Smith Profiles
Alumni Profile
Global Curiosity Shapes Career
Rocio Holub, MBA '15
A global perspective starts with a local outlook for Rocio Holub '04, a senior manager for global operations at DAI Global, LLC. She says understanding on-the-ground conditions in foreign environments has helped shape her career.
Alumni Profile
Fluent in the Cross-Border Deal
Abhjieet Biswas, MBA '00
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions start with empathy, says investment banker Abhjieet Biswas, MBA '00. "Everything else can fall into place," he says. "But if there are barriers to understanding each other, you won't be successful."
Alumni Profile
Relationship Building from Sea to Sea
Katie Praske, Undergraduate '01
Every transaction is international when you work at Maersk, the world's largest container ship operator. "Supply chain management gives you a really literal illustration of global business," says Katie Praske '01, who spent nearly 15 years at Maersk as a customer service and compliance manager.
Alumni Profile
Raising Her Hand for Stretch Assignments
Evelyn Hartwick, Executive MBA '10
Development banker Evelyn Hartwick, EMBA '10, embraces ambiguity and stretch assignments as a way of life. "People who resist change don't grow," she says.
Alumni Profile
A Global Career from Albania to Zambia
Stephen M. Feeney, Undergraduate '70
Stephen M. Feeney '70 knew his place in the world as a New York banker. "I was working for various financial entities in a narrowly defined square block bordered by 42nd Street, 59th Street, Third Avenue and Broadway in Manhattan," he says.
Alumni Profile
Embracing Ambiguity in India
Rahul Shah, PTMBA ’15, MFin ’15
Surprises come with the territory when working in international development across India. As senior engagement manager at Sattva Consulting, Rahul Shah, PTMBA ’15, MFin ’15, must navigate uncertainty as he works across all domains with all types of stakeholders on a diverse subcontinent.
Alumni Profile
Designer Transforms Sorority House
Jenna Steckler, Undergraduate ’94
By Meredith Cobb
Alumni Profile
Ocean Studies Bring Global Adventures
Johanna Polsenberg, Executive MBA '07
Marine conservationist Johanna Polsenberg, EMBA ’07, never stays in one place for long. She has traveled through Asia and lived in the Bahamas, Alaska and Gabon on the Atlantic Coast of Central Africa.
Alumni Profile
Mass Shooting Leads to Life of Advocacy
Colin Goddard, MBA '18
Intermediate French class started with the usual chatter on April 16, 2007, at Virginia Tech University. “It was a normal Monday morning, talking about what we did the previous weekend,” says Colin Goddard, MBA ’18, who took the course as an international studies major.
Alumni Profile
EMBA Alum Leads Marriott Europe
Liam Brown, Executive MBA '05
When Dublin-native Liam Brown, EMBA ’05, travelled to the United States for a friend’s wedding in 1989, he intended to stay only a few days.