EMBA Alumni Spotlights
Andrea Passman
EMBA, 2008
Business Development Manager, Halliburton Consulting
"I've always known an MBA was crucial to becoming a high-level executive in my career. In my search for the right business school in Colorado, I focused on one thing: who was the best. Daniels is the most prestigious program in the area, and the career boost I hoped it would provide has definitely been validated. The curriculum was excellent, but it was the executive aspect of the program that was a huge differentiator. Our cohort was a perfect mix of people from varied backgrounds.
There is not a day that goes by that I don't use my MBA education. Our company is focused very much on innovation and Daniels prepared me well for that. I have integrity of thought, which makes me better able to boil information down to what matters. Daniels gave me the tools to figure things out, the capacity to get more done."
Don Cassidy
EMBA, 2008
Owner, LearningRx Fort Collins
"After getting laid off after 17 years as an electrical engineering manager for a semiconductor company, I decided to put myself into a position to start a company when the time was right. I was not a great writer or presenter. Even considering an MBA was like shining a spotlight on my areas of weakness, but I was certain the degree would help me accomplish my entrepreneurial goals. Everyone I interacted with at Daniels during my evaluation process had the kind of business experience I wanted to emulate, so I knew the College was the right choice.
By the time I completed the Daniels EMBA program, I developed a systematic way of thinking about business. Daniels gave me confidence to do more than employ myself; I wanted to create something much bigger than myself. Daniels transformed me into a businessperson who is capable of running a successful company and understanding each of its functions. I learned to take risks and think critically. And when the program was over, I attacked."
Greg Sullivan
EMBA, 2010
Senior Vice President, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
"My entire career has been at Wal-Mart, and a promotion to regional vice president of the Rocky Mountain Region brought me to Denver. It was the right time in my life to pursue my MBA, so when I learned that one of the top business schools in the area was 10 minutes from my office, it made the decision to attend Daniels easy. The Daniels EMBA program felt like it was tailor-made for me. It matched my life and needs perfectly, and I had a great team around me who was supportive of me pursuing it.
At Wal-Mart, we are always looking to improve the talent within our company, and I knew this applied to me, too. I wanted to be sure that I could add as much value to my position as possible, and felt a broadened perspective and technical skills in finance and accounting would help me do that. About halfway through my program, I was promoted to senior vice president, and I know my MBA was a part of that. My education enabled me to analyze data and identify solutions and action plans based on that information. I developed a much better understanding of the value of networking and the need to broaden my perspective by surrounding myself with people who think differently than I and are not afraid to speak up. Daniels helped show me this and for that I am grateful."
Wayne Guerra
EMBA, 2007
Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Healthagen
Creator, iTriage Smartphone and web application
"My entire career, I've worked in the business of medicine-as a chief resident during my residency, as a risk manager for Kaiser Permanente in California and with Serio/Copic in Colorado. After several years as the VP of operations for a physician management services company, I knew I needed the tools to make substantiated business decisions, to be able to build pro formas and analyze risk quantitatively. That led me to the Daniels EMBA program.
At Daniels, you get to collaborate with talented professionals from many different industries and have direct access to excellent professors. Today, my company develops a tool that empowers patients to assess their symptoms, make acute care decisions and find the appropriate treatment using mobile technology. As I was encouraged to do at Daniels, we saw a problem, created a solution and determined there was a viable market for our product."
