For alumnus Chris Welsh ‘05, setting a standard of excellence is paramount in striving for personal and professional success.

The week before starting the UC Davis MBA program, he completed a tour as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps rated among the top 10 percent of his peers. Within days of earning his MBA, Welsh joined IBM in San Francisco, where he graduated with distinction—near the top of his class—from the company’s six-month Global Sales School.

My UC Davis MBA skills and knowledge help me get things done at IBM, where I’m basically running my own small business within the corporation.

Welsh had a blockbuster first year as a software account manager, earning an IBM Leadership Award, which recognizes the top two percent of employees from North and South America for demonstrating leadership skills that generate results.

The UC Davis MBA program helped Welsh define his interests and find the right fit at Big Blue. “The Graduate School of Management’s close-knit community fosters camaraderie and excellence—we demanded it of each other,” Welsh says. “The team-oriented culture helps you develop skills that make you a stronger person and manager.”