Executive MBA Open House
Wednesday, November 12
6:30-9:30 P.M.
Please join us at the upcoming Executive MBA Open House on Wednesday, November 12th to experience the Villanova
School of Business EMBA.
The EMBA curriculum is based on systems thinking, and is designed to provide executives with a strategic approach to making high-level decisions that will impact their organizations. The centerpiece of the evening will feature a session on
systems thinking, taught by
Jamshid Gharajedaghi, followed by a reception with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
This event has limited availability, and you must
register to attend. Please contact
Rachel Garonzik, Director of Graduate Recruitment & Marketing, if you have any questions regarding this event.
The Open House will be held at The Villanova Conference Center, located at
601 County Line Road in Radnor, Pennsylvania (19087).
VSB Executive MBA Program Ranked Among the Top 20 in the Nation and the Top 25 in the World by
BusinessWeek
 Of more than 300 executive MBA programs in the world, the Villanova School of Business was one of only 25 elite programs that made the grade in this ranking published by
BusinessWeek on November 1. The Villanova School of Business—in the company of schools including Chicago, Kellogg, Columbia, London Business School, and INSEAD—received special recognition for its exceptional curriculum and its accessible faculty. It ranked 18th among programs in the United States.
Remarkably, the Villanova School of Business gained entry into the coveted top 25 in its very first year of eligibility for this international ranking. The innovative curriculum of the program, designed for executive leaders, is focused on systems thinking—an approach to creative decision making in complex environments.
Says Dean James Danko, “The small-group dynamic of our executive MBA program lends itself to a very strong alumni network. This sense of community extends to the connections between faculty and students, and between the school and its corporate partners. Combined with our systems-thinking curriculum, the result is a program that transforms effective managers into executive leaders.”
“The cornerstone of our admissions process,” explains director Doug Dickel “is whether or not there is an appropriate fit between our executive MBA and the life goals of the applicant. We have never compromised on this approach, and this ranking confirms that we’re doing it right.”
Click here to view BusinessWeek's 2007 Executive MBA rankings.
VSB Executive MBA Program Ranked #26 Among
US-based Executive MBA Programs by Financial Times
Only seven years after the program’s inception, the Villanova School of
Business Executive MBA program has earned the #26 spot among US-based
executive MBA programs in the Financial Times annual ranking, released this
week. Worldwide, the school placed #64 among over 300 executive MBA
programs.
The curriculum of this selective MBA program for executive leaders is
focused on systems thinking—an approach to creative decision making within
complex business environments. The small-group dynamic of the program has
created a cohesive alumni network in the program’s short history, and has
also lent itself to strong connections between faculty and students, and
between the school and its corporate partners.
The Financial Times ranking focuses on areas of particular importance within
the executive MBA marketplace, including the work experience of executive
MBA participants—a factor that directly leads to the quality of classroom
discussions and program collaboration among peers. The criteria for such
experience includes seniority of positions held, number of years in each
position, size of company, and any international work experience prior to
starting the EMBA. In this category, the Villanova School of Business has
earned the #1 spot in the Philadelphia market.
Executive MBA Alumni 2nd Annual
Conference and Reunion Weekend
The Villanova School of Business Executive MBA Alumni Board is hosting its second
Annual Conference & Reunion Weekend on May 30th–31st. The leadership
conference speakers include Dr. Russell L. Ackoff—author
of numerous books on systems thinking; Geordie Lemmon, Jr.—entrepreneur; and
Jack Quindlen—former Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, E.E.
DuPont de Nemours & Co. The annual golf tournament and barbeque will round out
the weekend.
EMBA Alumnus Named to Diversity MBA
Magazine's Top 50 Under 50 List Congratulations to EMBA Alumnus Charles D.
Wallace for being named as one of the Top 50 Under 50 African-American MBA
corporate executives by Diversity MBA Magazine. Wallace currently serves
as Chief Technology Architect and IT Director for Rohm and Haas.
In its third consecutive year, the Top 50 Under 50 Executives were selected
based on their position within a
publicly or privately traded company, the size of budget they manage, their
community service work,and the
MBA degree they hold.
Click here to learn more.
Executive MBA Alumni Board Offers Inaugural EMBA Alumni Conference and Reunion
The Executive MBA Alumni Board hosted the inaugural EMBA Alumni Conference and
Reunion on June 22 and 23, 2007. The event opened with lunch in Bartley Hall,
which was followed by remarks from the following guest speakers: Richard E.
Caruso, Ph.D., Chairman of Integra LifeSciences Corporation; Rick Berry,
President and CEO of SSA; Mike McDannell, Senior VP of Career Concepts; John C.
Carrow, Sr., Senior VP, Strategic Client Development of Unisys Corporation; and
Anne Wilms, Executive VP; CIO; Director, Human Resources of Rohm & Haas Company.
The conference ended with a cocktail social in the Atrium area of Bartley Hall.
Forty Executive MBA Alumni enthusiastically attended the afternoon’s activities.
A golf outing and BBQ followed on Saturday afternoon. We look forward to next
year’s event and welcome your suggestions!Anne Wilms, Executive Vice-President; Chief
Information Officer; Director, Human Resources Meets with the Executive MBA
Class of 2007 On Friday, April 20th, Anne M. Wilms addressed the Villanova School of Business
Executive MBA Program Class of 2007. Ms. Wilms joined Rohm and Haas in 1999 as
Vice President and Chief Information Officer. She has global responsibility for
all aspects of Information Technology for the company. In January 2005 she was
appointed to the Executive Council. In June 2005 she was named Director, Human Resources.
Previously with Sonat, Inc. (Birmingham, AL), Ms. Wilms served as Vice President
and Chief Information Officer responsible for all corporate and subsidiary
computing, telecommunications, IT infrastructure, and operating company
applications. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of IT management
positions, including work for Oracle Corporation (Redwood City, CA) and as
Director of Information Systems for Wisconsin Power and Light (Madison, WI).
Ms. Wilms is a board member of NPower National, the Red Cross of South Eastern Pennsylvania,
and is a member of the Villanova University CIO Advisory Council.Comcast Executives Address VSB Executive MBA Students, Class of 2008
Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Stephen B. Burke, Chief Operating Officer, of Comcast Corporation addressed
students from the VSB Executive MBA Class of 2008.
Brian L. Roberts is Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. Under his leadership, Comcast has grown into a Fortune 100 company with $22.3 billion in revenues, 24.2 million customers and 87,000 employees. Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. The
company also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectator, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team, and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.
Mr. Roberts has won numerous business and industry honors for his leadership. In January of 2007,
Institutional Investor magazine named him as one of America's top CEOs for the fourth year in a row. In October of 2006 he was inducted into the Cable Television Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was honored by the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) for his commitment to diversity in the cable industry, and by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America for Comcast's unprecedented commitment of resources to champion the PDFA's drug-free message. He also was the recipient of the 2004 Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. In 2003 Mr. Roberts was awarded the Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award by the UJA Federation of New York. In 2002, he was honored by The Police Athletic League of Philadelphia for his commitment to youth programs and community partnerships.
Since joining Comcast Cable in 1998, Steve Burke has been a driving force in the company’s growth from a cable industry leader to a world-class communications company. He has been praised for leading the highly successful and unprecedented integration of AT&T Broadband with Comcast. His work at Comcast has earned numerous industry awards, including the 2006 and 2003 Multichannel News Cable Operator of the Year Award and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association 2001 Vanguard Award for Cable Operations Management. Mr. Burke serves on the Board of Directors for JP Morgan and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also dedicates his time and expertise to numerous cable industry initiatives, serving as Chairman of the Executive Committee for C-SPAN, a public service created by the cable television industry.
Aqua America Promotes Two Villanova
School of Business Executive MBA Graduates to Senior Officers
Christopher Franklin, who has been with Aqua America since December 1992, has been promoted to regional president, Aqua America southern operations and senior vice president, public affairs and customer operations. In December 2002, he was promoted to vice president, public affairs and customer operations. “Chris has headed several successful projects including leading the company’s lobbying efforts to effect favorable utility legislation in several states, increasing the company’s visibility in the media and on Wall Street, changing the name of the company and its subsidiaries and most recently, the consolidation of the company’s call centers, which is scheduled for completion this spring,” said Aqua America Chairman and CEO Nicholas DeBenedictis. In his new role as regional president of the company’s southern operations, Franklin will have overall operations responsibility for the companies’ subsidiaries in Texas, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, which collectively serve approximately 600,000 residents. Franklin will retain his public affairs and customer operations responsibilities as well. Franklin earned his BS from West Chester University and his Executive MBA from Villanova University.
Mark Kropilak has been promoted to senior vice president, corporate development and corporate counsel from the position of vice president, corporate development, the position he’s held since October 2002. “Since Mark has headed the company’s corporate development effort, Aqua America has completed more than 100 acquisitions and growth ventures, expanding the service territory into seven additional states and increasing the customer base by nearly 50 percent,” said DeBenedictis. Kropilak joined Aqua America in 1985 and has served as corporate counsel, and vice president and general counsel before heading the company’s corporate development group. Prior to joining the company, Kropilak was employed by the law firm of Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia where he practiced in the areas of public utility law, administrative law and environmental law. Kropilak graduated from St. Vincent College with highest honors, receiving a degree in Economics and a minor in Accounting. He earned his JD degree from Columbia University School of Law. In April 2002, Kropilak completed the Executive MBA program at Villanova University and was selected for membership in the business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma.
Howard Ross, Partner, LLR
Partners, Addresses the Villanova School of Business Executive MBA Program
Howard Ross, one of four partners at LLR Partners, addressed the Villanova School of Business Executive MBA
Program. LLR Partners is a leading Philadelphia based private equity firm managing over $600 million. The firm provides capital to middle market growth companies in a broad range of industries including Business Services, Information Technology, Healthcare Services, Financial Services, and Consumer and Retail. LLR creates value beyond its capital contribution by partnering with existing management and providing strategic counsel and access to its extensive business network.
Joel Naroff, President, Naroff Economic Advisors, Speaks to Executive MBA Students
Joel L. Naroff, President and founder of Naroff Economic Advisors, recent spoke to Villanova School of Business Executive MBA students. Naroff Economic Advisors is a strategic economic consulting firm, and Mr. Naroff advises companies across the country on the risks and opportunities that economic developments may have on the organization’s operating environment.
On a consulting basis, Joel serves as Chief Economist for Commerce Bank in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He is the economic consultant for Cumberland Advisors, a personal service, money management firm headquartered in New Jersey and an economic advisor to Brandywine Realty Trust and Spectrum Alliance. He consults with banks on asset/liability and economic development issues and is an economic and financial advisor to state and local governments.
An accomplished public speaker, Joel’s humor and unique ability to make economics understandable have brought him a wide following. He gives talks on national, international, regional and industry specific topics. He often plays the role of futurist and has discussed the potential impact of evolving economic trends on a variety of industries.
Family Nights
The VSB Executive MBA Program hosts family events for the students and their families. The events typically take place at the Montrose Mansion at The Villanova Conference Center in Radnor, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. The children enjoy games, arts and crafts, and special activities such as an appearance by the Villanova Wildcat!
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