Graduation day was July 23, 2016, for 43 executives at the Riggs Alumni Center, supported by more than 300 friends, family, faculty, and staff. Dean Alex Triantis congratulated the graduates on completing the rigorous 19-month journey, culminating with a celebration of the fifteenth Executive MBA cohort at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Elected by his peers to be the commencement speaker, Neel Vibhakar, senior VP and chief medical officer at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, shared leadership reminders with the graduates and emphasized his appreciation for the experience.
“I am humbled to have had the opportunity to be on this journey with you,” reflected Vibhakar. “ We have PhDs, decorated military personnel, entrepreneurs, a lawyer, doctors, an actor that has actually played a doctor on TV, a rocket scientist, and vice presidents in IT, construction, HR, real estate, and sales – just to name a few!”
"They were an exceptional class, including many individuals who are going to make big things happen and make a real impact on their organizations and society," said Rob Sheehan, academic director of executive MBA programs at Smith. “Neel is a perfect example.”
Graduates of the program, ranked the No. 1 Executive MBA in America for career growth by the Financial Times, had proactively guided their own development. Utilizing extensive individual assessments, each executive created a unique leadership development plan and took initiative for their growth in a challenging collaborative environment of experiential action learning, one-on-one executive coaching, 360 degree feedback and a week-long business simulation finale.
Graduates, faculty and staff also emphasized the close connections and life-long friends they made during the past 19 months.
“This was a very unique and special cohort to me considering it was the first that I’ve managed from opening residency all the way to graduation,” said program manager Rebecca Rosensen. “Each member brought their own passion and creativity to the group, and I hope our paths can cross again somewhere in the future.”
For more information about the Executive MBA program at Smith, visit: www.rhsmith.umd.edu/emba.
- Greg Markle, Office of Executive Education
Media Contact
Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu
About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.