UC Davis Graduation with Streamers
Success Stories

Success Stories

As a student of the Graduate School of Management’s MBA program, you will have access to a tremendous network that includes a cohort of driven students and accomplished alumni. Enjoy reading stories about their past experiences, current successes, and how their UC Davis MBA helped them achieve their goals.

A Perfect Match: My Journey to the C-Suite at Rabobank

"At UC Davis, I learned how to balance people, profit and planet.”

MBA alumna Fabiana Alves credits the Career Development team for encouraging her to apply for an internship at Rabobank. Fifteen years later, she is CEO of Rabobank in Brazil and is shaping the global banking industry.

Alumni Video Spotlight: Robin Greenspan MBA 17

MBA alum Robin Greenspan recently returned to share with new students about maximining their MBA experience. He did just that as student body president and since earned several promotions at Intel where he's now in a senior financial management role. View video.

Alumni Spotlight: Curtis Mann MBA 06

Double Aggie alumnus Curtis Mann BA 02 MBA 06, now one of only about 50 Master of Wine and group vice president at Albertsons Cos., shares his journey in the wine business, and the professors and courses that have helped him excel in his career. Mann recently joined the Graduate School of Management's Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Student Stories: From X'ian, China to Corporate Finance at Google

After completing her MBA at UC Davis, Betty Yao started her journey in Silicon Valley by joining a startup called Pillow, which she shares in this blog from Interstride. See how her career at Pillow, which was later acquired by Expedia, transitioned to a role on the Corporate Finance team at Google.

Alumni Spotlight: Jane You MBA 14

Group Product Manager, Dropbox

"Being a collaborative leader for me means curating a team culture with openness and common goals," says MBA alumna Jane You.

Alumni Spotlight: Bryan Shepherd MBA 11

Division Controller, Agilent Technologies

"Being a collaborative leader starts with being respectful, polite and actively listening to your team and those around you." 

Alumni Spotlight: Rani Chu MBA 11

Project Manager, LAM Research

A project manager at Lam Research, alumna Rani Chu MBA 11 shares how collaborative leadership helps her meet the challenges of a fast-paced Silicon Valley environment.

Student Spotlight: Yuan Cheng

Full-Time MBA

Yuan Cheng shares his MBA story about the power of collaborative leadership and his entrepreneurial spirit to take on his own business in the food and ag sector.

Student Spotlight: Prayas Tiwari

Full-Time MBA

UC Davis MBA student Prayas Tiwari shares his story as a student leader, his thoughts on the power of collaborative leadership, and his advice to prospective students and the community.

Student Spotlight: Kalina Springer MBA 21

Full-Time MBA

"One of my favorite things about UC Davis and the GSM and why I decided to come here was because of the pillars of collaboration and the clubs and all of the student engagement and everybody's commitment to socializing and being a support system for one another."

Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Heaney MBA 83

Collaboration and teamwork drive success at the Southern California Golf Association

For Kevin Heaney, being a collaborative leader is key to evolving challenges into opportunities.

Alumni Spotlight: Wendy White MBA 94

Vice President of Marketing at Egencia, former U.S. Army intelligence officer

After 12 years as a U.S. Army military intelligence officer, Wendy White spent two decades leading marketing technology teams at CenturyLink, Intel, Microsoft and Motorola.

Lauren Davis Works and Plays Hard with Heart and Passion

Sports and Marketing Interests Lead to Internship at Adidas

Like a hard, game-winning spike that leaves a big impression, Lauren Davis has never forgotten the inspiring words of her junior high school club volleyball coach. “He said, ‘play with heart.’ Everything you do in life should be done with passion.”

Jenny Hebets Pursues Career in Supply Chain Sustainability

Jenny Hebets MBA 16 discovered international development as a teenager, but didn’t know it yet. Hebets’ high school required her to volunteer. So for four years, she would truck down to the same community in Tijuana from her Southern California home. She saw houses built on trash dumps, fashioned from discarded garage doors and plastic tarps.

Blazing New Trails in Brazil with Fabiana Alves

Assuring sustainability and financial health south of the equator

After a decade in Brazil’s food industry, agronomist Fabiana Alves and her husband, Andre Zeitlin, a veterinarian, were ready for new horizons. In 2004, Andre left his practice to enter the UC Davis MBA program, uprooting with Fabiana and their two young sons from São Paulo to Davis.

Alumni Spotlight: Benigno Salazar MBA 98

Marketing Analytics Strategist, Rabobank

Now at Rabobank, Sacramento MBA alumnus shares about marketing analytics in the financial services industry, including his 12-years experience at Wells Fargo.

Alumni Spotlight: Michael Mayall MBA 17

Program Manager at Intel

Now thriving in supply chain management at Intel, alumnus Michael Mayall MBA 17 shares his thoughts on global collaboration and offers advice for new business students.

Tiago Cavagnaro: From Chile to UC Davis

Entrepreneurship academy helps UC Davis alumnus reconnect and build his network

Graduate School of Management alumnus Tiago Cavagnaro MBA 10 returned to campus to attend the 2019 Food, Ag + Health Entrepreneurship Academy. While in Northern California he also met with other UC Davis alumni, angel investors and venture capitalists to build his network. Cavagnaro is the chief innovation officer at ADA Soluciones Informáticas in Santiago, Chile.

Marie Chaisson MBA 04

Director of Portfolio Management, PayPal Holdings, Inc.

Marie Chaisson earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in speech communication after she realized it would take more than four years to graduate with a forestry degree, her first major. She stayed in Seattle, combining her love for snowboarding with a job doing marketing and PR at a snowboard manufacturer called Ride Snowboards, which was later acquired by K2.

UC Davis MBA student Kelly Gillett Shares Her Experience

Newberry Leadership Fellow

“I found my stride and voice as a leader . . . and what makes UC Davis different is definitely the community. From the day you walk in the door every one knows your name and you know everybody,” says Full-Time MBA student Kelly Gillett. Kelly is the recipient of the 2018 Newberry Distinguished Fellowship for her leadership potential.

Grace Guo MBA 17

Going Global: Grace Guo Combines Chinese and American Backgrounds

Pursuing a business career in the U.S. is the riskiest decision Grace Guo MBA 17 has ever made. She gave up her career and home, leaving behind her husband and daughter in China, to come to the UC Davis Full-Time MBA program.