Alumni

Sue Lory '05 MBA

Currently residing in Nashville, Lory continues her relationship with Syracuse University and the Whitman School through a scholarship she developed in honor of her mother. The Shirley Rosita Henderson Endowed Scholarship will offer financial assistance to students in the Whitman MBA program that show a need for financial aid.

Lory heard about the iMBA program through her boss who encouraged her to apply. After enrolling in the program, Lory looked forward to visiting the campus during the week-long residencies and appreciated the team atmosphere that the program provides. “The way the iMBA program is designed allows for many opportunities to work with people from different industries and areas,” says Lory. “This makes for a more dynamic team with a great blend of different people.”

Aldrich Salazar '06 MBA

A current resident of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Aldrich Salazar is the natural gas trader at EnCana Corporation and is responsible for the short-term supply and demand fundamental analysis of North American natural gas. Salazar says the critical knowledge he learned during the iMBA program helps him to successfully deal with difficult career challenges he faces every day.

While a student in the iMBA program, Salazar was able to complete some of his week-long residences in Dublin, Ireland; Washington, D.C.; and New York City which allowed him to explore cities outside of Canada. “The iMBA’s student population is made up of highly driven, experienced and successful career individuals. This again gives students unique perspective on how to approach and solve real world problems,” says Salazar.

Joann Farrell Quinn '07 MBA

As a Whitman student, Joann Farrell Quinn took advantage of the many international residencies that the iMBA distance-learning program offers. During a residency in Singapore in 2006, she was able to compete with a team of her fellow colleagues in the National University of Singapore MBA Challenge. Quinn also was one of the 75 students chosen to travel to Omaha, Neb., to meet Warren Buffet on a trip sponsored by the Whitman Ballentine Investment Institute in 2007. “This was an unbelievable experience, and one that added immeasurably to my Whitman experience,” says Quinn.

All of her positive experiences in the program has given Quinn the opportunity to explore different career routes. “Whitman has permitted me a glimpse into other industries and also provided me with the additional management tools to take my career to the next level,” says Quinn. 

Now working at Spartan Securities Group Ltd. in Tampa, Florida, Quinn has been partnered with the company CEO in managing various new projects. 

Quinn and her husband have started a sommelier consulting business and their own winery.  "I never would have done this without the experience in the program and in the capstone course Global Entrepreneurial Management," says Joann. 

Karolina Zaczynski '07 MBA

Karolina Zaczynski, a specialist in Global Refrigeration Communications with Carrier Corporation, is a 2007 alumna of the Whitman iMBA distance-learning program.

Zaczynski says she enjoyed her time in the iMBA program and especially liked working with a very diverse student body and supportive faculty. “The Whitman program emphasizes the fundamental skills of successful teamwork, effective communication, and good decision making necessary in all of today’s varying business environments,” says Zaczynski “I hope to apply these skills in helping to make a difference in the Syracuse community and hope to be seen as a role model to those around me.”

A native of Central New York, Zacynski helps manage her family’s restaurant, Eva’s European Sweets, located on Milton Avenue in Syracuse.

Michael Hawthorne '07 MBA

Michael Hawthorne is currently in the position of directorship of the Train Dynamic Systems Group for New York Air Brake. After earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Clarkson University, Hawthorne began his career working for Raytheon’s Missile Systems Division outside of Boston. As a Miccioli Scholar from Raytheon Corp, he returned to school earning his master’s degree in electrical engineering from Rennselear Polytechnic Institute. Through his education and experience, Hawthorne developed a passion for transportation delivering over 15 papers and holding 20 patents on train control.

Continuing to pursue his education, Hawthorne enrolled in the Whitman School’s distance-learning iMBA program. The rigorous MBA program allowed him to take challenging classes while working closely with other students in the program. “My experience at SU has prepared me to accept greater responsibility and broader challenges as a business leader,” says Hawthorne. “With these skills, I have been able to leverage my engineering background to more fully conceive, plan, and execute projects.”

Sarfaraz Bukhari '07 MBA

Sarfaraz Bukhari, process manager for compression molding at Alcoa CSI, is a graduate of the Whitman iMBA program. Graduating in fall 2007 with a concentration in operations and finance, Bukhari currently lives in Crawfordsville, Indiana—far away from his home of Mumbai, India. He first heard about the open position at Alcoa through a fellow iMBA student who happened to be a manager for the company.

Bukhari describes Whitman as “a great place for networking and somewhere that can really help you move in the right direction.” He also credits his positive experience to the friends he has met through the program and the many opportunities he had to learn about different organizations and their culture.

Bridget Dwyer ’08 MBA

"I chose the Whitman School because of its top notch reputation as well as the flexibility the iMBA Program afforded me. During the time I worked towards the completion of my MBA at Whitman, I was transferred twice—from Portland, OR to Detroit, Mich., and finally to Atlanta, GA. Not having to transfer programs and lose credits, and being able to maintain relationships with classmates and faculty alike made my Whitman iMBA experience extraordinary. The accommodating nature of this program also afforded me the time off to have my first child, Kasey Mae. I was able to balance being a wife and a mother with a career and MBA classes.

The most rewarding experience at the Whitman School was meeting professional students from all over the world. Being surrounded by students from all backgrounds with 10, 15, or even 20 years of work experience added to the learning. The education in and out of the classroom was intense and rewarding. The residencies afforded me the opportunity to meet and discuss business with classmates while building lifelong relationships. I have met a number of classmate’s families and will remain longtime friends with them.

Completing my MBA through the Whitman School at Syracuse University is a definite plus on my resume. More than that, this program married the traditional classroom learning with practical application. The Global Entrepreneurial Management (GEM) Capstone class tied all facets of this education and experience into one intense, exhausting yet satisfying semester. The Whitman School has provided me the knowledge, experience and confidence to accept the challenges and overcome the adversities of both the business world as well as life in general. Incidentally, my husband, Jim Dwyer, is also a student of the Whitman School and will graduate with his MBA the Spring of 2009."

Steven Slosek '01 (LCS), '10 MBA

Originally from Galway, N.Y., Steve Slosek is part of the New York Air National Guard, as a Navigator on the C-130 aircraft, and considers the interactions he had with people in the Whitman School to be the best past of his experience at Syracuse University.

“I have been in the military since graduating from SU in 2001, and with this career path, my primary interactions have been with military personnel,” he says. “Whitman allowed me to meet professionals in the corporate world I am not normally exposed to. I have definitely made valuable and hopefully lifelong connections with people in the iMBA program.”

“As a member of the Air National Guard, I deploy several times a year in support of the United States Antarctica and Greenland Programs, as well as supporting the United States efforts in the Middle East,” Steve continues. “When I began the iMBA program, I learned to balance my primary job as a C-130 Navigator while also fully committing to my studies. My MBA studies did not stop because I was in a remote part of the world. In Afghanistan, I found myself working on my MBA wearing body armor. In Antarctica, I worked on my MBA in cold weather gear flying to the South Pole. There are very few areas in the world where we are not connected via information technology."

“The unique challenge I faced when deployed is the severe lack of free time. When deployed, the flight schedule is very aggressive and there is not much free time to work on my MBA. After completing a 16-hour day flying combat or polar missions, I found myself fighting to stay awake so I could complete homework assignments while the rest of the crew is sleeping. Coordinating time zones was very challenging when deployed; I was usually forced to set my alarm for the middle of the night to join a group conference call with my iMBA classmates. In the event I did not have normal land line access, I tried to find a satellite phone to use. I received outstanding support from Whitman professors and administrators who worked with my unique situation.”