Westinghouse Semiconductor Division wanted to develop rising employees, so they selected Woodson “Woody” Savage III for the first-ever Executive MBA class at Pitt in 1973. “At age 29, I could not fully foresee the benefits I would gain through participating in the program,” he says.
He walked into the Executive MBA program with seven years of experience at Westinghouse and a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. One thing he was certain of – he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life being an engineer.
Insights and Career Growth
As he moved up the corporate ladder in various roles, what he learned in the Executive MBA program proved valuable.
“I gained a tremendous insight not only from the curriculum and the teachers but my fellow students (some of them were 50 or 60 years old) who were able to share their tremendous work experiences in our classroom discussions. The insight I gained from these interactions served me well for the rest of my career.”
His career spanned over 47 years with roles beyond engineering: 13 years with Westinghouse Semiconductor Division, 10 years with Ranco Controls, then 23 years with American Electric, from which he retired in 2013 as the director of e-commerce.
Now that he’s retired, he has self-published books about advertising and customer service along with a memoir and is researching his family tree. He proudly counts himself among the 3,000 professionals who have graduated from the EMBA program within the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
Celebrate EMBA: September 2023 and 2024
Now living in Memphis, Tennessee, Savage is excited to attend the Executive MBA 50th Celebration weekend in 2024, and he’s hoping other alumni will join him. It’s an opportunity to renew past friendships, make new connections, and share business experiences and approaches – just like the faculty and students have done for the past five decades.
“Alumni should attend to recognize the contribution that Pitt and the Executive MBA have made to their career and their accomplishments in the workplace, and also to acknowledge the contributions made by their fellow students during their two years in the program,” he says.
In 2023 and 2024, we come together as the EMBA family to celebrate our alumni, staff, and faculty along with five decades of achievements and excellence in business education:
Friday, Sept. 8, 2023: EMBA alumni are invited to a kick-off to the fall semester. The event, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the Schenley Plaza Tent, will be a great time to connect with alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Use this form to register by Friday, August 25.
Sept. 6-7, 2024: The program’s 50th year celebration will be two days of interactive activities on the Pitt campus and Pittsburgh sites. We look forward to coming together and celebrating our half-century as a program and the many accomplishments of our alumni like you.
Register and Share a Memory
Let us know if you’re interested in next year’s 50th Celebration. For more details, program history, and to submit your favorite memory, visit our EMBA 50th Celebration web page. We look forward to coming together as an Executive MBA community.
