA Alumni Network Conference. See you in Tuscaloosa.
For more information on the Executive MBA Conference contact Donna Blackburn at 205.348.8748.
To learn more about the UA EMBA Program and how you can apply contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or call 205.348.4501. To request information now, click here.