Student and Alumni Stories
Brooks Weilbacher ’13
Financial Liaison: International and Field,
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington DC After graduating from college and working overseas, Brooks Weilbacher was recruited to work for the FBI, which was experiencing rapid growth after 9/11. During her six years there, the agency’s budget has grown from $5 billion to more than $9 billion. Today, working for the CFO’s office, her job is to help maintain FBI funding levels by ensuring that resources are well spent.
“In the last two years, tides are turning in Washington and our budgets are flattening as we’re experiencing the effects of a devastating recession. I realized I could have a tremendous impact on my organization if I could apply a business mind set to government. The commute to New York each weekend is worth it because I’m exposed to financiers and Wall Street gurus, and get to hear firsthand how they make their businesses lean. This is what I want to bring back to the government — ways of structuring projects and people to make us a more efficient entity. For me, Columbia’s EMBA bridges the gap between the private and public worlds.”
Eric Leskly ’14
President,
STS Corporation
Los Angeles, CA
A native Californian, Eric Leskly graduated from Columbia College in 2000, where he studied history and philosophy, and also took classes at the Business School. After working in management consulting and venture capital, he became president of STS Corporation, an aerospace and defense contractor in Los Angeles.
After managing a business for several years, he began considering executive MBA options. “There were several programs out there, but I knew I wanted Columbia,” he said. “When the School launched EMBA-Americas, I saw it as my chance.”
EMBA-Americas features a modular structure, with classes meeting in weeklong sessions approximately once a month. The format is unique to Columbia Business School and is designed to accommodate professionals from across the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
“EMBA-Americas is incredible. Our cluster developed a strong camaraderie almost immediately, which seems only to grow. The pool of talent is also amazing. People have such rich backgrounds and experiences, and each person brings something unique to the table, inside and outside of the classroom. I feel fortunate to be a part of it.
“The faculty is fantastic. In Columbia fashion, our professors relate what we are learning to the types of opportunities and challenges we will all encounter in our careers. After the second week, I already found myself applying specific things I had learned in classes at my company. That’s a pretty good return on investment.”
R. Fisher Reynolds ’09
COO,
Arnouse Digital Devices Corporation
Former Lieutenant,
US Navy
Worcester, MA
Mary Casey O’Dell ’10
Vice President, Distressed Debt Sales,
Morgan Stanley
New York, NY
Kate White ’09
Director of Investor Relations
The Stanley Works,
New York, NY
Stanley Tam ’10
Chief Cardiac Surgeon,
UMass Memorial Health Care
Newton, MA
Linda Santiago ’10
Manager, Interactive Marketing,
L’Oréal USA
New York, NY
Nicole Smith ’13
Director, Career Program,
Sponsors for Education Opportunity (SEO)
New York, NY
Today, Nicole Smith is director of the career program for Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a nonprofit that provides opportunities for underrepresented minority students to pursue high-profile careers. But before her current role, the organization helped her, as a client, obtain a position with Merrill Lynch, and she spent five years working on Wall Street. Along with her experience, enrolling in the EMBA program is helping her become the most effective nonprofit leader possible.
“Like most EMBA students, I’m fully engaged in my career and on a trajectory of growth and advancement. I didn’t want to step off that track completely. The program also allows me to take what I learn in the classroom and apply it immediately on the job. One of the ways that SEO measures its success is by looking at how many of our intern placements receive offers at the end of the summer. In my statistics class, I spoke with Professor Don Sexton about applying statistical tools to understand the ranges of ideal quantitative characteristics that might predict someone’s success. So now I can look at a student’s GPA and cross-reference that with their major and the caliber of their undergraduate school, to understand the right blend for success from a statistical standpoint.
“When I came to the nonprofit sector, I transitioned from being a producer to being a leader. So far the EMBA program has helped me hone my management skills. In my first term, the core classes were extremely useful for understanding any industry and any pursuit — grasping the basics of economics, statistics, accounting, leadership, and strategy. This all provided me not only with a foundation for analyzing an organization and its successes, but also with insight into how to be introspective as a leader and understanding of how I can grow and be more effective.”
Niki Madjlessi ’13
Consultant,
Accenture
New York, NY Niki Madjlessi’s career in telecommunications engineering for Accenture led her from her native France to New York in 2006. She is now a technology consultant for the company while pursuing Columbia Business School’s Executive MBA, adding to five years of experience and a master’s degree earned overseas.
“What I first liked about Columbia was the level and quality of the professors. I came to some classes and met with students before choosing the School, and I loved the practicality and the focus on case studies the courses offered. When I enrolled in the program, I experienced it for myself. For example, in my Corporate Finance class, we had presentations on the European debt crisis and the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. Our lessons are very concrete, timely, and real. When I’m consulting and talking with clients, I can now give better-educated answers because I’m acquiring business knowledge that I personally didn’t have before. My clients know I now understand both the technical and business sides of an issue.
“Columbia’s EMBA Saturday option is ideal for me because I can work five days during the week, then go to class on the weekends. And I still make time to get involved in the social life at Columbia. We EMBAs have access to all the student life and social activities at the School, as well as the opportunity to create clubs and engage with full-time students. It’s one of the best aspects of the Columbia community.”
Alejandro Baquero ’13
Vice President, Development,
New York City Economic Development Corporation
New York, NY
Alejandro Baquero came to the United States from Colombia nearly a decade ago. An attorney who specialized in infrastructure project financing, he decided he wanted to build things himself and came to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning at Columbia University. That degree eventually led to a position with New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), working on large-scale redevelopment projects. Baquero is currently a vice president of development at NYCEDC.
“Columbia’s professors are great — professors like Paul Ingram and Nahum Melumad — their energy and passion for their subjects is infectious. Being able to understand the things you read about in the Wall Street Journal and having them brought to life by people who are so smart and committed is amazing. It’s even better that you can apply that knowledge immediately at work. Just recently, I was involved in the selection of a company for the redevelopment of a site, and I was able to look at their financial statements and ask key, high-level questions based on the knowledge I acquired in class. I was able to do that after just my first semester of class. Long term, I am looking to work in public/private infrastructure and real estate development in South America, on the principal or the investment sides. The program has opened many exciting, new perspectives on the roles I can play in this realm.
“I kick myself for not starting the program a couple of years ago. If you think you want to go to business school, you should pursue it quickly. Go to the information sessions, talk to students and professors, or better yet, sit in on a class. It will require some lead time to get your employer on board, to prepare for the GMAT, and to put together the application, so don’t wait. Many employers will be happy to sponsor, but I think the earlier you can secure their support, the better.”
Anjali Malhotra ’12
Strategic Partner Development Manager in Music,
YouTube
New York, NY For Anjali Malhotra, work has always been about combining a passion for music with an ambition to succeed. When she started the EMBA program, she worked at EMI Publishing, the latest stop in a career focused on various areas of the music industry, from creative to sales. Halfway through the program, she landed a role at Google, working in business development for music on YouTube.
“The Career Management Center helped me make a job switch in the middle of the program. I also think my class work at Columbia made me a more desirable candidate for my new position. While I was doing the core courses, I was exposed to certain subjects and skills I didn’t necessarily have because of my previous work. And much of what I’ve learned I’ve applied right away in order to expand in my role. I can create financial models for some of our deals and that makes me much more versatile as a team player.”
|
