A group of passionate MBA alumni participated in a constructive and fun-packed virtual networking summit on Friday, April 9. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen connections among Woodbury’s graduate business alumni, and to explore ways to increase engagement with the School of Business, an initiative that many of them had called for over time.
The tone of the meeting was upbeat with a blend of entertainment and professional development. Dr. Joan Marques, Dean of the School of Business, opened with a poem on self-leadership.
Jerri Hemsworth, CEO and Creative Director at Newman Grace, co-founder of Echelon Business Development Network, and adjunct professor at Woodbury’s School of Media, Culture and Design, lead a discussion around “LinkedIn” best practices. In her presentation, Jerri emphasized the importance of using keywords in the headline, including a logo or business card as a background image, and spending about an hour a week on some type of engagement through the network in order to increase visibility. She
also discussed the power of endorsements, and the need to regularly maintain and update your network.
Dr. Nathan Garrett, Chair of Woodbury’s Computer Information Systems program, conducted “quiz rounds.” The “quiz rounds” were divided into a section on knowing Woodbury University, and knowing Business. There was great enthusiasm among participants, resulting in a total of five winners, who were all awarded gift cards.
Dr. Satinder Dhiman, Chair of Woodbury’s MBA program, ended the meeting with one of his famous metaphors. He told the story of a girl who pulled her friend, twice her size and weight out of a well. Upon arriving to town, people
were in disbelieve that such a slender girl had been able to save such a robust person with a piece of rope. The reason why she was able to do it was because no one had been there to tell her that she would not be able to do it.
In an open forum session, participants emphasized the importance of keeping in touch, and shared suggestions on how they would like to do so. Options such as providing guest presentations in classes, setting up a network system, and conducting regular alumni gatherings such as this one were discussed,
The MBA Alumni Networking event was organized by Dr. Dhiman, in coordination with Dr. Marques and Greg Doomanis, MBA alumnus, along with assistance from Damon Griffin, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations, and Ovsanna Adjikian-Daglian, Graduate Coordinator and Recruiter. The organizers aim to plan a sequence to this event within the next few months.
If you’d like to participate in an upcoming alumni networking event, please contact Dr. Satinder Dhiman.
Last Updated on April 12, 2021.