Get to know Executive Education from the voices of the people who know best.
What better way to see how Executive Education at UT Dallas can help you achieve your goals than to hear directly from the people who have experienced it themselves. Executive Education alumni and current students, as well as faculty and staff members, have a lot to say about what you can expect from becoming a part of an Executive Education program, working hard with your classmates and finally walking off the stage, diploma in hand, ready to advance in your career.
Student Experiences
Current Executive Education students and alumni share their academic experience, outcomes, and insights. Read their stories and discover how Executive Education programs have made an impact on their professional and personal lives.
My Experience Going Through the EMBA Program
What has your ROI been?
I am able to make better strategic decisions, both professionally and personally. I can clearly and critically assess problems and have found the courage to make the tough calls. I now prioritize my work and can motivate the team towards a common goal.
The Academic Experience of a Lifetime
Experiences as an EMBA student
The classes expose students to many topics that you may not think about every day. I have been able to apply theories and practices from every class I have taken in this program to my job. I am very pleased with the program and the confidence it has given me.
How the Executive MBA Helped My Career
Investing in my future
At work I’ve acquired a new professional certification and been allowed to completely re-write my job description into one that fits who I am and rewards me for all the effort I’ve put in, both at work and at school. Next step – here I come!
The Transition From Surviving To Thriving
The “reshaping” process
The first semester brings the heat that softens your current form to allow for reshaping. As you progress, previous course content is skillfully woven into the curriculum, providing you with a sense of comfort while at the same time, slowly building confidence.
Student Testimonials
Executive Education students, alumni, employers and partners talk about their invaluable academic experiences at the UT Dallas Jindal School of Management, providing advice, perspective, and vision.
Ellie Shollenberger
The UT Dallas Product Lifecycle & Supply Chain Management is a unique and one of a kind Executive MBA program; no other school offers this concentration. Unlike the traditional EMBA with a finance focus, this program taught me the importance of making the best business decision beyond the numbers. The knowledge and experience I gained in the program has given me more opportunities to be involved with important projects and to manage corporate programs in the company; and I am enjoying this challenge. Most importantly, I learned a lot from my highly experienced classmates with different backgrounds, and the friendships we built during our international study trip is a lifetime gift and priceless!
Qiana Levy
UTDs EMBA program has surpassed my expectations. The program allowed me to maintain a demanding work schedule alongside a rigorous course load. The caliber of the professors and students, and the alignment of the course materials was exceptional. The program was well-designed and added immense value to my professional growth. Immeasurable components included the executive projects, international trip, collaboration and rich discussions with like-minded professionals. The curriculum enriched my business acumen, strategic foresight/execution, relationship-building and change management skills, as well as created enduring friendships. I am deeply appreciative and highly recommend UTDs EMBA program.
Mohammed Omer, GLEMBA ’19
It’s about the experiences of exchanging skill sets and perspectives.
Bill Disario
I can confidently say that earning my MBA in Supply Chain Management at UT Dallas later in life has strengthened my business knowledge base, even after working for several decades in mid-level operational and supply chain roles. In addition, having a specialized MBA has enabled better promotional and advancement leadership roles as well as higher level compensation opportunities. I would highly recommend this program for anyone looking to take their Supply Chain career path to the next level!
Darrick Fitzgerald, GLEMBA ’18
Managing Consultant – Supply Chain Management Reverse Logistics Team, Verizon Wireless
GLEMBA was not just a learning experience, it was a life experience. GLEMBA was not a career pursuit, it was a life pursuit. Even today, tenets from the program impact how I think, how I approach a problem in my career and how I craft my emails. Was I promoted after I finished my degree? Yes.
Jake Henne, EMBA 2021
World Wide Technology, Client Manager SLED
As a military veteran who spent 7 years as an active duty Army officer, serving exclusively in light infantry units, I had a lot to learn as I transitioned to civilian life in June 2018. I undertook immense self-study and networking primarily via LinkedIn, but I ultimately knew that I would need to refine my business skills and prove myself. Earning an MBA was always something I was interested in, even while on active duty. However, after leaving the Army, that desire heightened immensely. I was fortunate to be accepted in to the UTD EMBA program and will be forever grateful. It has been challenging in many ways, but I have learned so much about how to think about and analyze the bigger picture, and how to communicate and collaborate with professionals from all walks of life. As a type-A personality, the EMBA program has truly challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and grow both personally and professionally. #UTD #UTDEMBA #Veteran #JSOM
Mo Katibeh, EMBA ’11
Chief Operating Officer, Ring Central
UT Dallas helped round out specific skills sets that I needed to move to the next level of my career. With a broad operations and project management background, the financial, organizational architecture and executive leadership projects at UTD were immensely helpful. They immediately helped me when I was promoted to manage the Northeast Mobility Construction and Engineering organization.
Holly Martin, GLEMBA ’19
Customer Experience Manager, J.B. Hunt
Because of this program, I was able to present within my organization to five different groups, which led to a promotion, an invitation to assist with three special projects as a new manager, and an appointment as a co-chair to lead professional development for an internal employee resource group.
Ben Richard, EMBA ’20
Director EPMO and Operational Excellence
By learning about NPV, IRR, and cost of capital, in Financial Management with Dr. Reichert, I have greatly improved my ability to pitch ideas and speak with the CEO, CFO and SVP of Strategy (a former CFO). This has helped me secure a promotion to the “Director – EPMO and Operational Excellence” which is responsible for leading all enterprise projects and process improvement for my entire company (a Fortune 400 company).
Jennifer Masie, EMBA 2022
Vice President, Retail Operations and Chief of Staff
I immediately began to apply the skills sets from statistics and economics at work. I can see how the knowledge and confidence has enabled me to be a better contributor overall.
Michelle Miller, EMBA 2015
Research Operations Manager, CBRE
The executive coaching experience was very helpful in guiding my understanding of my strengths and weaknesses and helping me build a plan to leverage them or overcome them, respectively. My executive coach and I continued to work together after the structured part of the program was over as my coach’s expertise in career transitions was very helpful as I evaluated, negotiated, and executed my next career move.
Vinay Rao, EMBA 2021
ERP Specialist Advisor NTT Data Services
As an engineer, who made decisions mostly based on data, I was most impacted by courses like organizational behavior, c-suite leadership, and performance transformation. I also enjoyed all the finance and economics classes. These topics helped broaden my perception of what I can do for my company and community.
Curtis Clark
My experience during the Supply Chain EMBA program was very rewarding, both professionally and personally. I experienced a terrific camaraderie with my fellow classmates who shared a desire to learn. Dr. Rajamani has a passion for what he teaches and for helping students realize the difference they can make in the workplace. With students from many different industries and cultural backgrounds, I was able to broaden my perspective on the global nature of supply chains. I made this investment in myself.
Varun Gadhok, EMBA
Senior Director – Information Systems, Tenet Healthcare
After an exhaustive national search for EMBA programs, I chose UT Dallas due to their outstanding reputation, cultural fit and academic rigor. I am pleased to report that the coursework lived up to my lofty expectations of an executive program and has yielded a positive return on my investment. The collaborative group studies and presentations boosted my confidence, refined my delivery and left me with a lifetime of fond memories in and out of the classroom.
Meredith Carter, EMBA 2020
Senior Director of Finance, Gamestop
I’m thankful to have pursued an Executive MBA instead of the format I seriously considered earlier in my career. This program provides the opportunity to practice critical thinking, influencing and delegation skills. I particularly appreciate how courses like Operations Management and Performance Transformation require students to think deeper and more holistically about issues and possible solutions. The course content builds through the program and enables students to view business differently than their functional or technical lens.
Vinesh Reddy
Vice President, Business Process Offshore, Bank of America
The executive coaching experience was transformational. I was analyzed by my coach and was provided great recommendations to improve myself from where I was before the coaching to where I am now. I found the experience to be valuable to me personally and professionally.
Alexander Moeller, EMBA 2017
Quality Director, Diodes Inc.
Coach Mario helped me transform into a more effective and self-aware leader. Using the syllabus and coaching guide provided by UTD as a basis to conduct our sessions, Mario was always very flexible in adjusting the content of our sessions. He thoughtfully summarized the key topics that we discussed during each session and sent them with action items we had agreed on for the following month.
Jon McBride, EMBA ’11
Technology Consultant, Chief Technology Officer, Integrated Healthcare Association
I pursued my MBA for many reasons, but chiefly among them was to start my own company, grow said company, and successfully exit. Win, lose, or draw I wanted my own startup experience. The company I co-founded after our program graduation was recently acquired. My co-founders, investors and I walked away with a great return on investment and with much more knowledge.
Rachel Xiao Liu, EMBA 2020
Asia Pacific Business Executive, Motivating Graphics
Working for private companies and running my own businesses for several years, I felt like I needed the core fundamentals for a more structured growth. The support from the faculty and my executive coach have made it so much easier for me as a nursing mom during the whole process.
Alexander Moeller, EMBA ’17
Quality Director, Diodes Inc
UTD provided an excellent education during the 21 month-long EMBA program. The academic rigor was challenging, yet content was presented in a way that engaged and motivated everyone. The curriculum had the perfect balance of hard and soft skills to thoroughly prepare for executive roles. The program has completely changed the way I contribute and execute management decisions at work.
Executive Education Alumni Spotlights
Read the success stories from JSOM alumni who earned their degree from the Jindal School of Management. These alumni are current professionals who share their insights about their experience and life after graduating from UT Dallas.
Charles Gillis, MBA’04
Executive Director, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, PC
Technology and an evolving mindset about work-life balance is completely changing the legal services profession.
Darla Chapman Ripley, EMBA’97
Associate, Dave Perry-Miller & Associates Real Estate
Darla Ripley places a lot of importance on maintaining all networks, regardless of industry or location.
Will McIntosh, EMBA’06
Senior Manager, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP
McIntosh, a senior manager in Advisory Services at Ernst and Young’s Dallas office, measures his success by the quality relationships he has developed with clients and coworkers throughout his 15 years in the management consulting and financial services industries. He assists leading banks and lenders in solving various management problems and improving their operations in order to better serve customers and meet the demands of other key stakeholders.
Sid Keswani, MBA’09
President, Pandora Americas
As president of the Americas region, Sid Keswani is responsible for PANDORA’s markets in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America.
Sarah Hagan, EMBA’11
CFO, Omnitracs
Hagan, a Dallas resident, joined Omnitracs, LLC, in April 2016, after a successful 11 years at Sabre Corp., where she held senior leadership positions in accounting and finance.
Joseph James, MBA’10
Enterpreneur
James, who completed his Executive MBA degree in 2010, manages two startup businesses. At 2020 Commercial, he provides commercial real estate sales, leasing and development services. At Mango Farms Digital Marketing, he and his staff provide web and mobile application development and manage digital marketing for clients.
Executive Education Articles
Discover how Executive Education faculty are researching, publishing, speaking and engaging in the business community. The authors of these articles also include accounting students, staff and friends.
How to Write an Admissions Essay for an Executive MBA Program
The power of your personal story
Each individual has a story to tell, yet when it comes to the admissions essay, many essays fall short because the applicant fails to effectively convey their story. The beginning of the essay should capture the reader’s attention.
What Makes a Good EMBA Candidate?
An Excellent Career Investment
When I am asked what makes a good executive MBA candidate, several thoughts come to mind. I’m looking for mature working professionals that are ready to invest in accelerating their career.
Difference Between EMBA and PMBA
What is the difference between EMBA and PMBA?
UT Dallas offers five paths to earning an MBA. Each MBA requires 53 credit hours to complete and all are accredited by AACSB – the gold standard for business schools. Tuition, curriculum and admissions are different, however, for each of these MBA options.
The Importance of a Relevant Curriculum
Curriculum is key for students
Creating and maintaining a relevant curriculum is key for students to achieve the maximum return on investment (ROI) in an executive MBA program. Emerging technologies are becoming an integral part of our business environment..