Profile of Student Teams

Overview

Success Stories: Profile of Student Teams
Meet Current Daytime MBA Students and Recent Alumni

Jul 3, 2012

Read more about the success of our current Daytime MBA students and recent alumni, including their career positions, internships, previous academic experience, and personal fast facts.

More Information for Prospective Students

Student Profile

Vickie Sherman
Strategy Director, Wallrich Creative Communications, Sacramento, Calif

Jan 4, 2013

Student Leadership

President, 2012 Dean’s Student Advisory Council
Communications Director, 2011 Dean’s Student Advisory Council
UC Davis Leadership Fellow
Co-Chair, Capital Connections Networking Event

Previous Degree

B.A., Cognitive/Computer Science University of California, San Diego

Student Profile

Richard Andrews JD/MBA 2015

Dec 4, 2012 Meet Our UC Davis MBA Ambassadors

The community and environment here at the GSM are truly remarkable. My talented classmates and amazing professors inspire me on a daily basis. Everyone knows me by name and I feel at home. The career team continues to push me to improve. I am confident that the UC Davis MBA program is propelling me towards a successful corporate law career.

Student Profile

Jason Yang MBA 2014

Dec 4, 2012 Meet Our UC Davis MBA Ambassadors

The UC Davis MBA has a very collaborative culture. The faculty and students are like family. Every week students and faculty meet together to discuss the student experience. With a UC Davis MBA, I am confident I will achieve long term success.

Student Leadership and Experience

UC Davis MBA Ambassador

Previous Degree

B.S., International Economics & Trade, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology

Student Profile

Venkata Gudladona MBA 2014

Dec 3, 2012 Meet Our MBA Ambassadors

I chose the UC Davis GSM because of the international reputation of it’s faculty, small class size and the personal attention it offered to it’s students. This top ranked MBA program provides an experiential learning opportunity through practicums focusing on solving real industry problems. The quality of my classmates continues to impress me each and every day.

Student Leadership and Experience

UC Davis MBA Ambassador

Previous Degree

N.I.T., Surat, India

Profile

Kavita Waldia
Principal Consultant Oracle Corp.
Redwood Shores, Calif.

Aug 24, 2012

At Oracle, I am tasked with analyzing problems, finding optimal solutions, and then managing people and resources to put these solutions into action. The UC Davis MBA’s emphasis on innovation, collaboration and excellence provides valuable opportunities to refine my skills and to learn from my talented classmates.

Previous Degree

B.E., Electronics & Telecommunications Pune University | India

Fast Facts

Career goal: executive position with the power to drive business and make organization-level decisions

Profile

Carron Sandifor
Technical Lead Macys.com
San Francisco, Calif.

Aug 23, 2012

Previous Degree

B.S., Systems and Computer Science Howard University | Washington, D.C.

The UC Davis MBA delivers the in-depth understanding of business I need to launch the next stage of my career. I’ve learned to understand people’s motivations in the workplace, and am better equipped to navigate organizations and get things done. I’ve acquired the tools to predict a project’s financial success. Now I’m bringing it all together with real-world experiences in creating a viable VC-backed business.

Profile

Abigayle Curtis
Senior Account Manager, Ideate Inc.
Sacramento, Calif.

Aug 21, 2012

Student Leadership

Founding President, Toastmasters International Club at Sacramento GSM

Previous Degree

B.S., Business Administration, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

As an aspiring entrepreneur, the UC Davis MBA program is the right place for me. I’ve taken advantage of the many opportunities to put my ideas into action, both in and out of the classroom. The encouragement, expertise and camaraderie of the community of faculty and fellow students enable me to exceed my goals.

Student Profile

Brianna O’Neill
Demand Side Specialist, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Sacramento, Calif.

Aug 20, 2012

Student Leadership

UC Davis MBA Ambassador

Previous Degree

B.S., Business Administration, Concentration in Marketing | Sacramento State University

Fast Facts

Student Profile

Ruby Khangura
Talent Acquisition Specialist Progressive Insurance
Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Aug 20, 2012

MBA Intern Intel-GE Care Innovations | Roseville, Calif.

The UC Davis MBA program’s rigorous curriculum provides a strong business foundation and new insights into the operation, strategy and human capital management of today’s complex organizations. I am gaining the understanding and expertise I need to achieve my professional goal to lead the human resources division of a global company.

Student Leadership

Profile

Brian Tyler
Operations Project Consultant Bank of America
Rancho Cordova, Calif.

Aug 20, 2012 Operations Project Consultant, Bank of America

One of the greatest benefits of the UC Davis MBA program is the opportunity to interact with students from diverse professional backgrounds—engineers, IT specialists, even veterinarians—who bring their own methods of problem solving to the table. The program also gives me access to internationally renowned faculty members who have real-world, practical field knowledge. I see the UC Davis MBA as a means to springboard my career.

Previous degree

B.S., Computer Science California State University, Sacramento

Profile

Jason Bell MBA 00
Senior Vice President & Senior Investment Strategist, Wells Fargo Private Bank
Roseville, Calif.

Aug 20, 2012

The lessons I learned at the Graduate School of Management have proven far more valuable than I could have imagined. The classes were rigorous and expanded my technical skill sets. The MBA program also taught me how to understand and work within dynamic capital markets, and how to effectively work and collaborate with highly skilled teams of investment professionals on a global basis.

Previous Degree

B.S., Business Administration, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA

Profile

Benjamin Fineberg MBA 05
Senior Director, Financial Planning and Analysis, Method Products

Jul 9, 2012

The UC Davis MBA experience positioned me for success as the senior director of financial planning and analysis at Method, where we make premium healthy home and personal care products. The Graduate School of Management’s community and diversity of views opened me up to the idea that with good branding, innovation and a dedicated team, a company can change the world for the better while maximizing returns to investors.

Previous Position

Finance Manager, The Clorox Co., Oakland, Calif.

Profile

Chris Welsh MBA 05
Manager, Software Sales, IBM Corp.
San Francisco, Calif.

Jul 6, 2012 Military MBA Applicants UC Davis Graduate School of Management Recognized as Military-Friendly School by G.I. Jobs Magazine

In the military, I set the vision and led a team of 50 Marines and sailors. Business school takes these fundamental leadership talents and reinforces them. The Graduate School of Management’s close-knit community fosters camaraderie and excellence—we demanded it of each other. With my UC Davis MBA knowledge and skills, I now lead teams in finding and solving client business problems for IBM.

- Chris Welsh MBA 05

Profile

Elena Chavez Carey MBA 10
Managerial Consultant, Quality and Operations Support, The Permanente Medical Group Inc.
Oakland, Calif.

Jul 6, 2012

Working on a consulting project for Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, gave our team a crash course in healthcare economics, played out in the middle of the national healthcare debate. Now I help oversee quality and operations support at The Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser’s affiliated physician-owned for-profit partnership in Northern California.

Profile

Wayne Leighty MBA 10
Business Planner, Alaska Venture, Shell Oil Co.
Anchorage, Ala.

Jul 6, 2012

The leadership, collaboration and communications skills I learned in the UC Davis MBA program are critical to my success at Shell. My ability to build and motivate effective teams, understand our structure and strategy, and map power and influence in our stakeholder communities fuel my career.

Post

Hilary Hoeber MBA 04
Senior Portfolio Lead, IDEO
San Francisco, Calif.

Jul 5, 2012

My UC Davis MBA experience was a life-shaping moment in a well-timed career pivot. The combination of excellent professors and an experienced, diverse student body was invaluable. The School’s focus on developing a holistic approach to fostering individual professional growth while deepening business acumen is unique.

Previous Position

Business Strategist, Scient, San Francisco, Calif., and London, U.K.

Previous Degree

B.A., International Relations, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.

Post

John Barnickel MBA 93
Vice President, Pacific Northwest Cardiac and Vascular Group, Medtronic Inc.
San Francisco, Calif.

Jul 5, 2012

My career allows me to strike a rare balance between making money and making meaning. At Medtronic, I am accountable for $200+ million in revenue and 160 sales, service and management colleagues. My UC Davis MBA gave me a global perspective and opportunities to collaborate, tap synergies and improve project outcomes. I use the lessons for effective teamwork every day.

Previous Degrees

B.S., Finance, California State University, Hayward

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Cathinka Wahlstrom MBA 91
Managing Partner—North America Banking Group and New York Metro Location, Accenture
New York, N.Y.

Jul 5, 2012

The Graduate School of Management helped to make me a well-rounded professional with the confidence to push the larger ideas. You need both courage and experience to lead change and to quickly adapt to new realities. I work with a lot of smart clients and colleagues at Accenture—all focused on helping companies become more successful.

Previous Degrees

B.A., Economics; B.A., Journalism, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Profile

James Chen, MBA 11
Parts and Tooling Program Manager, Tesla Motors Inc.

Jul 5, 2012

Interning and now working full time at Tesla Motors is a dream come true. The experience allows me to be a critical contributor toward building the future of the automobile. Tesla’s high-energy, spirit of innovation and flawless execution are what I had aspired to achieve through my UC Davis MBA.

Internship

Supply Chain Management, Tesla Motors, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif.

Image of Alexzandra Caldwell-Wenman MBA 13

Post

Alexzandra Caldwell-Wenman MBA 13
UC Davis MBA Scholar

Jun 26, 2012

The diversity of the students at the Graduate School of Management really inspires me. We come from a range of cultural and professional backgrounds—a great opportunity to explore the different ways we approach business issues. This breadth of perspectives breeds creativity and fosters learning both in and out of the classroom.

Internship

Online Marketing Intern, Intuit, Menlo Park, Calif.

Alumni Spotlight

Sam Saliba MBA 00
Senior Product Marketing Manager for Search Engagement, Google Inc., Mountain View, Calif.

Jul 10, 2012

My UC Davis MBA provided top-tier preparation for a dynamic career in integrated marketing communications. I’ve applied and refined the lessons learned at world-class entertainment and technology brands, including Ubisoft , LucasArts , Macromedia and Intel. Today, I lead efforts to encourage consumers to use Google search in new and different ways. My role involves knowing the user, knowing the magic—and connecting the two.”