Katz-Driven Success
Luiz Henrique Badalotti De Geroni
Director of Finance | L’Oréal USA Luiz graduated with an MBA in Finance & Strategy in 2017. He is currently the Director of Finance at L’Oréal USA. “It is incredible how quickly your network can expand and how many opportunities you are presented with through the Katz MBA Program. I had always heard that an MBA, for those who are all in, is life-changing. After receiving my degree from Katz, I realize that is certainly the case.”
Nupur Gupta
Manager of Strategy | Luxottica Nupur graduated with an MBA in Operations in 2017 and is currently the Manager of Strategy at Luxottica. “Make an impact through non-academic activities. The MBA experience can be so much more and that’s entirely up to you. You will never be surrounded by so many talented and international individuals again.”
Wenjia (Anna) Huo
Commodity Manager | Crane Co. Wenjia graduated in 2017 with an MBA in Operations & Finance and is now the Commodity Manager at Crane Co. “The Experienced-Based Learning courses provided a hands-on experience that helped me to develop leadership qualities, improve my communication abilities, and sharpen my critical thinking skills through real-world application.”
William A. Sapon
Sr. Business Development Analyst | Peoples Natural Gas William graduated with an MBA in Strategy & Operations in 2017 and now serves as a Senior Business Development Analyst at Peoples Natural Gas. “In combination with real-world experience, the Katz MBA program has built my skills in ethical leadership, teamwork, and strategic thinking, and provided both the foundation and the confidence necessary for handling complex business situations in the future.”
Alexandra Sumkin
Human Resources Leadership Development Program | Johnson & Johnson Alexandra graduated with an MBA in Organizational Behavior and Strategy in 2017 and is currently working in the Human Resources Leadership Development Program at Johnson & Johnson. “Katz has the perfect combination of small class sizes that foster a great learning environment while simultaneously having the perks of a larger program like access to working with great companies and professors.”
Elizabeth Davis
Senior Client Relationship Representative | IBM Elizabeth graduated with an MBA in Marketing & Strategy in 2017 and is currently a Senior Client Relationship Representative for IBM. “What makes Katz unique is the environment they cultivate for students right from the start. Katz encouraged a culture of collaboration, what I learned outside the classroom from my classmates has been just as valuable as what I learned from my professors.”Congratulations to the 2020 457 Club Inductees
Abhinav Bankhwal
Abhinav has been instrumental in growing the Business Technology Club (BTC) membership and technology-related events during his time as president. Through his leadership, the BTC has held numerous successful and well attended events. His sense of teamwork and collaboration has made this year one of the best in BTC history. He is recognized for being an example of what it means to be “Katz Ready.”
Mikala Cummings
Mikala is recognized as a wonderful leader, who was always willing to lend a hand when needed. She served as the Vice President of the Marketing Club and was the winner of the 2020 Sheth Award. This award is given out each year to the most outstanding Marketing students from the graduating MBA and MS programs. Mikala continually goes above and beyond and not because she wants the accolades, but because she feels that it is the right thing to do. She volunteered to be on the Career Management panel to help prepare students for the National Black conference and give advice on interview prep. Bianca Payton mentioned Mikala as a huge help in her own preparation for the conference and for guidance on how to manage the sheer number of interviews, job opportunities, and follow up. Mikala was also instrumental in planning with the Center for Branding the first panel discussion: “Reimagining the Future of Media and Branding in a Technology-Enabled World.”
Andrew Ellis
Andrew is recognized for taking advantage of the various opportunities connected with being a Katz MBA. In addition to his IBM co-op, he took a leading role in the Student Executive Board (SEB) and completed a short-time study abroad opportunity. He was named to Poets & Quants 2020 MBAs to Watch list, where they honor 100 MBA students who personify their programs and bring out the best in their peers. He was a major impetus for the SEB speaker series. Andrew was recognized by Katz in December with the William F. Tabisz Memorial Award, given to Katz students who “reflect behaviors that exhibit helpfulness to others and a selfless concern to achieve progress in tasks at hand.
Mauro Galus
Mauro served as the President of the Katz Marketing Club and Vice President for the Roberto Clemente MBA Association. He was the winner of the 2020 Sheth Award, which is award is given out each year to the most outstanding Marking students from the graduating MBA and MS programs. He has been integral in helping to recruit prospective students to Katz, whether through individual contact, volunteering at Diversity Student Weekend, or helping to reach out to admitted students. He worked in partnership with the Center for Branding to execute and plan their “Reimagining the Future of Media and Branding” panel discussion and reception. Mauro has helped Admissions recruit new students as long as he’s been in the program, having participated in nearly all of their Diversity Student Weekend and Admitted Student Weekend events during his two years in the program.
Erika Garrison
The 457 Club recognizes Erika because she embodies the Katz mission of giving back. Erika has represented Katz at the national level by participating and winning case competitions and was instrumental in getting the Katz Healthcare Club started. Erika approaches all things with great poise and maturity. She has always been willing to jump in and help whenever needed while balancing her responsibilities as a joint degree student and student leader. We wish Erika all the best and look forward to continuing to work with her as an alumni.
Daniel Giambrone
Staff members have been continually impressed with Dan’s professionalism, strong work ethic, stellar communication skills, and passion for helping others. He served as the President of the Operations Club at Katz and has helped the admissions team recruit new students through his participation in Diversity Student Weekend and Admitted Student Weekend. He was integral in helping plan the internal Crane Case Competition with the help of the Center for Supply Chain Management.
Chevrick Graham
Chevy was named to Poets & Quants 2020 MBAs to Watch list. Each year, P+Q honors 100 MBA students who personify their programs and bring out the best in their peers. Chevy is recognized for always being willing to go above and beyond to make prospective and admitted students feel welcome and to be a resource throughout their admissions process. His support and hard work are truly invaluable to our admissions team and we are so lucky to have had him on staff the past two years. We are sad to see him graduate but cannot wait to continue working with him as an alumni.
Sai Kappagantula
In addition to his charisma and undying Pitt Pride, Sai is recognized for completing a dual master’s degree in business administration and engineering, serving on the board of the SEB, gaining a competitive internship and a full-time job at Intel. Sai excelled at connecting Katz students with opportunities to engage with the larger University community and was an advocate for student involvement in a variety of community service initiatives. Sai’s hard work, skill, and leadership have propelled him forward in exciting ways.
Luke Lamb
Luke’s willingness to volunteer at events as a student representative and has shown what it means to be a true Katz MBA student. Everything Luke does has been in the interest of both current and future Katz students. Luke is recognized for his “pay it forward” mentality. Luke was an informal ambassador for Katz in the summer of 2019 as he actively participated in a regional internship program to support all interns in the Pittsburgh area that was sponsored by the Allegheny Conference. Luke was the Co-President and Co-Founder of the Katz Case Competition Club. He was also one of the case writers for the 2020 Katz Invitational Case Competition.
Hillary Marcott
While going to school full-time, Hillary has worked on various entrepreneurial endeavors and has maintained an extremely high GPA. In addition, Hillary served as a Berg Center Fellow in her first year, an opportunity awarded to only about 10% of students. Always willing to go above and beyond, Hillary led sponsor outreach for this year’s Katz Invitational Case Competition and despite a series of challenges, was able to fully fund the competition from outside sponsorships for the first time in recent history.
Zachary Reinhart
Zach has impressed the MBA staff members since orientation. He is recognized for being a valuable member of the Katz community and has always encouraged those around him to do more in a thoughtful and selfless spirit. Even while completing the intense one-year MBA program, Zach consistently sought out opportunities to engage outside of the classroom to ensure a well-rounded and transformative experience. Zach`s level headed approach to all he encountered served as a positive influence on his peers.
Simone Rodriguez
Simone was named one of the Top 100 Best and Brightest MBAs across the globe by Poets & Quants. Under Simone’s previous leadership, the Consulting Club became one of the most active and involved student organizations at Katz. She is recognized for taking advantage of all academics and extracurricular activities offered at Katz and has consistently volunteered her extra time. Simone was always willing to assist other students, and was a large part of the success of KICC. She is someone that genuinely cares about helping whenever needed and exemplifies what it is to excel academically and as a leader. Simone was one of the case writers for the 2020 Katz Invitational Case Competition.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
The best thing about Katz is the Experience-Based Learning curriculum. I get to work with diverse teams on real-world projects that focus on a wide range of business issues. Every professor here is highly accomplished, and their teaching methods give us the tools to deliver in any demanding business situation. The faculty takes time to establish one-on-one relationships with each student, which creates an environment for advancement and success.
Katz has a committed career management team and alumni who are willing to help students’ network and explore career opportunities. The Executive MBA program at Katz features a tailored program for working professionals to earn an advanced degree, gain international exposure, and work with the top talent from around the world. It is one of the only programs that gives you the ability to do all three.