Thunderbird Magazine by ROX Media

WINTER 2018

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GLOBALISM IN

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NATIONALISM

INSIDE: They Are not Moving Thunderbird, They Are Relaunching It PAGE 15 The Future of Internationalism PAGE 30 A T-birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Flight, My Summerim in South Africa PAGE 40

Change Tomorrow

Thunderbird Magazine Volume 68, No. 1, Winter 2018 Managing Editor Jay Thorne Content Managers Sean Durell Rhonda Mihalic Editorial Proofreader Suzy Howell Alumni Staff Contributors Terri Nissen Paetra Yates Megan Petty Special thanks to Arizona State University Produced by ROX Media Group: Principal & Account Manager Elaine Earle Creative Director Tim Clarke General Manager Bea Lueck Project Manager Katie Mayer

Commit to lifelong learning Download your free eBook at thunderbird.asu.edu/lll

All editorial, sales and production correspondence should be addressed to: Thunderbird Magazine, 1 Global Place, Glendale, AZ, 85306-6000. Changes of address, advertising inquiries and other subscription details can be e-mailed to: alumni@ thunderbird.asu.edu. Thunderbird Magazine is a publication of Thunderbird School of Global Management, a unit of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise. ÂŠ2018 Editorial submissions and letters to the editor can be e-mailed to: tbirdalumni@ thunderbird.asu.edu.

letter from the ceo

magazine : winter : 2018

features The pendulum that for many years swung toward globalization, today GLOBALISM NATIONALISM is swinging in the opposite direction. Globally, there are two forces at play – one that continues to pull us into a global community and one that pulls toward national interests and even nativism. Is globalization at risk? What is Thunderbird’s place in this changing environment? Moreover, what is the role of T-birds? WINTER 2018

magazine

THE

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They Are not Moving Thunderbird, They Are Relaunching It PAGE 15 The Future of Internationalism PAGE 30

A T-bird’s First Flight, My Summerim in South Africa PAGE 40

Thunderbird by the Numbers A look at growth since the ASU partnership

They Are not Moving Thunderbird They Are Relaunching It

Alumni Consulting Lab Inaugural TEM Lab held in Bogota, Colombia

A T-bird’s First Flight My Summerim in South Africa

departments Program Spotlight

Faculty Focus

Chapter Volunteering

Class Notes

Building for Thunderbird’s Future

his edition of the Thunderbird Magazine focuses on a topic that touches us all, particularly as T-birds. Today, the global community we embrace and celebrate is going through a period of disruption and, for many, a shifting mindset. You can read several good pieces on the topic within these pages and we think you’ll find some interesting perspectives. Another story featured in the magazine is news of the School’s move to Arizona State University’s downtown Phoenix campus, which was announced in December. For many reasons, leadership at ASU and Thunderbird made the difficult decision to move forward to a new home in the vibrant heart of the nation’s fifth largest city. You can read more about that here and in communications over the coming year. Plans are being developed for a special celebration to say goodbye to the campus and hello to a new future. Thunderbird alumni are the lifeblood of the School. As I have emphasized since early in my service at Thunderbird, you inspire me and give me energy. The love for the School that I encounter in countries all over the world from our alumni and the strength of the alumni network are genuine and powerful. You have stepped forward to engage with current students, to mentor, to assist School initiatives such as TEM Labs, Career Days, and to refer your friends and family members as potential students. Thunderbird’s mission – educating future global leaders – has never been more essential. As the world changes, Thunderbird must not only adapt, but also lead. This has always been the case. One sign of a successful organization is its ability to pivot from the past and transition into the future. We do this because we are committed to excellence, unwavering in our determination to grow, and because we are responsible to maximize a return on investment for our alumni. As you will read in these pages, the re-engagement of the Thunderbird Annual Fund clearly demonstrates our commitment to the future. I encourage you to support the Annual Fund not only for the good of the School, but with your own interests in mind and with the goal of continuing to take advantage of what the School has to offer for executive development. What remains constant about Thunderbird, no matter the pace of change or turbulence in the world, is the people the School attracts. What brought you to Thunderbird is still here and the world still needs the skills, mindset, cultural awareness and business acumen that only Thunderbird offers. Now more than ever. #OnlyHere Dr. Allen J. Morrison CEO & Director General

THUNDERBIRD

by the numbers A Look at the Growth of Philanthropy at Thunderbird since the ASU Partnership

PROGRAMS SUPPORTED THROUGH DONATIONS

rivate support for Thunderbird not only directly impacts student success, innovative programs, and learning enhancements that makes the School unique, but it also exemplifies a vote of confidence from alumni, corporate and foundation supporters. Take a look at the remarkable growth in private support at Thunderbird since our partnership with Arizona State University began in 2015.

NEW GIFTS AND COMMITMENTS

GIVING COMPOSITION IN DOLLARS CONTRIBUTED

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impact report

How Private Support Makes a Difference

Since Thunderbird began its partnership with ASU in 2015, philanthropic investment in the School has increased by 382%. This remarkable demonstration of support has impacted the School powerfully by reenergizing many of our hallmark programs and launching new initiatives. Below is a look how fundraising makes a difference at Thunderbird.

SHARE FELLOWSHIP

Last winter, SHARE founders, Marshall Parke ’77 and his wife, Veronique, reinvested in the program with a special gift to cover all operational costs. With this support, fellow T-birds such as Jimmy Masrin ’87, Hilmi Panigoro ’85, Robert Zorich ’74, Eric Bing ’94, David Young ’91, Michael Gerrard ’91, David Mayo ’61, and SHARE alumnus Lilian Mramba ’10 committed over $1,000,000 this calendar year to the program, which will fund 14 full-ride scholarships.

MARSHALL PARKE ’77

T-BIRDS IN JAPAN RISE

It began with a desire to help Thunderbird recruit Japanese students. Hiroshi Hamada ’91, Mikako Inamasu ‘91, Katsunori Takahashi ‘99, and Tetsuya Abe ‘01 wanted to help – so they began to translate admissions materials to Japanese. Slow progress led to the realization that a larger presence was needed – an office in Tokyo. Mr. Hamada made a personal gift of $100,000 to establish a Japan Fund. To date, T-birds in Japan have added to that amount and activity continues. “We need Thunderbird here in Japan,” said Hamada. “Not only for a business reason, but also for their contribution to the world.”

T-BIRDS IN JAPAN

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROGRAM

KEN VALVUR ’88

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Thanks to the support from Ken Valvur ’88 and the Thunderbird Executive Leadership Council, Thunderbird has begun offering its 2nd Language Acquisition tutoring program during each semester. This extremely cost efficient program matches a native-speaking student (tutor) with fellow students using a structured (yet flexible) outline to help participants increase conversation communication capabilities. “Getting a start in Japanese at Thunderbird completely changed my life - I hope current students will also take the language plunge with some help from TELC!”

globalism in the age of nationalism

Stand Up and Show – Not Just Tell – the Benefits of Globalization By Dr. Allen J. Morrison

The turbulence caused by increasingly rapid technological change is giving rise to populism and nationalism around the world.

et’s think locally for a moment about how we act globally. Thunderbird’s main campus sits in the city of Glendale in one of the fastest growing counties in one of the fastest growing states in America. In Arizona, 747,837 jobs – one in five – depend on international trade. Nearly 5,000 Arizona businesses – the majority of them small businesses – depend on imports. These are just two of the quantitative benefits of globalization. Yet globalization – NAFTA and beyond, in Arizona and beyond – is at risk. We have the opportunity, and the obligation, to stand up for it. But that will require leaders to really understand the sources of resistance to globalization. And we must not only tout the quantitative benefits but also share the stories of the people whose lives have been made better by globalization.

TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE GIVES RISE TO UNCERTAINTY Electricity was first introduced in 1873 but it wasn’t until 1919 – 46 years later – that even a quarter of the U.S. population had it. It took

less time – 26 years – for TV to be adopted by a quarter of American households. PCs took 16 years. Mobile phones took 13. The Internet took 7. The rate of technological change is increasing exponentially. In fact, it has outpaced our ability to adapt. The inability to adapt as fast as technology changes leaves us feeling disoriented and rudderless – and for good reason. Citizens are left wondering what has happened to their country. Employees are left worrying about their career futures.

UNCERTAINTY GIVES RISE TO NATIONALISM The turbulence caused by increasingly rapid technological change is giving rise to populism and nationalism around the world. That is understandable, a natural consequence of uncertainty. When people feel confused and overwhelmed they naturally recoil inward. As my colleague Joshua Ault put it, “We are social creatures: when the going gets rough, we circle around our tribe with spears pointed outward.” But the risk is that our natural propensity to turn inward during times of uncertainty gives way to a return to nationalism. ‘The enemy is at the gate.’ ‘Different is bad.’ ‘Protect what’s ours.’ One need not look past the nightly news to see such overgeneralizations and stereotypes aplenty. And it has already had real consequences, with Brexit in the UK, the American election, dynamics in the French and Dutch elections and most recently, in Spain. Can we abate the rise of these sentiments and their political consequences? If we can’t, we could lose the global openness that we have embraced since the end of the last world war. This is the global openness that has pulled more than a billion people out of poverty and birthed the likes of Apple, Tesla, and Google. The global openness that supports 41 million U.S. jobs. winter 2018

globalism in the age of nationalism

WE ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM – AND THE SOLUTION For those of us who see these trends and worry, there is something we can do. But the first step is to be understanding of the fact that citizens and employees are more confused and anxious than they’ve ever been. Leaders must step out of the ivory tower. Listen. Talk about why globalization has been so positively transformative. And how much a retreat from it would hurt everyone. Remind people that the phone in their pocket was the brainchild of the son of a Syrian immigrant, built of parts from ten different countries. Share the stories of the 41 million Americans employed in trade-dependent jobs. Rather than proclaiming the virtues of globalization ‘because we know them to be true,’ we need to share stories like those of the 3,000 men and women in Ohio who work at the factory revived by a Chinese auto parts maker. Those of the Iowa corn farmer, and Colorado rancher, and California citrus grower whose livelihoods depend on exports of their crops to other countries, and imports of labor at harvest time. We need to share stories like that of the late Saad Abdul-Latif, a T-bird who grew up in occupied East Jerusalem surrounded by poverty and thunderbird magazine

violence, attended college in Lebanon, Kuwait, and the U.S. and went on to run PepsiCo’s Asia, Middle East and Africa division – a $6 billion operation in a territory that includes about twothirds of the world’s population. Saad’s journey – and countless others like it – are possible only because of globalization. I know because I see those stories every day in the faces of the students who come here, from nearly every continent, to study global business.

STANDING UP FOR GLOBALIZATION Global leaders need to speak up and speak out, use our voices to defend and promote the social and economic benefits of globalization. We need to fight back against nationalism, which has many loud advocates. We are at risk of being drowned out by those very loud voices. As the leader of a 71-year old educational institution founded on the principle that borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers, I see it as both an institutional and a personal obligation to stand up for globalization. And I hope that you, whatever your role, will take up the banner as well. Dr. Allen Morrison is CEO and Director General of Thunderbird School of Global Management. He may be reached at Allen.Morrison@thunderbird.asu.edu

Global leaders need to speak up and speak out, use our voices to defend and promote the social and economic benefits of globalization. 5

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conomic forces

PUSH US OUTWARD But Social Forces Call Us Home By Dr. Joshua Ault

uch ink has been spilled of late regarding the West’s seeming retreat to nationalism. The election of Donald Trump is compared to the election of Herbert Hoover in 1929. Trump’s trade promises are reminiscent of Smoot Hawley. Indeed, we have been here before – in 1929, and 1890, and 1828, and 1790 – but make no mistake: there are always two forces at play, one pulling us toward globalism and one pulling us toward nationalism. Pankaj Ghemawat, now a professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University, has shown that there are always economic forces pushing us toward globalism and social forces pulling us toward nationalism. Sometimes, the economic forces prevail – as they have since the Great Depression. Then, the social forces prevail and we experience retrenchment toward nationalism. Like a pendulum swinging back and forth, or a never-ending game of tug-of-war. Some will say, ‘This time is different.’ They cite Facebook and smartphones and (relatively) cheap air travel to show that the world can’t possibly retrench now as it did in the 1920s and 30s. Yet fundamentally, we are still the same social creatures we were in 1930: when the going gets rough, we circle around our tribe with spears pointed outward.

WHO IS ‘US’? Indeed, many scholars have shown how we are hardwired to care for our village. And nationality is a powerful force for defining ‘who is us.’ thunderbird magazine

globalism in the age of nationalism There are always winners and losers in globalization, which is just the way the world works from the economic perspective.

The end result: in America, the lifting of 700 million people out of abject poverty in China doesn’t matter if it has meant losing one or two million jobs at home. There are always winners and losers in globalization, which is just the way the world works from the economic perspective. But from the social perspective, it is profoundly disturbing when you are on the losing end. Karl Marx talked about how capitalism treats workers as inputs, assuming they can simply be redirected to other parts of the economy when globalization shifts a country’s competitive advantage and an industry disappears. Indeed, the economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term ‘creative destruction,’ an economic force that is positive on net, though it results in the literal destruction of entire industries. A famous example of creative destruction is the decline of the horse and buggy industry and the rise of the automobile industry. ‘Who in their right mind would deride the evolution of the automobile?’ the thinking goes. Surely the people whose livelihood relied on the horse and buggy industry would. That doesn’t mean the destruction of the

horse and buggy industry and the rise of the automobile industry was a bad thing or shouldn’t have occurred. Indeed, more than a century later we are all better off for it (descendants of horse and buggy makers, too). But it does call for compassion for the people whose livelihoods are destroyed by economic forces. And it is critical to understanding the forces, now prevailing, that pull us toward nationalism.

JUST KNOWING ISN’T ENOUGH Understanding when, where, why, and the degree to which individuals lean toward globalism or nationalism is essential to understanding today’s geo-political environment. It is also essential for success in global business. At Thunderbird we talk a lot about Global Mindset. I like to think of it as transnational mindset – that term encompasses the understanding that we as individuals, as companies, as nations, as a world, are both global and local at the same time. The most effective global leaders are those who see global forces and local forces at play at the same time and understand how to navigate the tension between them. To do that, an individual has to have more than just training in the mechanics of global business management. The key skill for global leaders is critical thinking. Effective global leaders understand the mechanics and use their critical thinking skills to know when and where to apply that knowledge. I like to tell my students two stories that show how just knowing the mechanics doesn’t make for success in global business. Two American companies attempted to break into global markets in the 1990s, using much the same strategy. One failed spectacularly while the other succeeded. The difference was in the reading of the global and local forces at play (or not) and the strategic application of business tactics accordingly. In the 1990s, Walmart went to Germany. Having bought completely into the concept of being a ‘global’ brand, the company didn’t adapt its strategies or even tactics to the local market. Over the course of ten years, Walmart lost a billion dollars and eventually had to leave. Its biggest mistake was not seeking to understand the global and local forces at work at the time in Germany. Because local forces were stronger than global forces in the German grocery market at that time, Walmart’s winter 2018

globalism in the age of nationalism

DR. JOSHUA AULT

global approach failed. Around the same time, Toys “R” Us went to Japan. Like Walmart, Toys “R” Us didn’t adapt any of its strategies or tactics to the Japanese market. But the company was incredibly successful. Why? Because global forces were stronger than local forces in that market, so the company could succeed with a global approach. Succeeding in global business is not about knowing ‘If A, then B.’ That’s the difference between a manager and a leader: a manager knows the mechanics of running a company day-to-day; a leader understands how to think critically to balance the paradoxes of the global and local forces that are always at play. (A key reason I came to Thunderbird School of Global Management is that we’re training global leaders.)

NEVER-ENDING TUG-OF-WAR In a game of tug-of-war, both sides are pulling on the rope at the same time. Sometimes the left side is pulling harder and gets more rope; sometimes the right side does. But both thunderbird magazine

forces are always present. The same is true in the tug-of-war between globalism and nationalism; there are always economic forces pulling for globalism and social forces pulling for nationalism. That is why one approach, or even a pre-defined set of approaches, is ineffective in global business. Succeeding in global business requires the ability to see the tug-of-war match as it is playing out in the location at the moment, and to adapt business strategy accordingly. If only policymakers could do the same. Dr. Joshua Ault is an assistant professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management, a unit of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise. His areas of specialization include international strategy, international entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and emerging and developing countries. Dr. Ault has published articles on these topics in some of the world’s top business journals, including Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of International Business Studies, and the Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.

Succeeding in global business requires the ability to see the tug-ofwar match as it is playing out in the location at the moment, and to adapt business strategy accordingly. 9

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FOREIGN

exchange Thunderbird Learnings Still Resonate for FiREapps CEO as He Helps Multinationals Mitigate FX Risk By Jeff Hinkle

t has been nearly three decades since Wolfgang Koester earned his Master’s in International Management from Thunderbird, but he continues to draw on insights gleaned at the school almost daily. Koester, class of 1991, is co-founder and CEO of Scottsdale-based FiREapps, the world’s leading provider of currency analytics technology. Although FiREapps calls Arizona home, the company has a global presence that includes offices in Portland, OR, London and Frankfurt. Its footprint extends even further when the FiREapps roster of clients – a list that includes Google, Ericsson, Pfizer and others – is taken into consideration. Last year, 40 percent of company sales originated overseas and, thanks to the company’s exclusive relationship with Deutsche Bank, its international outreach continues to grow. This worldwide scope requires Koester to spend nearly half of every year traveling – to FiREapps satellite offices and client meetings in Madrid, Dublin, Berlin, Tokyo, Dubai and other locales. And, because each city comes with its own often-subtle customs, Koester is always cognizant of local decorum. This is not a problem, he says, thanks in a large part to the education and insights he gained while attending Thunderbird. “Cultural awareness is one of the reasons students choose Thunderbird,” Koester says. “It was certainly one of the benefits I received from attending.” Although Koester was born in Germany and traveled extensively in his youth before settling permanently in the U.S., he credits his experiences at Thunderbird with helping to broaden his appreciation of cultural differences. “The entire Thunderbird curriculum reinforced it,” he says, “but one class in particular – Differing Value Orientations – sensitized me to negoti-

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Most organizations to take currency risk for granted. But as more and more corporations do business beyond their immediate borders, the need to be ‘currency aware’ … is essential.

foreign exchange ating on a global scale. “It really opened my eyes. But it also underpinned what we learned in every class we took and in every group project we completed,” Koester says.

CURRENCY AWARENESS But a heightened cultural awareness was only one takeaway from Thunderbird. Koester’s education also reinforced the need to understand risk on a global scale – an understanding that is at the heart of FiREapps. “Two courses – International Risk Management and Insurance Seminar and International Accounting – helped alert me to global risk,” he says. “Both were critical in my own development and career. Both classes taught me to proactively factor risk into everything I was involved in – and recognizing and helping manage risk is what FiREapps is all about. We emphasize currency awareness.” Although the average FiREapps client generates more than 30 percent of its revenues internationally and manages more than ten currency pairs (although some manage more than 500 currency pairs), Koester says most multinationals lacked full currency awareness before working with FiREapps. “It is not uncommon,” says Koester. “Most organizations to take currency risk for granted. But as more and more corporations do business beyond their immediate borders, the need to be ‘currency aware’ – to fully understand the impact foreign currency volatility can have on corporate earnings – is not optional. It is essential.” This is where FiREapps comes in. FiREapps introduced cloud-based currency analytics and the company continues to be the leader in helping corporations understand and manage their currency risks and related costs and processes. FiREapps clients have annual revenues ranging from $250 million to $80 billion, but they share one common trait: They lack the time, resources and expertise needed to properly manage global currency exposures. “Managing currency risk is not easy,” says Koester. “By leveraging the right data, we help them identify their exposures to improve the impact currency has on their financial results.”

GIVING BACK Because Koester’s experiences as a student still reverberate to this day, he reciprocates by giving select college graduates a chance to gain real-world insights. For the last several years, Koester has chosen a recent graduate to participate in a unique mentorship program at FiREapps. Koester hires him or her for a 12-month period using the year, introducing them to a variety of roles and responsibilities at FiREapps. The graduate is given the chance to work side-by-side with Koester, and, at the end of the year, the individual exits the program equipped with a variety of distinctive, in-the-trenches experiences and insights. If the candidate proves to be an especially good fit, Koester looks to extend an offer of permanent employment at FiREapps. Curt Miaso, an ASU grad, was first signed on as an apprentice in 2013. He eventually joined FiREapps full time in 2014 and is currently a Director of Risk Advisory at FiREapps.

“Being selected to work at Wolfgang’s side for a year was an amazing experience,” says Miaso. “I was exposed to challenges and situations that the typical college graduate might not encounter until much later in their career. I was to get a front-row seat and see how a global business is operated and managed.” Koester’s commitment to giving back manifests itself in other ways as well. Recently, he returned to Thunderbird to deliver a keynote presentation, entitled “The Five Stages of Entrepreneurial Success” as part of the school’s Global Speaker Series. The audience – composed of students, alumni and professionals – asked questions about topics ranging from economic trends to recruiting to block-chain currencies. When the inevitable question about the key to success surfaced, Koester offered this: “At the end of the day, business is business,” he said. “I found a problem – a lack of currency awareness on the part of multinationals – that I enjoyed solving and I surrounded myself with others who were better than me at solving that problem.” winter 2018

A Note from Patrick McDermott, Thunderbird’s Chief Engagement Officer

ear T-birds, You all know from personal experience why students come to Thunderbird from around the world. Like you, they seek a truly global education that will offer them new models of leadership that are borderless, span cultural boundaries, and give them the tools they need to navigate today’s rapidly changing business environment. They wish to know the world. T-birds believe that knowing other cultures means living and working globally and that beyond understanding lies a path to prosperity for all. T-birds also know that to be a global leader, one must fundamentally accept that there is never just one way to achieve a goal. T-birds demonstrate every day that we are all citizens of the world and that when we truly know each other, we can achieve great things together. Thunderbird’s inaugural President, Lt. General Barton Kyle Yount, imagined a future where nations and people worked together beyond borders and across cultures. Our early founders made a personal commitment, a philanthropic investment, to establish this School because they believed in the fundamental viewpoint of Thunderbird as described by its second President,

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Dr. William Lytle Schurz, that “Borders frequented by trade, seldom need soldiers.” Embedded in those words is the critical importance of the globally focused education that Thunderbird provided to you and continues to offer our current and future students. Over the past 71 years, T-birds have contributed more than $571 million to make that education possible. They have built our campus, funded our students and faculty, and developed the programs that have made us who we are today. And thousands of the individual gifts that comprise that figure came to us through gifts to Thunderbird’s Annual Fund. The world needs Thunderbird now more than ever before, and the School continues to rely on our alumni and friends to fulfil our mission. Thunderbird is uniquely equipped to provide our future leaders with the skills they need to navigate today’s volatile global marketplace. Since Thunderbird’s partnership with Arizona State University in 2015, our Thunderbird Alumni have worked tirelessly to help grow the School through student referrals and mentoring, campus visits, classroom talks, internships, coaching, and job placements - and through

the sheer force of their example. More recently, we have also begun to look to our family of alumni and friends to once again consider philanthropic support for our students and programs. This year we re-launch the Thunderbird Annual Fund, which encourages all alumni to contribute the critical support needed to expand Thunderbird’s reach and strengthen our brand around the world. We are asking for your help. Alumni participation in the Thunderbird Annual Fund not only provides critically needed support, it also directly impacts continued growth in attracting high-caliber students, foundation and corporate funding, and our rankings. We have already seen the impact that Alumni philanthropy can have on our students and programs. In just the past year, we have grown the Thunderbird SHARE Fellowship through new gifts and begun to increase SHARE’s regional impact through country-specific support in Indonesia and Brazil. We have celebrated

the magnificent support of our 1000-strong Thunderbird Japanese Alumni through their fundraising campaign to re-start Thunderbird Japan, with the creation of a new Tokyo office and the appointment of a Japan-based Thunderbird staff person. All of this comes at an exciting time in Thunderbird’s storied history. As we prepare to move to Thunderbird’s new home, philanthropy and the support of our alumni will continue to define the School’s future. It has been an honor to work with so many of our Alumni around the world this year and as we continue to grow and strengthen our programs, I encourage all Thunderbird Alumni to engage with the School and to consider support for the programs that are most meaningful to you. With the help and guidance of our alumni and friends, we believe that Thunderbird’s best days lie ahead. Sincerely yours, Patrick McDermott Chief Engagement Officer

In case you missed it: ASU announces move of Thunderbird to its downtown campus. Read more here: https://thunderbird.asu.edu/thunderbird-downtown

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they are not moving thunderbird THEY ARE RELAUNCHING IT This article appeared originally in Das Tor, December 18, 2017

By Michael H. Moffett, Continental Grain Professor in Finance, Thunderbird

came to Thunderbird in 1994. I gave up tenure at a Pac10 school to risk my professional future at a school that embraced international business. Where international was not a niche, but the point. It had been known as an old war stories college, but it was clearly evolving into a world class graduate program in business, and a place where I could work with like-minded students, faculty, and administrators, most of whom had a passion for international business. I have never regretted that choice, not for a single moment. It’s been a wild ride to say the least. But times change. Thunderbird as a standalone one-trick-pony, a graduate business program relying on one degree for its livelihood, became uneconomic over time. It is something we teach; without diversification you suffer higher levels of risk. Without scale, you bend under the weight of overhead. What killed Thunderbird? Was it the decline thunderbird magazine

of the MBA degree nationally or globally, the rising costs of regulatory requirements and services, the inability to innovate in a changing marketplace, the failure to find the capital needed to recruit and develop global business leaders, the failure to recruit and retain new talent on all levels, the failure of leadership to find or form a vision for the future …? All, none, and many others. What could ASU do with Thunderbird? Consider several options. ASU could keep the current physical location, suffer continuing operating losses as it tried to maintain a facility built in 90 days in 1942 that was from the beginning only meant to be temporary. It could reinvest heavily in the Glendale location, but still struggle to draw sufficient student numbers to ever justify that investment, while still suffering higher operating costs. It could move Thunderbird to its main campus – hang the ‘bird’ logo on a building – and move on. Or it could build a new facil-

ity, somewhere special, to try and form a singular identity for Thunderbird that could somehow be functionally linked to the greater portfolio of ASU. They have chosen the latter. Given the choices, I feel they have made the right choice, and the most promising one. ASU made a choice to kill Thunderbird’s MBA from the beginning. Conscious or not, they did. That sealed – not determined, but sealed – Thunderbird’s fate. Forced to try and cobble a couple new degrees together in a matter of weeks, we have struggled to find strong market draw to generate the revenues to offset the institution’s costs. Although new degree developments are promising, the school remains an isolated outpost of the ASU system. The physical infrastructure itself is nearly beyond redemption. The classrooms I teach in today are worse than those at the school I was at in 1991. Facilities don’t make an organization, but they can impede learning.

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ASU could invest in Thunderbird’s future, building new facilities – classrooms, study halls, graduate dorms. The investment to build new facilities, whether it be in Glendale or downtown or any other site, is substantial. How does an organization justify that investment? How does it generate sufficient returns on that investment? Would that really be a responsible use of those funds? A singular, isolated campus in Glendale cannot garner sufficient synergies with other degree programs offered by ASU or anyone else. Let’s not fool ourselves. No one has ever been thrilled to be located in Glendale. There is nothing wrong with Glendale (I actually live there). But when you are a student with a passion to study global business, 25 to 30 years old, and you come from the ends of the earth to study there – well – it’s underwhelming. As I noted in my little piece in Das Tor about Thunderbird being like the movie Casablanca, most everyone at Thunderbird felt like refugees at a lone outpost in the desert, waiting for an exit visa. A common purpose. Everyone always laughs that the pub is Thunderbird in their mind, but it is more than true on many levels. It became a singular social light on an island of international students in a dark suburban housing area. The isolation, the common purpose, the

singular point of connectedness, this all combined chemically to form Thunderbird’s unique culture. Culture. Thunderbird’s culture is indeed unique, but without dwelling on the long over-used term ‘mystique’, I would argue its culture has clearly changed over time. You can’t go home again, as they say. Thunderbird’s culture has changed even over the period I have been here – there is no singular home to go home to. Alumni always remember the Thunderbird of their 18 or 24 month experience; imagine how different those may be over the past 70 years. Organizational culture has changed, and there is no going back. As a standalone not-for-profit, Thunderbird’s entire existence was financially and operationally always on the edge. What this led to was a personal involvement by staff and faculty that was special and cannot be replicated – the feeling that each and every one of us not only could make a difference in the institution’s future, but needed to step up to assure that future. It was always all hands on deck if we were to survive to compete (or even operate) the next day. That is always the story in a small organization, an engaging one, and in fact is one of the drivers behind startups and entrepreneurial undertakings. Was that exhausting? You bet. Was that

rewarding? Most of the time. It’s why I came. I loved the accountability, how even in an academic setting there could be some semblance of a team-effort and collective results. Let’s be honest, most academics are the kids that didn’t play well with other kids. But that was not my experience at Thunderbird, because the school lived hand-to-mouth, no taxpayer dollars at work, only paying devotees. We were owners in many ways (although the Trustees differed in opinion on that point). We had skin in the game – our livelihoods and careers – and it was an owner-operator mind set. Student culture. This is what I currently fear for the most. Students are no longer crossing the world to come to Thunderbird, they are crossing Phoenix. We are evolving into a commuter school, and that undermines the intensity – if not the hours – needed to support the passion for learning in global business. They are not necessarily linked. Many students today have the passion, but don’t have the physical engagement or the time as a result of logistics and human behavior. I have hopes that the new site and facilities will rekindle the high level of student presence and engagement that has come to partially define us. I have seen this first-hand for two decades; my capstone course required a work effort that would not be considered rational at any other graduate business program. But at Thunderbird it was known, accepted, and appreciated. Nothing worth having comes free. There needs to be choice, commitment, and to be honest – personal cost. If Thunderbird is ever going to live on and thrive as more than a logo, then it has got to come from the students who will choose – consciously and actively – to invest in a global business education. At the moment we are in limbo, caught between a beloved past and an undefined future. But that can change. A new start, a relaunch, in a new interconnected site, a site that may be a truly desirable, functional, professional one that can be leveraged to link the Thunderbird asset into a greater academic community portfolio. That is the future I can see for a new Thunderbird. It will be different. Different can be good. winter 2018

This April, come back to campus to celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going. April 6-8, 2018

Join us in celebrating our 72nd Founder’s Day as we bid farewell to the Glendale campus and prepare for Thunderbird’s future home in downtown Phoenix. For more details go to thunderbird.asu.edu/campus-tribute

program spotlight

THUNDERBIRD

share fellowship Program’s Founder, Marshall Parke ’77: An Update

ear T-birds, Since I graduated from Thunderbird in 1977, I have lived and worked in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. In that time, I have consistently encountered successful Thunderbirds using their educations and relationships to build businesses that make an important contribution both globally and locally. Ten years ago, I reached out to a number of my classmates with the idea of building a scholarship program that would help outstanding students from some of these emerging economies gain a Thunderbird education and, perhaps equally important, benefit from the support of alumni mentors. We named the program SHARE. Early on we benefited from four very important breaks: 1. The program resonated with my contemporaries that had similar experiences around the world, and we were able to quickly able to

raise enough money to place four SHARE Fellows on campus in the first year. 2. We found that there was a segment of alumni that wanted to give back by mentoring students. We quickly built a core mentor group that brings passionate leadership to the program today. 3. We had the tremendous good luck to connect with Maria Houle ’87, the SHARE program director on campus, a 1989 T-bird with a successful career in international banking who wanted to return home to Arizona to raise her daughter, and 4. Thunderbird gave us unwavering support. Since the program’s inception, we have brought 53 Fellows into the SHARE program, and they have far exceeded our expectations. As an added value, we have received consistent feedback from the School that the diversity and strength of the SHARE Fellows is an important contributor in the class-

L to R, Barbara Barrett, former President of Thunderbird, Marshall Parke, and current CEO & Director General, Dr. Allen Morrison.

rooms. The Fellows’ enthusiasm has carried us all along. Recently, I was asked to speak at the Thunderbird convocation for the graduating class of 2017. The evening before the graduation we held a dinner for the SHARE Fellows and had a chance to speak with each one. They have big powerful ambitions that are well-conceived and ready for action. What struck me most was their maturity and their warmth, and the steely determination that it took to bring them to our doors. It’s no surprise that when they leave Thunderbird, they go off to accomplish remarkable achievements. Earlier this year, with the help of the School, we began to explore how to fund a broader program, and I’m pleased to report an excellent start. This year a number of our very senior alumni from around the world have joined me to provide funding for the next stage of the SHARE story. We want to put more Fellows on campus, achieve more diversity, and provide more support. I ask that you consider joining me and help provide the education and support that will allow SHARE Fellows to expand and realize their ambitions. Over the next ten years, we would like to see 100 Fellows come through the SHARE program. Since we started the program, we’ve earned the support from over 40 alumni contributors and countless mentors who have helped us transform SHARE Fellows from students into global leaders. There is so much more we can do, and I know we can accomplish, thanks to the support of the Thunderbird community. I think we are on to something special, and I look forward to the coming years. winter 2018

Thunderbird Welcomes the 2017-2018 SHARE Cohort

remarkable and diverse group of new SHARE Fellows arrived on campus this August. All have had impressive internships or jobs and have viable professional goals ranging from general management within a multinational, to entrepreneurship through disruptive technology, to development/ social impact work directly with their home regions. • Lemmy Gitahi from Kenya is licensed pilot with experience in real estate development • Rexcel Lagare from the Philippines is an accountant and consultant with an (EY) Ernst and Young affiliate

•

Madit Yel from South Sudan grew up as a refugee in Cairo and has just graduated from ASU as a MasterCard Scholar Irene Kinyaguli from a “bottom billion” family in Tanzania will also be joining us from ASU’s MasterCard Scholar program

•

Han Zhang from Beijing is already heading up his own e-commerce startup and will be running it while a student at Thunderbird Annie Wambita from Kenya is a marketing specialist who was vetted and recommended by the Thunderbird East Africa alumni chapter.

Past and Present: A Closer Look at the SHARE Fellows LILIAN MRAMBA ’10 (TANZANIA) SHARE Fellow Lilian Mramba from Tanzania graduated magna cum laude from the University of Idaho in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance. After a five-year career with Moss Adams LLP as a Business Assurance Manager, she decided to follow a dream to contribute to the economic growth of her home region. She enrolled at Thunderbird with the specific goal of engaging in the private sector development of East Africa, making her a perfect fit for the aims and offerings of the SHARE Fellowship. While at Thunderbird, Lilian completed a summer internship as an MBA Associate with the African Development Bank in Tunisia where she analyzed investment opportunities and project proposals. Through her own personal networking efforts and with the support of SHARE mentors, she learned about the Grassroots Business Fund which provides capital and support to high-impact businesses that provide opportunities to low income people. Lilian initially accepted a position with GBF in Nairobi as an Investment Officer, and has been promoted through the ranks to her current position directing their investment strategy in Africa as Regional Director. Lilian has not only contributed to SHARE financially but has mentored other SHARE Fellows and serves on Thunderbird’s TELC board. Additionally, she serves as a mentor to students in the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program through their social learning platform, Baobab. thunderbird magazine

MADIT YEL ’20 (SOUTH SUDAN) Madit Yel is a current SHARE Fellow who entered the MAGAM program this fall. Originally from war-torn South Sudan, he spent 11 years as a refugee in Cairo, Egypt, and eventually secured a scholarship to study in South Africa. From Johannesburg, he was awarded a MasterCard Foundation Scholarship to Arizona State University, where he attended the prestigious Barrett Honors College, and earned a dual bachelor’s degree in Public Service and Public Policy and Economics. Madit notes that the South Sudanese diaspora has shown a great dedication to supporting families and communities back home, albeit at small levels. His dream is to engage and unite the financial and human resources of the diaspora to create lasting impact on a larger scale. In the long term, he believes that “A prosperous and peaceful South Sudan should be a regional and global model of success whose story could be replicated elsewhere to achieve similar development objectives.” In order to achieve these goals, Madit has held several internships including with the Omidyar Network (Global impact investment), Education USA (US foreign affairs education) and In On Africa (development research.) He has also held leadership positions including President of the African Student Association at ASU. Now at Thunderbird, Madit is looking forward to networking and collaborating with T-Birds and others who are creating positive impact around the world.

winter 2018

ALUMNI CONSULTING LAB

bogota colombia By Charles Reeves ’09

ow do eight professionals from around the globe come together for one week in Bogotá, Colombia, meet four growing Colombian businesses, run four sprint-consulting projects – everybody working their tails off and making big impacts – and still say at the end of the week: “Crew, this was amazing! I enjoyed every second of it and meeting such a talented (and hilarious) group of people. THANK YOU.”? They must be T-birds! The inaugural Alumni Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory (TEM Lab) brought all of these components together, along with Thunderbird Professor Tom Hunsaker, for a powerful consulting experience in Bogotá this past August. We had a home field advantage to navigate the Bogotá business environment. The Fundación Bolívar Davivienda in Bogotá is led by Thunderbird alumnus Fernando Cortés McAllister ’99; and the Fundación’s Emprende País program is a proven business accelerator which has worked with teams of Thunderbird TEM Lab consultants over the past few years. Diverse businesses from the Emprende País program applied for consulting advice from Thunderbird while a unique group of Thunderbird alums applied to be consultants. Clients represented various industries: building facades, dairy, online learning in healthcare, and IT solutions for low-resource countries. All projects were strategic, but in different ways – organizational structure, sales, operations, product development, marketing, and finance were all represented. The Thunderbird consultants worked in groups of two with a specific company, but a bright spot of the program was that alums got to visit with each business and consulting team, providing exposure to different projects and ideas.

thunderbird magazine

program spotlight The Thunderbird group of eight came from the full time, online, and executive programs, and arrived in Bogotá from Africa, North America and South America. While everyone had slightly different goals for participation, all were interested in Latin America and trying their hand at international consulting. Everyone was already engaged in a successful career, but they were intrigued by the challenge of consulting for a growing Colombian business and the learning experience of doing so alongside a Thunderbird professor. Not only did everyone have a great time, but the results in just one week were remarkable. A representative from Menntun, a healthcare industry learning platform, told us, “This experience has had a huge impact […] It has enabled us to figure out how to […] extend our reach regionally. Every time they (the T-bird consultants) had a new idea, it was like an explosion of changes and this has opened the door to new ideas. It has been a marvelous experience and incredible to have the consultants close to us, getting to know our business and helping us with highimpact projects.” The alumni worked hard and enjoyed building relationships with each other. According to Alumni Consultant Santiago Fajardo ’11, “As a TEM Lab team of eight, we not only had the support of our client team members but the entire Thunderbird team which came with a diverse background of expertise and experiences. This team support allowed us to rely on each other for feedback and specific expertise with our clients’ goals.” Finally, according to TEM Lab team

member Kate Robertson ’11, another key ingredient of Thunderbird adventures was in full play, “We ate like kings and people loved that! Mealtime was always exciting and there was a nice element of surprise as to what we were going to get. We built in a few nights for alumni to go to dinner on their own but they chose to go together because they enjoyed the company, sharing stories and bouncing business ideas off one another.” All involved finished the week with memorable experiences and new friendships. Some alumni even stayed in Colombia to explore more. The client companies came away with new ideas and actionable plans for growth. Alumni planted international con-

sulting on their résumés and brought Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) back to their career and employers (indeed, some employers paid for the experience). Ken Hill ’16, in summing up the week, said, “This was a fantastic experience and just confirms to me how great T-birds are and how proud I am to be one. Thanks to everyone. You’re all amazing people!” Why are T-birds so engaged with the world? Upon reflection at the end of the week, Professor Hunsaker may have hit the nail on the head: “Many spend their time trying to be ‘interesting.’ Others focus on being ‘interested.’ The former seek attention and are prone to superficiality. The latter seek genuine insight and impact. I couldn’t be more pleased with the week’s outcome nor prouder to call you fellow T-birds. Because you were so ‘interested’ you left an incredible mark on your clients and colleagues.” This inaugural Alumni TEM Lab group set the benchmark for what we believe will become a new aspect of the Thunderbird experience. This was too much fun to not do again. We are already at work planning the next Alumni TEM Lab so watch out for it! #OnlyHere winter 2018

ALUMNI CONSULTING LAB

“THIS IS A CHANCE FOR ALUMNI TO RECONNECT WITH THE SCHOOL AND CONTINUE LEARNING. CONSULTING LABS ARE A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF TWO THINGS ALL TBIRDS LOVE — ADVENTURE & IMPACT.”

Quito

QUITO, ECUADOR – SUMMER 2018

- Tom Hunsaker Thunderbird Professor

The Alumni Consulting Lab is a one-week immersive consulting engagement with dynamic growing businesses in an emerging economy. Alumni consultants are paired with the businesses and receive support from Thunderbird Professor Tom Hunsaker to tackle strategic growth challenges. The program builds on the success of the Thunderbird Emerging Markets Laboratory (TEM Lab), which is the flagship international consulting experience in the MGM program. Consulting Labs are now a vibrant part of every degree program on the Thunderbird campus. The inaugural Alumni Consulting Lab took place in Bogotá, Colombia, and the experience was overwhelmingly positive for all involved. This is a uniquely Thunderbird experience. You will make new friendships and learn from fellow alumni, your clients and the Professor, you’ll re-engage with emerging market business and consulting, you’ll enjoy working hard and making an impact on your clients and yourself, and you’ll have a great time!

LEARN & CONNECT Alongside Thunderbird faculty, alums and Ecuadorian executives

CONSULT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EXPERIENCE

Discover majestic Ecuador through the lens of diverse companies and business challenges

Have access to top faculty and resources, and receive continuing education credits

Immerse in and impact dynamic Latin American businesses

experience was very worthwhile - I met great people, tried my hand at “ Theconsulting, learned new approaches. I’m grateful for the opportunity.” - Alyssa Cohen ‘14

Professor Hunsaker for your leadership “ Thankandyouguidance through the Alumni Lab.” - Selam Maya Demeke ‘01

Limited availability. Learn more and apply now: thunderbird.asu.edu/alumni-tem-lab

thunderbird magazine

program spotlight

THUNDERBIRD

mentor program Mentoring and Supporting Students

hunderbird’s Mentor Program is designed to be a meaningful catalyst in helping our students achieve professional and personal growth. By participating in a mentoring relationship, mentees can leverage the expertise, wisdom and experience that their mentors have accumulated during their careers. Mentees are given the opportunity to a acquire a relevant perspective from someone who has previously been a student at Thunderbird and is now a successful professional. Since the program began in 2015, more than 200 mentorships have been established. The success of the program is largely

due to the dedicated T-bird alumni who serve as mentors for students. Ninety percent of surveyed mentees responded that they gained career guidance, industry connections and improved networking skills through the program.

In March 2016 the program began offering Webtalks, providing students in the mentor program with guidance on timely topics from industry experts. More than 15 alumni have given talks to students to date.

THUNDERBIRD MENTOR PROGRAM SELECTED WEBTALKS The Renewable Energy Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mariano Costa ’00 Establishing Distribution Channels in New Markets. . . . . . Jim Thomas ’81 Transition from Thunderbird to working abroad . . . . . . Douglas Morin ’96 The Road to Entrepreneurship in the Fastest Growing Major Economy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Griffith David ’96 Leveraging your Thunderbird Degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara Connell ’13 Transitioning from the Public to Private Sector. . . . . . . . . . Rush Baker ’09

Testimonials “Kefei is such a wonderful mentor, asking the right questions to help guide me in my career decisions. Thank you so much for this wonderful match!” Gloria Pan current MGM student mentored by Kefei Wang ’13. “My mentor helped me narrow down my interest and explained the importance in doing so. Pedro introduced me to many different contacts in Latin America that have helped me greatly. He went above and beyond our monthly video chats and I have greatly benefitted from it. I recommend every Thunderbird student join the mentor program to be able to learn career and life experiences from former Thunderbird students.” Calvin Dart ’17 MAGAM who was mentored by Pedro Carvalho ’94

“Nhat has been a blessing in my life as a mentee and a friend.” Jeff Snow ’90 mentor to Nhat Le current MGM student. winter 2018

THUNDERBIRD’S AWARD-WINNING

global speaker series

or nearly a decade, every summer, shortly after graduation ceremonies in May as the number of people on campus goes down and the temperatures in Arizona go up, the School has featured guest speakers in an event called the Executive Lecture Series. Once a month from May to August, Thunderbird invites alumni, existing students, prospects, business partners and visitors from the community to sample the thought leadership of insightful guests speaking about interesting global subjects. The goal is to provide engagement opportunities through the slower summer months. The ELS events have been very nice, garnering attendance of 20-30 people and a small online audience. This year, under the leadership of the School’s Director of Special Events, Erin Schneiderman, Thunderbird turned it up a notch. The School developed a community partnership with the Phoenix Business Journal, changed the name of the series, and co-branded it as the Thunderbird School of Global Management/Phoenix Business Journal Global Speakers Series. Key stakeholders at the School stepped up to “host” each of the four monthly events and they invited a provocative list of guests armed with relevant and timely topics – Dr. Allen Morrison, Professor Suzanne Peterson,

thunderbird magazine

and T-bird alumni, Wolfgang Koester, ‘91 and Rodrigo Xavier, ‘93. Attendance hit all-time highs with an average of more than 200 people per event attending in person and online – the vast majority, in person. This translated into leads for executive education, campus exposure for prospective students and greater awareness of Thunderbird’s unique position in the higher education marketplace for business partners and people who live and work in the city where the School exists. The success of the program was so strong, in fact, that Thunderbird won an award from the Arizona Chapter of the International Live Events Association for “Best Fair, Festival or Event Series 2016-2017.” Known as the “Zonie Awards”, the program was developed to acknowledge and honor Arizona event industry professionals. While it’s nice to win awards, the real win this summer was that engagement was nearly 10 times more than in previous years. And that success was based on content delivered by T-bird faculty and alumni. Proving once again that the more opportunity we have to let people know about Thunderbird, the more they respond to the what the School has to offer. Watch for the series in 2018. Join us if you can in person, or online. It will bring back good memories – without a test or required term paper at the conclusion!

program spotlight

New Online Degree Focuses on Leadership & Emerging Markets

r. William L. Schurz, one of Thunderbird’s original faculty and its second president, wrote the line famous among alumni, “Borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers” But it’s a quote from Thunderbird’s first president General Yount that is a driving force in how the School has thrived for decades. “We made some important resolutions during the school’s first year. One was that this school would always keep itself free to experiment (both in subject matter and in educational techniques.) Another was that the school would always keep itself wide awake to new developments and to new information. Third, we decided to make the institution as practical and realistic as we possibly could . . . “

Today, in following the mindset established when Thunderbird was founded, the school is pleased to announce the creation of a new degree, developed in the spirit of innovation that has always guided what we do – the Online Master of Applied Leadership and Management (MALM). The MALM is a scalable, digitally powered degree to be offered at an affordable cost ($15K USD) in emerging market countries. The program will develop the next generation of local leaders within their respective areas and serve those who want to build entrepreneurial skills or advance in their current companies. By bringing the hallmarks of a Thunderbird education to underserved populations, the MALM program will positively impact economic development and social welfare in high-growth regions of the world.

The degree has recently been approved by the ASU Academic Senate and will launch in January, 2018. The program is 30 credits, accredited by AACSB, and can be completed in approximately one year. The program is forward-thinking in both its curriculum and delivery format. MALM curriculum is based on examining leadership and management through the lens of highgrowth and emerging markets. This focus allows students in emerging markets to learn practical skills in a relevant context, while also providing a global view of business for non-emerging market students. In addition, the curriculum is stackable in nature. Students are introduced to the program by completing four online courses offered by Thunderbird through the edX MicroMasters. The MicroMasters courses account for eight credit hours of study (27% of the total credit requirements for the MALM degree) and when completed result in a stand-alone Certificate in International Business Management. After completing the certificate, students can roll their MicroMasters credits into the rest of the program on Thunderbird’s online learning platform (8 more online courses, 22 credits). The culmination of the program is a capstone course focused on the creation of either a business or strategic plan. This capstone course can be completed via an in-person experience at select global locations or online. In short, the Master of Applied Leadership & Management degree seeks to advance Thunderbird’s mission of educating global leaders who in turn create sustainable prosperity worldwide. The program is now accepting applications. For questions, please contact Dr. Ted Cross, the academic director of the MALM program, at ted.cross@thunderbird.asu.edu

winter 2018

Gbemi Abudu, 20

TOGETHER, WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD OF BUSINESS â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ONE GLOBAL LEADER AT A TIME.

Help source the next generation of global leaders. By referring potential students or executive education participants to Thunderbird, you are making an investment in the world and in our school that has unlimited potential. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly how Thunderbird will grow.

Refer a T-bird today. +1 602 978-7114 | tbirdalumni@thunderbird.asu.edu thunderbird.asu.edu/refer thunderbird magazine

faculty focus

THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY

stories from the field B y A ndrew I nkpen , M ichael H. M offett , and K annan R amaswamy , T hunderbird

he worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention seems to be focused on reducing carbon emissions through renewable energy, electric cars, and the harnessing solar and wind power. The headlines might well be foretelling darker days ahead for the oil and gas industry but, in our opinion, the predicted rapid obsolescence of the oil and gas industry is premature and ignores a variety of other short to medium term challenges faced by the industry. How the industry responds to these challenges will in turn determine how the larger issues of renewable energy and climate change are addressed. The energy industry is one of the most complex and globally consequential industries. Within this industry, the oil and gas segment occupies a dominant position as the major source of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API),

this segment of the energy industry directly and indirectly accounts for 5.6% of U.S. labor employment, 6.7% of labor income, and 7.6% of value added in the U.S. economy1. Despite its prominence, much of what the general public knows about oil and gas is limited to discrete pockets of knowledge - the price of gasoline, the gyrations in the price of crude oil, the latest refinery accident or pipeline controversy. This fragmented and shallow understanding robs us of an integrated and comprehensive view of the industry and minimizes the immensity of the challenges in transitioning to a renewables future. While much has been written about how oil and gas firms ought to operate, there is little on how they actually do operate. How do they create strategies, manage multiple stakeholders, and develop complex projects in countries and regions across the

Andrew Inkpen, Ph.D.

globe, within an industry that constantly challenges received wisdom? We set out to examine these important questions with the objective of shifting away from the press headlines to develop a more nuanced understanding of the realities of the oil and gas business. We used an idiographic analysis approach that builds on in-depth case studies of companies and countries central to the industry. Building on extensive examinations of source documents, company reports, industry analyses, and expert opinion, we developed a series of case studies covering a wide spectrum of countries, owners, strategies, and challenges. These studies formed the basis for distilling answers to the questions that drove our study. Resulting from our analysis of both successful and unsuccessful business decisions in the industry, we identified four key themes that characterize the current state of the industry and its future prospects:

Michael H. Moffett, Ph.D.

Kannan Ramaswamy, Ph.D.

1) In broad terms, the oil and gas industry is quite similar to other industries where change, innovation, and disruption are central to long term success. Despite the relatively long arc of their success, even established oil and gas rivals are challenged by an emerging class of competitors who have the capital access and the willingness to question received wisdom. Many of the central tenets of the business ranging from costs and economics, access to resources, connectedness of markets, and product substitutability are being rewritten by the disrupters.

Impacts of the natural gas and oil industry on the U.S. economy in 2015. Prepared by PWC for the American Petroleum Institute. July 2017.

winter 2018

faculty focus

2) Success in business means taking and managing risk. In the oil and gas industry there is every conceivable risk: environmental, political, safety, geologic, financial, and commercial. Despite these risks the industry has built business models that ensure the risks are properly managed and mitigated. These experiences can be valuable to other firms both within and beyond the domain of extraction businesses as they battle similar issues. 3) National oil companies are no longer “national”. They have rapidly globalized and consequently behave much like international oil companies, although their corporate objectives are different than their for-profit oriented competitors. Governments see national oil companies as guarantors of energy security and often the engines of domestic social and economic change. The road to reserves in many resource rich countries runs through these national oil companies and hence the thunderbird magazine

ability to build and sustain collaborative partnerships will become more central than sheer economics alone. And as is always the case in global business, this must play out on a playing field of multicultural, political and economic interests – a foundation perpetually in flux.

change considerations.

4) Megaprojects in remote and technically challenging regions has been a hallmark of the industry since its early years. Hitting home runs through successfully executing megaprojects is extremely difficult, as consortia of companies, governments, interests, and technology – and markets -frequently change over their development. Thus, project execution skills attracted a premium especially in megaprojects. However, it is debatable whether such projects that have formed the staple of the industry in recent years will continue to pay rich dividends in the future given the tectonic shifts in cost economics, energy supply, and climate

In providing easy access and insights to these themes, we authored a book titled “The Global oil and Gas Industry: Stories from the Field” published by Pennwell in June 2017. The book is a compendium of “stories” that illustrate, define, and analyze the key challenges facing the industry. Because of the complexity of the industry, we have chosen to stay away from generic frameworks or simplifying mechanisms. Such approaches can diminish the complexity associated with the industry and force readers to subscribe to a generalized view of best practice. Instead, we let the subtleties and complexities play out in the stories

presented. Having worked with companies from across the globe, we have seen that some of the sources of complexity present in this industry defy easy solutions. Our goal is to present the stories objectively and allow readers to learn from the experiences of the various companies involved. Andrew Inkpen, J. Kenneth and Jeannette Seward Chair in Global Strategy & Professor of Management Michael H. Moffett Continental Grain Professor in Finance and Associate Professor of Finance Kannan Ramaswamy, William D. Hacker Chair in Global Strategy and Professor of Management

globalism in the age of nationalism

The Rising Tide of Economic Nationalism B y R oy C. N elson

“Borders frequented by trade seldom need soldiers.”

t’s a phrase we hear often at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. Attributable to our first faculty member, Dr. William Lytle Schurz, it represents the philosophy that founded this school in 1946 and continues to drive it today. This is the liberal worldview. When associated with economic policy, the word ‘liberal’ in the U.S. used to mean a policy consistent with the view that markets function best when they are free or ‘liberated’ from excessive government intervention. This is how the word is still used just about everywhere in the world except the U.S. It was during the 20th century that the term’s meaning changed in the U.S. to refer to almost the opposite of what it means everywhere else: a policy of government intervention to protect a country’s economy and people from the hardships imposed by free market forces. In the U.S., this usage has continued in the 21st century, but I am using the term in its original sense. In this view, liberalism holds that global trade is, on whole, positive for an economy and its people. The role of the government is to define and enforce the rules that keep global trade fair, and otherwise stay out of it. To the extent nations follow these principles, trade can be result in positive-sum, ‘win win’ outcomes for all nations. Trade can be an engine of growth, prosperity, and yes, even peace, since nations that are benefitting in a positive way from their economic interactions will be less inclined to go to war. This worldview has guided the U.S. and most of its key allies since World War II, but it is currently under siege.

A CHANGING TIDE? The period of liberalism that began after World War II birthed the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. It saw global trade flows rise more than 3000 percent (and that’s not counting inflation). And the gains have flowed to the people: per capita global income has risen more than 270 percent (again, not counting inflation). And yet, another worldview is currently emerging as a significant challenge to the liberal worldview in the U.S. and Europe: economic nationalism (sometimes referred to as realism, statism, or mercantilism), which holds that global trade is a zero-sum game where what one side wins, the other side loses. The United States has inaugurated a president whose campaign centered on dismantling, or at least dramatically changing, America’s role in many global economic institutions. As a candidate, Donald Trump vowed to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese goods coming into the U.S. He called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere, but certainly ever signed in this country.” He called the World Trade Organization (WTO) a “disaster” and threatened to pull the U.S. out of that very organization that has protected the U.S. from unfair trade practices.

ENABLING COMPETITION – OR STIFLING IT? Let’s consider the impact of NAFTA, for a moment, since that particular agreement has been such a frequent target for the new U.S. president. The most

oft-cited argument is that American jobs have been lost as companies shipped them to Mexico post-NAFTA. But many studies have shown that the net loss in jobs has been very small (15,000 jobs per year, according to a 2014 report by the Peterson Institute for International Economics). Jobs lost due to rising imports from Mexico are largely offset by jobs gained due to rising exports to Mexico. In fact, the biggest “job destroyer” by far has been not any trade agreement but automation (and yet, we don’t see protests against robots). While it is jobs that animate voters, the impact of both automation and NAFTA on American competitiveness has been much more significant than any impact to jobs, either in the U.S. or in Mexico or Canada. According to a 2015 report on NAFTA by the Congressional Research Service, “NAFTA [helped] U.S. manufacturing industries, especially the U.S. auto industry, become more globally competitive through the development of supply chains.” When American companies are more competitive, they can hire more workers, pay higher salaries, and otherwise contribute to American economic growth. Where open trade drives competitiveness, the opposite is also true. Economic nationalism and its protectionist policies create competitive disadvantage for domestic firms. I have spent several decades working in Latin America, where there are countless examples of economic nationalism stifling competition and driving economic stagnation. The most extreme example is Cuba. You’ve probably got the iconic image winter 2018

globalism in the age of nationalism faculty focus in your mind right now: the 1950s era Chevy parked on the main street of what looks like the set of a black-andwhite movie, yet it’s a picture from 2012. When Fidel Castro assumed power in 1959 and imposed a ban on foreign automobile imports, it was like someone pressed the pause button on innovation. Closing the border did not give rise to a homegrown Cuban auto industry but rather, five decades of economic misery.

A BETTER RESPONSE – BUT NOT PROTECTIONISM While the liberal worldview holds that global trade is win-win on whole and over the long term, there is no doubt that certain regions of a country and certain sectors of an economy can be singularly harmed by free trade. Where NAFTA has driven economic growth in the U.S. and Mexico, and made U.S. companies more competitive, there are individuals in places like Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania who lost jobs when their factories moved to Mexico. It is the government’s responsibility to help the people whose livelihoods are disrupted by trade. In 1974 Congress passed the Trade Act, which created the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to do exactly that. For workers who lose their jobs or have hours or wages reduced as a result of increased imports, TAA provides training and other reemployment services as well as allowances to help support the workers as they retrain. Perhaps that’s not enough, in which case more should be done. But the answer is not protectionism. That won’t bring those workers’ jobs back, and it will result in the loss of many more jobs over the long term. (History proves it to be so. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930, which led to retaliation worldwide, did not help American companies and workers but deepened and lengthened the Great Depression for everyone.)

WORLDVIEWS INFORM BUSINESS STRATEGY While I am a firm subscriber to the thunderbird magazine

Roy C. Nelson

liberal worldview, it’s not one I proselytize in my classes. Instead I offer insight into all worldviews, because the point for global business students is not to have an opinion one way or the other, but to understand how to identify these worldviews in the countries they will do business in, and make decisions accordingly. When business leaders know how to identify a country’s prevailing worldview, and know what that worldview entails, then they know what to expect, and they can devise smart business strategies to succeed within that context. If the predominant worldview in the U.S. shifts from liberalism to economic nationalism, it will send shockwaves across the world. I’m used to teaching

students how to navigate economic nationalism in Latin America. I never thought I might have to teach students how to navigate it in the U.S. Dr. Roy C. Nelson is associate professor of global studies at Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has conducted field research in nearly a dozen Latin American countries. His industry experience includes working with Pharmacia & Upjohn Corporation, the World Bank, and the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO). He is the author of two books: “Harnessing Globalization: The Promotion of Nontraditional Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America” and “Industrialization and Political Affinity: Industrial Policy in Brazil.”

globalism in the age of nationalism

It’s Time for the U.S. to Revoke China’s Free Pass on Trade B y D r . R obert G rosse

ike most international business professors, I believe in free markets. I can quote Adam Smith and David Ricardo, and I believe that their theories are solid foundations for understanding the U.S. and world economies. Free trade really is the rising tide that lifts all boats, benefiting the economies, businesses, and workers of both exporting and importing countries. Industries that are less competitive in each trading country will lose out in open trade. That may sound negative, but when the resources dedicated to those less competitive, less efficient industries move into activities where the country has a competitive advantage, both trading partners win. ‘Resources’ include workers who need support to retrain and move into employment in other industries. So there are ‘losers’ from free trade who have to be helped to move into competitive jobs/industries. In the end, whether a country has an absolute advantage or a comparative advantage over another country, it benefits by exporting the goods and services it is particularly good at, and importing those it is not. But what if one country has an advantage because of intervention by the heavy hand of the state, rather than the invisible hand of the market? Then trade does not benefit both that country and its trading partner, at least not equitably. Free trade only works if trade is actually free.

NO FREE PASS FOR THE WORLD’S BIGGEST ECONOMY In many cases, trade is not free. Yet since the U.S. became the world’s largest economy in 1916, it has most often given trading partners a free pass when they cheat, even when America plays fair. When those trading partners have economies a fraction the size of

America’s, their cheating doesn’t noticeably harm the American economy, businesses, or workers. In fact, bringing them along over time has tended to result in more open trade from those trading partners. But when the trading partner becomes the world’s largest economy, with a population nearly five times the size of the U.S., their cheating starts to hurt. (China is #1 when GDP is measured based on purchasingpower-parity, and #2 otherwise.) China’s cheating hurts, and it is time for the U.S. to stop giving them a free pass. I want to be clear here: I am not against trade with China. It has benefited both countries. But the benefits have not been evenly gained. China has used American companies to build up their own know-how, for example requiring American auto companies wanting to do business there to sign joint venture agreements that give at least 50% ownership of the business to a Chinese company, often stateowned. Typically, those joint venture agreements also include technology transfer requirements, so the American company has to give its know-how to the Chinese “partner.” Similarly, China restricts activities of foreign banks and other financial services firms, such that foreign banks make up less than 2% of financial services in China. Foreign banks are restricted in funding themselves through overseas parents and have to gain approval for new branch openings. In addition, banks and stockbrokers face foreign ownership restrictions in securities companies, fund management companies, and local commercial banks. Like U.S. banks, major U.S. tech companies such as Google and Facebook have faced restrictions in China. For example, they have faced bans on some parts of their business, censorship, and active interruptions of service along

with demands to follow Chinese political instructions. These and many other restrictions in China keep U.S. services companies from either operating locally or exporting their services to China. Those types of requirements and restrictions are a very smart development plan on China’s part, but they are the opposite of free trade, since no such requirements exist for Chinese companies looking to do business in the U.S. There have been a few high-profile cases of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States denying a Chinese company’s request to enter the U.S. market, or denying a Chinese company’s acquisition of an American company. But those were decisions made for national security reasons, and when Chinese companies do come into the U.S., they are afforded all of the rights and freedoms that U.S. companies are. Given that China is not engaging in free trade in a range of key products and industries, there is no logic or economic theory that should prevent the U.S. from responding. Comparative advantage only benefits all parties when they are playing the same game and abiding by the rules. In every game I know of, when a player breaks the rules, his team gets a penalty, whether it’s a loss of yards as in football, or the other team gets a free shot as in basketball or soccer. When a team tips the scale in its favor by breaking the rules, the punishment is a tip of the scale in the other team’s favor. So it should be with China. It’s time for the U.S. to respond to China’s cheating with countervailing measures.

JUST BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA What would an effective countervailing policy look like? One of the challenges in answering that question is winter 2018

globalism in the age of nationalism faculty focus

measuring the harm caused by China’s policies. Part of the challenge is that the kinds of policies I’ve described – the policies that most harm American companies – are not trade restrictions in the true sense of the term. They are technology transfer requirements, limits on U.S. businesses operating in China, and buy-local policies that discourage or disallow Chinese companies from buying from U.S. companies. If we were talking about a 75% tariff on a particular American good, then a countervailing 75% tariff on a Chinese good would be an easy answer. But the harm done by China’s requirements and restrictions on American businesses is diffuse and difficult to measure, though we know it is significant. But the answer is not to do nothing. I would take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side I would make a list of the key areas where China isn’t playing fair – automobiles, banking, and technology are just three examples. On the other side I would put the areas where China relies on exports to America or investment from American companies (such as electronics assembly and textile manufacturing). I would take that list to China and say if they don’t remove restrictions on American auto companies there and allow American banks and tech companies to operate thunderbird magazine

under the same rules as Chinese banks and tech companies, then the U.S. will impose restrictions on assembled electronics and textiles. A countervailing policy like that would have to be done bilaterally with China, not through the World Trade Organization. The WTO (and the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade that preceded it) has done great work in significantly reducing tariffs and has made some strides with labor and environmental protections, but it is not the mechanism for the U.S. to push back on China. Bringing a case against China to the WTO could be politically beneficial, as it would show the world that the U.S. is criticizing China publicly in that forum. But in terms of actually effectuating change, it has to be a bilateral conversation directly with China.

NO, CHINA WON’T RETALIATE

is the United States. Beyond exports to China, American investment there is huge, and I can’t see how they could realistically cut themselves off from it. As for goods assembled in China for American companies (iPhones, for example), they can be assembled in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia. China isn’t the only country with a supply of low-cost, medium-skill labor. Would imposition of tariffs on China make goods and services more expensive for Americans? It probably would. But China’s cheating is more expensive in terms of lost U.S. jobs and business, and if a countervailing policy gets China to play fair, then it’s a net win in the long run. America has turned the other cheek to China’s un-free trade and business practices for too long. It’s time for the U.S. to revoke the free pass, assess the penalty, and hope to continue the game on a newly level playing field.

Many critics of taking the kind of action I’m suggesting say that China will retaliate by imposing new restrictions on American companies doing business in China, or new tariffs on American goods. But that’s like telling a kid not to stand up to the schoolyard bully because the bully will hit him. The bully is already hitting America! Will the bully hit America harder, maybe knock America out? I don’t think so. China is a big gorilla, but so

Dr. Robert Grosse is Professor of International Business and Latin America Director at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a unit of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of International Business and of the Business Association for Latin American Studies. His most recent book is Emerging Markets: Strategies for Competing in the Global Value Chain.

faculty focus in the age of nationalism globalism

Thunderbird Professors’ ‘Dear NAFTA’ Letter: Time to Join the 21st Century

ebate over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began well before the ink dried in 1993, and it continues today. That debate has chiefly focused on trade between the United States and Mexico, but two Thunderbird professors argue that it’s high time for a broader analysis of NAFTA’s impact, as well as some updates for the 21st century. In a working paper by Thunderbird School of Global Management professors Jonas Gamso and Robert Grosse, the scholars assert that widening the scope of the debate – with attention not only to trade but foreign direct investment (FDI), employment, immigration, technology, labor interests, and the environment – can pinpoint areas where NAFTA should change and improve. “Updating NAFTA to bring it into line with more recent U.S. trade agreements and with the realities of the current economic and technological landscape – which are quite different from the landscape of the early 1990s – will have more consequential effects,” Gamso and Grosse write. NAFTA aimed to remove barriers to

trade among the United States, Mexico and Canada and create stronger ties to boost production and jobs in each country. Its success in these aims has varied. The rate of growth in U.S. trade with Mexico, already on a strong upward trend in the early 1990s, did not see a post-NAFTA spike, though imports did grow more rapidly than exports.

NAFTA’S IMPACT? IT’S COMPLICATED Many external factors in the 1990s impacted the economies of NAFTA’s member countries – elections, currency devaluations, and technological innovations to name just a few. Their coincident timing makes it difficult to discern the impact from NAFTA versus from those other factors. For example, Gamso and Grosse point out, the offshoring and outsourcing made possible by new technology shifted a large amount of manufacturing assembly from the U.S. to Mexico, and even more to China. “The impact of NAFTA’s marginal reduction in tariffs among the three countries was of a much smaller order.” But NAFTA most certainly created

shifts in other business activities. FDI, for example, saw big increases due to U.S. companies setting up assembly facilities in Mexico. FDI flows from the U.S. to Mexico increased by a factor of six in the post-NAFTA era. The U.S., however, only experienced a modest increase in FDI inflows from Mexico. The same could be said for NAFTA’s impact on U.S. GDP, which Gamso and Grosse say was “very marginally influenced by NAFTA, given the much greater impacts of technology change and of trade with China during the second half of the 1990s and the early 2000’s. While the most common criticisms of NAFTA cite job losses in the automotive and agricultural sectors, the overall numbers are more complicated. The distribution of U.S. GDP by sector was not noticeably affected by NAFTA, despite the jobs lost in auto assembly and agricultural products such as sugar and avocados. “This is because other jobs were gained in those same sectors, in auto design, production of components, and sales and service,” Gamso and Grosse write. “And in agriculture, U.S. jobs were winter 2018

globalism in the age of nationalism gained in corn, soybeans, dairy products, and pork and beef production.”

workers in these industries have been beneficiaries of NAFTA.”

WINNERS AND LOSERS

IMMIGRATION: UP NOW, DOWN LATER

A key question in the NAFTA debate is how the agreement affects overall U.S. manufacturing employment. Gamso and Grosse say that question should be explored in two parts: First, the relative decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs, a decades-long phenomenon due in larger part to technological change than to competition from imports. And second, the impact of NAFTA on sectors heavy with maquila activity (offshore assembly). Regarding the first part: U.S. manufacturing jobs have not declined overall since the 1940s, but manufacturing jobs relative to total U.S. jobs have been in decline since at least 1945. A similar decline in U.S. agricultural employment began in the early 20th century. Each decline has a life of its own, apart from NAFTA. “In both manufacturing and agriculture, the output of goods has remained fairly constant, but the mechanization of the sectors has led to declining employment,” explain Gamso and Grosse. Meanwhile, “service sectors have grown to encompass today about 90 percent of U.S. employment.” era have strongly reinforced maquila activity that began more than two decades before the agreement. As of 2015, the top manufacturing export categories were machinery, electrical machinery, vehicles, mineral fuels and plastics, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In the agriculture sector, U.S. exports to Mexico totaled $18 billion in 2015, making Mexico the United States’thirdlargest agricultural export market. Top categories were corn, soybeans, dairy products, pork and pork products, and beef and beef products. The U.S. also got a post-NAFTA boost – up 196 percent since 1993 – on exports of services to Mexico. Top categories were travel, transportation, and intellectual property (computer software). Within this context, Gamso and Grosse say, “We can assume that thunderbird magazine

The immigration debate remains as current as it is contentious. In the years since NAFTA took effect, immigration increased from or through Mexico to the U.S., which Gamso and Grosse say may be partly because NAFTA shifted production and investment in Mexico, leading to some displacement of Mexican laborers who then sought opportunity in the U.S. Research indicates that in the long term, however, jobs created in Mexico due to NAFTA should more than offset this short-term increase in emigration. NAFTA rules encourage offshore assembly in Mexico, for example, and the result is more than 1 million Mexican workers are now employed in maquila factories. “While the exact nature of the relationship between NAFTA and immigration has proven difficult to clarify,” say Gamso and Grosse, “a number of studies have concluded that NAFTA will lead to a reduction in emigration from Mexico over the longer term.”

pany selling in Mexico. U.S. exporters to Mexico can technically pay the same percentage as Mexican companies but are burdened with additional red tape and tax filings with the Mexican government. “U.S. exporters need to adjust their paperwork to avoid overpaying,” advise Gamso and Grosse. And finally, NAFTA itself has three areas ripe for modernizing: labor, environmental, and intellectual property rights (IPR) rules. Gamso and Grosse note that these side agreements “were quite groundbreaking in the early 1990s,” but in the years since then, U.S. trade agreements have greatly advanced labor and environmental standards, technology and IPR protections. “Updating these provisions should be priorities for any revision of NAFTA,” the professors write, “and would level the regulatory playing field between the U.S. and Mexico.” Well before the Trump administration, leaders in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada – on all sides of the political divides – have expressed support for certain reforms and updates to NAFTA. In other words, as Gamso and Grosse conclude, “Renegotiating NAFTA may be a rare area of bipartisan agreement.

PROPOSALS FOR A 21ST CENTURY NAFTA Gamso and Grosse recommend adjusting NAFTA to reflect 21st century conditions and improving trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to help workers hurt by the agreement move into alternative jobs. Because TAA has not been especially effective to date, Gamso and Grosse recommend directing greater funding toward job training in categories experiencing the fastest growth across the U.S. “Channeling TAA recipients into sustainable jobs remains a huge challenge,” they write. “The reality is that people are not easily persuaded to take up such training, and they are particularly unwilling to move to locations where alternative jobs exist.” Another complication for a 21st century NAFTA is Mexico’s VAT, a 16 percent value-added tax on any com-

Jonas Gamso

Robert Grosse

The Learning Curve is the Earning Curve By M. Tim Weaver, ’89

o you read more non-fiction books than fiction, prefer documentaries to dramas, love how-to videos and get lost for hours on the Internet following hyperlinks to new and interesting information? If so, you might be a lifelong learner. I know I am.

Whether it’s culture, language, customs or business practices, lifelong learning is part of our DNA as T-birds. As it turns out, it’s part of the greater ASU culture, too. ASU President Michael Crow believes it’s the university’s responsibility to produce “master learners,” a concept that

embraces the idea that self-education doesn’t stop when you receive your diploma. In fact, by the time you finish your university or graduate program, there’s a good chance that what you learned will be outdated. You know you can’t rest on your laurels, especially with the advances in business and technology. However, knowing you need to continue learning is one thing. Knowing where to start is another. That’s where Thunderbird can help. Did you know Thunderbird Executive Education has been teaching leadership and executive development programs for more than 25 years, and has served some of the largest names in the global business arena? Now that we’re a part of the Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise, Thunderbird is even better able to help you, your team or your company continue your education in global business, cross-cultural knowledge, global mindset, regional regulations, the political economy, and much more. (see sidebar) Need another reason? How about winter 2018

executive education Thunderbird has its finger on the pulse of what is actually happening in the real world. With programs for companies, teams and individuals…in person or online…Thunderbird Executive Education programs focus on shifting mindsets, building skills and driving business results. Our areas of strength are: Business of Energy, Oil & Gas It is critical for managers and executives to master the geopolitical, cultural and organizational complexities of the ever-evolving energy industry. Thunderbird leadership and tactical programs for oil & gas professionals are considered the gold standard worldwide. International Business Acumen Market forces, processes and policies vary widely around the globe, affecting everything from supply chains and marketing to finance, public sector engagement and risk management. Thunderbird is uniquely qualified to help you develop the international business acumen to be successful. money? Your skills directly contribute to your earning power. Adopting a habit of lifelong learning can add directly to your personal bottom line. Whether you’re an experienced professional looking to augment your skills or are looking to transition to something different, Thunderbird is here to help. But how do you evaluate potential educational programs? One element to look for is how immediately applicable the program is to your job. Will you learn lessons you can employ right away? Thunderbird wants participants to return to work and be able to immediately apply what they learned. Another thing to look for is whether the faculty have both industry and academic experience. This is another area in which Thunderbird excels. These and other tips are in our Lifethunderbird magazine

long Learning flipbook, available free of charge. As a T-bird, you understand the value of a global education, and this flipbook can help bring Thunderbird’s message to the wider ASU audience. With globalism struggling to survive in this age of nationalism, the concepts and skills offered at Thunderbird go well beyond our degree programs. Come see for yourself, and make Thunderbird your strategic learning partner. To find out more about Thunderbird Executive Education, please visit thunderbird.asu. edu/executive-education M. Tim Weaver is a 1989 Thunderbird graduate and works for Thunderbird’s Executive Education program; he was the Assistant Director of Internship Education from 1993-1997.

Global Mobility & Agility International business requires a global mindset that transcends borders. Thunderbird specializes in teaching people how to adapt and thrive in new environments, helping you understand the cross-cultural nuances of a foreign business environment. Leadership & Management In a volatile, uncertain world, leading teams and managing the way forward is not for the faint of heart. Thunderbird excels in teaching people how to be more effective leaders by focusing on strategy, teams, processes, engagement, and other fundamental dynamics of the workplace.

thunderbird emerging markets

T-birds Host “Shark Tank”-like Entrepreneur Challenge in Madagascar by Aaron Rockwell, Master of Global Management, ‘17

his summer between Spring and Fall terms, the Thunderbird Emerging Markets (TEM) Lab team that I was a part of had the chance to work CARA (a business incubator) in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar (Anosy Region). One of the main deliverables that the team’s client wanted was business plan creation taught to the staff. This was a curve ball thrown from the onset because the team arrived believing that the project was going to be focused on developing a mentorship program. As I learned, however, this is exactly what makes an Applied Learning experience so valuable.

MEET AND GREET: The surrounding coast where the team was set to work was littered with shipwrecks. The team did not want to experience the same fate with the CARA staff, so upon arrival to Fort Dauphin, we had

breakfast with the staff to introduce ourselves and start building a relationship.

SERENDIPITY: Before setting sail for Madagascar, the team created a crowdfunding campaign because we thought it would be important to give back to a region that has suffered from hundreds of years of poverty, malnutrition, business voids, and political strife. Though that was the picture we had in our minds before disembarking, we never realized how great the people and welcoming the country would be. The crowdfund site was able to raise a significant amount of money. This birthed the idea to combine two key project elements: general business plan training and applied learning. The applied learning piece involved providing CARA coaches with real-life experience in creating a business plan for an actual client. Hence, the CARA Entrepreneur Challenge was formed.

THE PROCESS: The team set up connections with local organizations to create the contest. Since a previous business plan contest, announced to the general public, yielded 470 entrants, this time we had to be selective. The team therefore advertised to the local JCI chapter (junior business professionals), a local university, and the local English center.

THE FIRST DAY OF THE CONTEST: The first day of the contest arrived, starting with the jitters that form in the face of the unknown, but turned to a great success. The panel of “Shark Tank” judges asked poignant and applicable questions to the contestants. Contestant business ideas included: biodegradable gas from Zebu waste (the local cow with a hump), a countryside pharmacy, woodworking artisan, smoked fish, ‘employees for hire’ firm, and several others.

FIRST ROUND DELIBERATION: The judges included: • Director of the chamber of commerce • Local content manager for Rio Tinto • Director general deputy of a microfinance agency (IFRA) • Regional director of industry, private sector, and development After the scores were tallied the judges met secretly to decide if the final contestants made sense. Three entrepreneurs were selected to move on to the next round to include: the woodworker, the smoked fish idea, and the

winter 2018

biodegradable gas idea.

LET THE TRAINING BEGIN: With the first round of winners selected, the CARA coaches now had the opportunity to create business plans with real entrepreneurs from the training that the Thunderbird students gave them. Over the course of the next couple of days, the air in CARA was buzzing as the coaches were teaching the entrepreneurs business concepts and creating well thought-out business plans.

THE FINAL DAY OF THE CONTEST: The final day of the contest came and one of the judges was replaced with a member of the World Bank that does financing in Madagascar. The three contestants gave their pitches. The smoked fish contestant ‘wowed the crowd’ when he presented samples to the judges. The woodworker showcased his broken tools and concept to open a shop, and the biogas contestant rebutted the judges queries that methane-filled car tires might be an idea stretch too far. Ultimately, the smoked fish contestant thunderbird magazine

(Tisimanandy) won the contest with his ability to deliver a logical business plan and financial budget.

THE WOW FACTOR: A year ago, the World Bank had commissioned CARA to coach 15 young entrepreneurs in business practices. Unfortunately, soon after the World Bank decided that they did not have confidence in CARA’s skillset and team’s ability to coach the entrepreneurs. Thus, the World Bank turned off the

initiative. Up to present day, or to be exact, three working days after the contest, the World Bank decided to turn the project back on again for CARA to coach 7 young entrepreneurs. Though it is only speculation, having the contest and having a World Bank judge on the contest panel might have been just the reason that, out of the blue, the World Bank turned the program on again. Wow. Overall the contest was a great success and there is now a concept set in place to repeat it in the future.

thunderbird summerim

A T-bird’s First Flight:

My Summerim in South Africa By Daisy Jasmine, Staff Writer, Das Tor

young woman stands on the deck of a pirate ship, peering over the railing at the choppy waters below. A single dolphin cuts through the surface, cheerfully keeping pace in the ship’s wake. The woman pulls her jacket closer, shielding herself from the whipping wind. As she gazes overboard, her attention is captured by what appears to be a plastic bag in the water, then another, and still more. Scanning the ocean around her, her frustration shifts to confusion and then relief as she eventually recognizes the unfamiliar sight of what is not litter, but countless jellyfish floating mindlessly by. The boat bounces over a sharp wake, breaking her from her reverie as she grabs for the railing. A flock of birds, disturbed from their jetty perches, alights with a rustling of wings. Her companions laugh at some unheard joke behind her as the waves break against the ship and the rocks. She steps back, looks at the bright midday sky, and stifles a yawn. It is three in the morning back home. It dawns on her for the first time that she is as far from home as she could possibly go. During my first year at Thunderbird, I sometimes felt like a bit of an odd one out. Every classmate I spoke with had amazing stories to share of their experiences around the world—their home countries or the far-off places they’d visited. I, meanwhile, had never gone farther than New York, and though New York does feel like a completely different world from Phoenix, it still meant that I wasn’t a Traveler with a capital T. Not in the way that my classmates were.

I didn’t even have a passport. The world felt prohibitively huge. I surprised myself with how attached I got to the idea of participating in the Summerim program. I had heard very little about it, and I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that I had to try. So try I did, and after just a few short months of bureaucratic red tape, paperwork, and the occasional moth flying out of my wallet, I found myself on an airplane—then another—then another—and suddenly I was in my hotel room in Cape Town, a day and a half before the program began. It was early evening, and I went straight to bed. I spent the free day doing the tourist thing, posing a photocopied Flat Stanley in front of every scenic view for my cousin’s third-grade summer homework. (Flat Stanley also visited a liquor store, not that I sent that one to my cousin.) Eventually the rest of my classmates began to arrive, and not a moment too soon—any longer and I probably would have started having conversations with the paper doll.

Once the program started in earnest, we quickly fell into a steady—if frantic—rhythm. Suddenly there weren’t enough hours in the day, and yet we kept going strong. We always managed to drag ourselves out of bed, because we had fascinating and new places to be. The first time I really processed just how far out of my bubble I had gone was over breakfast. I sat with my roommate, and as we oohed and aahed over the best chai lattes we had ever tasted, I messaged “good morning” to my friends and family back home and received responses of “good night.” I had time-travelled—we were out of sync. The only way I could have been farther from Arizona was if I hopped on a shuttle and took it to outer space. We saw a lot and experienced even more in South Africa—if I described every event in detail, this would never fit in a single essay. For every lighthearted visit to a brewery museum, there was a thought-provoking stop at a historical landmark or museum on the era of Apartheid, honoring those who were

winter 2018

oppressed by a bafflingly racist and cruel system. We learned the history and then saw how its impact stretched to the modern day during several of our company visits. We balanced our historical lessons with cheerful experiences of both “authentic” (read: tourist-y) and truly authentic local cuisine. And while in the midst of all of these new and mind-expanding experiences, I came down with the kind of bronchitis that turned me a shade of blue that would make the Thunderbird logo blush, but I just rushed off to the hospital so I could jump back into the routine. This gave me a chance to not only experience tourist destinations, authentic locations and cuisine, but also South Africa’s hospital system. Who has time to slowly succumb to oxygen deprivation when you’ve only got three weeks in a new country? After a week-long adjustment period followed by a week of not being able to breathe, we took a break from our education-centric schedule to spend three days in Kruger National Park. I had

thunderbird magazine

eagerly anticipated this part of the trip since my plane ticket was booked. I’ve always felt a strong connection with the night sky—there’s a bittersweet comfort in looking up at the stars here in Phoenix and realizing that in an endless universe, very little is impossible. Now that I was in the Southern Hemisphere, though, there was a whole new sky to see—stars that had never been visible before—and I took the gravity of this new experience VERY seriously. In anticipation of the Kruger National Park trip and the chance to see the South African night sky for the first time without the hindrance of city lights, I spent the first two weeks of the trip actively avoiding looking up at night, the way you might avoid Game of Thrones spoilers when you haven’t finished watching the season finale. When I finally allowed myself to look, in the middle of the national park, at midnight, devoid of light pollution, I was instantly moved to tears. A sky full of stars and not one that I could recognize. In that moment, the

world felt more enormous than ever— and I finally saw that not as a barrier, but a challenge. I gained a new faith in myself that night—if I could make it all the way across the world, there was nothing stopping me from going absolutely everywhere. On our way back to Johannesburg from the national park, we took the scenic route through Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. One of our stops lead us to a breathtaking view of the canyon, with a boulder perched all too perfectly in front of the view. I watched as some of my classmates took turns teetering on it for new profile pictures, feigning disapproval of their recklessness, but the minute the rock was vacant I made sure to get up on it for my own picture. In that moment, I could have been mistaken for someone who’s not petrified of heights. For all of my adult life, I’ve noticed something of a trend amongst the world’s Travelers with a capital T. There’s always a photo of them perched on some faraway precipice, ignoring the danger below, lost in the moment of being lost and in the moment. Before coming to Thunderbird, I never even halfway entertained the idea that it might one day be me—after all, I didn’t have a passport, and I got shaky knees standing on the second rung of a stepladder. But on the opposite corner of the globe, under a sky I didn’t know, I knew that was my rite of passage to become a real Thunderbird—not an odd one out, but someone who has stories to share of somewhere that I flew. I think I can finally call myself a Traveler with a capital T.

chapter volunteering Indonesian T-birds Give Back

alfway around the world from Glendale, Arizona, you will find the Thunderbird logo in the homes of three families who might never have heard of the Thunderbird School of Global Management had it not been for some very special T-birds in Jakarta, Indonesia. While they may never see the campus, these families will remember the impact of Thunderbird thanks to the Jakarta Alumni Chapter. Driven by their T-bird mindset and desire to make an impact in their communities, the Jakarta alumni chapter chose to give back to their community in a very remarkable way. Last year the chapter began volunteering to build houses with Habitat for Humanity. They first started the idea as a way to give back to communities in Jakarta that were in desperate need of housing. After building their first Habitat house, they realized it was

not only fun to volunteer together as a chapter but also a great team building exercise. Word spread about the volunteer project throughout the chapter and now they have more than 20 T-bird volunteers helping and have recently completed their third Habitat home. For the chapter, it means much more than building a home; the experience has created a special bond among the chapter that you immediately notice when you meet them. The experience has helped develop a deeper connection within the Chapter. When asked why they decided to volunteer as a chapter, they said they wanted to help people in need in their community and to hopefully inspire other chapters to organize charity initiatives as well. Thank you to the Jakarta Alumni Chapter for setting a wonderful example and taking your commitment to helping build sustainable prosperity worldwide to a different level.

winter 2018

thunderbird magazine

class Comings & goings

e’ll catch the big news about you: Nobel Prize nominations, when you take your company public or if you’re the first T-bird in space. But we can only know about your less publicized news if you tell us. We’re not too particular; we want to hear it all. Send your information to tbirdalumni@thunderbird.asu.edu.

Class Notes have been condensed due to your overwhelming response. To view the entire list, please visit thunderbird.asu.edu/ class-notes.

1940s

Jack Rokahr ’47, Jack has been mentoring a boy who wanted to ask Jack questions about WW II. They became friends and Jack has been mentoring for the past three years. … Chuck Palmeter ’49, finally quit motor-homing, fishing and camping in Baja, but he and his wife are still up, around and relatively healthy. He’s been retired from AT&T for about as long as he worked for them, 30+ years. He has many great memories of Thunderbird and the subsequent years in Brazil!

1950s Where are you?

Stay connected to Thunderbird by providing valid mailing and e-mail addresses. To ensure we have your current contact information, e-mail tbirdalumni@thunderbird. asu.edu or call 602-9787358. Also, let us know if you’d like to receive future issues of Thunderbird Magazine via e-mail rather than print.

Harry Turner ’51, had a stroke and broke his leg but he is working it out and celebrated his 92nd birthday on August 31. … Donald Carley ’55, is living in Sun Valley, ID at age 90. He has occasional correspondence with Howard Crooks ’55 who is 93. … Dan (aka Horst) Daniels ’56, fully retired after two previous attempts. Just celebrated his 86th birthday living at a retirement community where he often gets the feeling he is on a cruise ship. … William Rodgers ’56, after graduation took a

job with EBASCO, in New York. I was posted to Chile, tried ranching in New Mexico, but I missed life overseas. I joined the Peace Corps, went to Bogota, joined the State Department and was posted to Lima, Peru. Then came Brazil, Ecuador and Guatemala. … Narce Caliva ’56, continues to spend time volunteering, mainly with the Korean War Veterans Association and Red Cross. He and his wife, Leslie, now have a total of 104 years of Red Cross service. … Stanley Ely ’57, has lived in New York City since graduation. He retired after time in advertising and teaching, has written seven books, the latest published in April. … Jerome Firsty ’57,

Donald Klein and I were roommates. We lived in the quad, and every Saturday morning, we would give our living quarters a real G.I. cleaning. A large percentage of my class were veterans. … Richard Jackson ’57, remains physically active and is trying to keep the parts together. … George Blake ’59, spent 25 years in Mexico. Since retiring 30 years ago, we have travelled the world. We now live in a retirement community where I teach robotics and artificial intelligence and Bev line dances. Both of us will be turning 90 at the end of this year. … Dan Schell ’59, in 1962 I took a job with Ames Irrigation International in Milpitas, CA. My

George Blake ’59 winter 2018

notes Diego Veitta ’66

boss was Wally Petersen ’60. Ames Irrigation sold to another company so Wally and I went separately on to other things. Wally passed away 5 yrs. ago in Nigeria. We were still active in several projects together including with Bill Johnson ’60 who is also now deceased.

1960s

Tim Wilbur ’60, is retired and lives in Oceanside, CA & Camano Island, WA. … Steve Cole ’61, I worked for Abbott Laboratories, G.D. Searle, and A.H. Robins before I took early retirement and started my own consulting business, Cole & Associates. … Robert Drynan ’64, I have lived in Mexico for past 13 years. I have written four novels, and I’m working on a fifth, plus two short story collections. … Diego J. Veitia ’66, I stepped down as Chairman of the Company I founded INTL FCStone (INTL Nasdag). Since then I formed a family company that invests in Biotechnology’s breakthrough drugs. I still commute from Florida and Colorado with my wife Marsha. … Joe Burke thunderbird magazine

’66, is retired in Madrid, but spends time in Ecuador, his wife’s home country. This year they visited Chile, Argentina, England, Scotland, Cuba, U.S., and Costa Rica. … Steve Swenerton ’66, worked for Cargill in Minneapolis and Buffalo after graduation. He was an officer in the Coast Guard for 3 ½ years. Retired now in Boulder, CO he teaches history. … Bill Brogdon ’66, I was recruited at Thunderbird by Bucyrus Erie and have been in the mining and heavy construction business ever since. I traveled in sales throughout South America, Europe and Africa. … Dean Ross ’67, my wife and I moved to our permanent home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where I can swim and play tennis every day to my heart’s desire. My memories of Thunderbird are always inspiring and memorable. … David Carpita ’67, has retired from his second career, a cooking school and private country inn in St Remy-de-Provence with his wife, Nitokrees. They live at the Mas de Cornud and spend their winter months in the Red

Sea resort town of Hurghada, Egypt. … John E. O’Brien ’68, and his wife, Anne, who worked in the registrar’s office while he was at T-bird, are retired and moved to San Marcos, TX. John worked the first 20 years after Thunderbird for Eastman Kodak. … Stephen Nadler ’68, just returned from a trip to Iceland, Paris, and Corsica. I own and manage commercial properties acquired during my business career. One of my interests is as a postal historian and stamp collector (philatelist). … Wayne Battenfield ’68, I have been to 65 countries and still counting. I moved back to Arizona with my wife, Julie, after being gone for 44 years. I have four great grandkids ages 8 - 19. … Meg Goetz de Gaona ’69, I just celebrated my 36th anniversary with the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and 37 years as a Nurse Practitioner. I’ve been married to the same wonderful man for 37 years and we have two daughters. … Richard Koehler ’69, finally located in one place after an international career. My wife Inga-Märit has been with me over the entire

Thunderbird travel-log, 50+ years, including her Glendale Campus tour of duty. We are now settled on the Swedish island Gotland in the Baltic Sea. … Chuck Hazen ’69 & ’72, when the first of my two Thunderbird degrees was conferred in 1969, that era was the beginning of a golden age for international/ global career aspirants. When I received my second Thunderbird degree in 1972 that awakening was gaining momentum.

1970s

Tom Sanders ’70, I retired from teaching finance at the University of Miami. I now teach part time at Washington, DC universities. I worked in international departments of banks on Wall Street in the 1970s. … Dave Hackett ’70, Dave and his wife Cindy reside in Gig Harbor, WA. They have two children and four grandchildren. Dave retired from a career with the U.S. GAO with assignments in Europe, New England and Washington DC. … Jan Jarne ’70, was elected Chairman of the Board of the Brazil-Finland Chamber of Commerce. He has

Mahlon Barash ’71

class notes also been the Honorary Consul General of Finland in São Paulo for the last 12 years. … Phillip Moore ’70, attended Thunderbird after serving in the Marines, was hired by a global insurance group out of New York, then spent 22 years outside the US. I retired as Senior VP of a Fortune 100 company after a 30 year career. … David Josephson ’71, David is Managing Director, Northern California at the Export Import Bank of the United States in San Francisco CA. … Robert Ainslie ’71, has been involved with Greater China since 1980. As an advisor to New York investment bankers like DLJ and Bear Sterns. I recnetly organized two LLCs so, no retirement in the foreseeable future. … Mahlon Barash ’71, I have been living in Lima, Peru after returning from Cajamarca while directing a housing micro-finance program from a contract in Mexico. In February of this year I became a Peruvian citizen, in addition to my American citizenship. … Juan Manuel de Cardenas ’72, is founder, main investor and CEO of Energia Azul, a development company of Santa Maria Hydro Power Project (SM), a 750 MW hydro in late stage of development based in Peru. … John Cullison ’72, retired in 2015 after 42 years with Bank of America including a decade overseas. John served on the Board of the San Francisco Opera for eight years and the American Red Cross Bay Area Board for nine years and recently joined the Board of Global Partners for Development. … Basel Khalifeh ’72, I am a resident of Dubai. I own a consulting office focused on providing management solutions focused on the medical sector as well as on international law. … Tom Kenyon ’72 is retired and lives in Paso Robles, CA. … George Hiller ’72, I am still

teaching at the University of Richmond Business School. This fall, I will be teaching a short course at a university in Colombia. … McDiarmid (Mac) Messenger ’72, completing my sixth year of retirement and my 31st year of living abroad since Thunderbird. I have lived my T-bird dream. Living and working in Germany, Denmark, the UAE, Brazil, England, and now in Switzerland. My travels for business and pleasure have taken me to more than 80 countries. … Kevin Tam ’73, I’m working with Script International. Script has projects in over 30 countries with over ten decades of combined experience. … Ernest L. Kangas ’73, my wife, Melody, who worked for President Voris while we were at Thunderbird, and I moved to Windsor, CA. I have been with Hefferan Insurance Brokers 12 years specializing in trade credit and political risk insurance. … Dimitri Andonov ’73, After working several years overseas as international sales manager for International Paper Co., Campbell soup Co., and Johnson Controls International Co. I started my own export company. I am now passing the baton to my son, John. I live with my wife, Sharon, in Florida. … Brian Marshall ’73, I am currently back in the U.S. recovering from surgery, I have worked since 1997 in the Balkans, Eastern

Curtis Piper ‘74

Europe and Central Asia with OSCE, most recently as a Long Term Observer on postings in Ukraine. During this period, I also served the U.S. State Department in Iraq. … Bela (De) Mariassy ’73, I am wrapping up a long career in Aerospace. I worked many years for Allied Signal / Honeywell in Phoenix. Twelve years ago I moved to Annapolis where I work for ARINC / Rockwell Collins in export compliance. I retired at the end of September and plan to travel. … Stephen Elson ’73, I currently live in Palm Springs with Tom Stewart, retired in 2001 from Sodexco, a hospitality management group. I am a docent at the Palm Springs Art Museum and a member of the Pasadena Society of Artists (photographer). … Michael Zahaby ’74, Michael is semi-retired in Naples, FL after 40 years in banking and corporate finance. He is also an adjunct professor of Finance at Florida Gulf Coast University. … Roberto Bradford ’74, I am the owner and CEO of RG Bradford Representações, based in Rio de Janeiro. Our family company was founded in 1946 specializing in marketing/ representation services to foreign companies interested in doing business in Brazil. … Craig Williamson ’74, I recently retired in Queen Creek, AZ after career that included overseas assignments in

Singapore and Hong Kong with Fleet Financial Group, now Bank of America. … Michael Crotty ’74, has been in the home textiles business for thirty+ years as the President of TexStyle, Inc., and its China subsidiary, TexStyle Asia (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, that he founded in 2001. In 2007, he established MKT & Associates, Ltd. to capitalize on his expertise in building networks between Chinese and U.S. companies. … Curtis Piper ’74, I am retired from Nomura Real Estate, Inc. My wife and our husky, spend summers on Prince Edward Island, Canada and we travel to Japan twice a year to visit my 91-year-old mother-in-law. … James Dodson ’74, after living and working in Spain for 36 years, I have moved to Algarve, Portugal to avoid Spanish tax on a small inheritance. I am now retired and I am busier than ever. … Tom W. Glaser ’75, after retiring from Miami-Dade County Public Schools, I started teaching for Academica Charter Schools, and transferred to Brooks Collegiate Academy in San Antonio, TX. I LOVE being a teacher! … Larry W. Ishmael ’75, retired Northwest University as a professor of economics and entrepreneurship. He and his wife, Francie, will be moving to Sunriver Resort in central Oregon. … Dirk Visser ’75, will be retiring in April 2018. I am a risk director at Cargill Europe, based in Belgium. Once retired I will take it easy living between Brussels and Sitges near Barcelona. … Timo (Saunaman) Lahdekorpi ’75, I’m in Finland to research the renowned Loyly Sauna facility in Helsinki. I’ve been commissioned to design and construct a similar one in the U.S. … Scott Johnson ’75, is sales manager for Martin Door Manufacturing in Salt Lake City, UT. … Mark W. Andersen ’75, after almost 28 winter 2018

class notes

Shogo Miyamoto ‘78

years running businesses in Latin America and Europe with responsibility for EU, Russia/ Ukraine, Turkey and Northern Africa, I moved back to the U.S. and started my own consulting business. … Emmett Steed ’75, after 25 years in the hotel industry, I went back to school and earned a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration. I am now a full professor in my 15th year at SUU. … Leonard Brockman ’75, Thunderbird, oh Thunderbird!! The doors you opened led me from Ukraine to Singapore, Zambia to Panama and 25+ countries. Today, I still run Traderbrock.com, a company I started in the rainforest of Panama. … Alan P. Goode ’75, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Manchester Transit Authority (MTA). He served as a senior insurance examiner/regulator for the New Hampshire Insurance Department for 37 years. He also served as a U.S. Army Field Artillery Officer. … Rich Pedersen ‘76, has retired to rural life in Texas Hill Country, raising chickens, cattle, bees, and enjoying his grandchildren. Before retirement Rich was a risk advisory director with KPMG. … Pru Pande ’77, I am working as a financial analyst/ auditor for the Department of Labor in Denver, Colorado. My husband, Arun Pande ’77, is enjoying retirement. … Rafel thunderbird magazine

Puig ’77, I’m retired, living and having fun in Gavà, a beach town close to Barcelona. … Susan (Sunny Speca) Suval ’77, is based in Doylestown PA, where her company, Susan Duval Seminars, hosts experts in personal growth, holistic health, healing, spirituality and metaphysics. … Mark Bubar ’77, I’m helping financial services clients with their digital transformation. Continually excited to see where these changes take the world. Very grateful to have the global foundation provided by Thunderbird. … Steve B. Stevenson ’77 and Lisa Moore Stevenson ’77, Lisa worked with a non-profit Capital Area Soccer League in Raleigh, as Controller. Steve was Director of Intl. Dev. for the State of North Carolina, taught Intl. Mgmt. at NC State University and Meredith College, and has lectured at Duke Fuqua School of Business. … Sue Gile Whitmer ’77, I am still enjoying my career with global health insurer GeoBlue, and I am working on my third book, which will be about everyday heroes. … Jon Dietz ’78, I met my wife, Jennifer (Woody) Dietz ’79 at Thunderbird on the first day of school in 1978. I started a printing service company that became FSSI. Jennifer is now President. I am still active with FSSI but have started other companies, including Gorilla

Gadgets and Sonostar. … Wes Bigler ’78, Mike Camplin ’78, a classmate and I reconnected two years ago on LinkedIin and this summer we met at his place in Victoria British Columbia. We hadn’t seen each other in 39 years. The Thunderbird mystique continues! … Tom Cath ’78, has been the Director for the Career Center al Valparaiso University since 2009. … Alyce Tidball ’79, I am semi-retired from the U.S. Foreign Service. I recently attended First Tuesday in Bogota with Alumni TEM Lab participants, where I enjoyed meeting other alumni who were offering mentoring to Colombian companies. … William Moore ’79, after three years in the Philippines with the U.S. Peace Corps Agency, I transferred to Morocco in May as Director of Management and Operations. … David Ford ’79, about 10 years ago I started developing a special applicator for the distribution of fast-drying liquids on small bottles. I received a patent and a trademark. Now Fineline Applicators are sold all over the world. … Dave Kastner ’79, is enjoying semi-retirement in San Luis Obispo, CA, rated one of the best places to live in the world. (True!) He also enjoys being a grandfather. … Mohammed Azab ’79, lives in Dubai and currently heads Private Banking Group for Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, providing wealth management advisory services for high and ultra-high net worth individuals. … Willie Cone ’79, After a 40-year career in corporate event marketing and promotions, I’m now giving back by teaching ESL to adult/professional students. My wife and I have taught over 2000 students from more than 40 countries.

1980s

Carl Daher Delnero ’80,

retired from PepsiCo International and now lives with Sylvia, his wife, in bucolic New Hampshire. He published four Kindle books on Amazon about Liberal Theology, of all things. … Griffith Frost ’80, works for the Hawaii Cooperative Development Center, helping people develop multi-stakeholder cooperatives. CoOp Gym, Noni Juice CoOp, Tea Farm CoOp are all based in Hilo, HI. … Mary Schmitt ’80, practiced bankruptcy law in for over 25 years. I now have a small bankruptcy law practice in Friday Harbor, WA. I am enjoying my free time exploring the San Juan Islands with my dog, Keeva. … Linda Jaekel Avery ’80, life is great for us here just outside Telluride. I have been an independent real estate broker in this region for the past 15 years. My husband, Doug, and I also like to travel to different areas nationally and internationally, by both sailboat and by land. … Jan Meertens ’81, my second book, “Do We Have A Deal?” was published. The book is in Dutch for Dutch people working with people from other cultures. I plan to publish an international edition “Do We Have A Deal?” in English. … Dan Austin ’81, I just returned to Miami after heading Consumer Marketing for MasterCard in Asia-Pacific. Never a dull moment from India to New Zealand with Singapore as the belly button. I could have lived there forever! … Barbara (Mattie) Mertz ’80, after 35 years of working in the global produce industry, I am getting ready to retire from my current position as Director of Business Administration at David Oppenheimer and Co. and eagerly planning my next career outside of the corporate world. … Babs Potvin Ryan ’81, received her seventh patent, creating the first direct-to-

class notes

Jan Meertens ’81

consumer product for her client, Aflac. Babs has visited 85 countries and lives in Boston’s North End. She is also a PSIA certified ski instructor. … Melissa Taylor ’81, just had a mini-reunion with housemates Melissa Stoll Santucci ’81 and Dennis Howard ’81 in Dallas, and Cheri Tillman Anderson ’81 in Albuquerque. We still all keep up after 26 years! … John Citti ’81, has joined the U.S. Board of URBAN REFUGEES, a non-profit organization addressing the refugee crisis in innovative ways. His day job is running the treasury function at the American Civil Liberties Union. … Tracy Hufford ’82, I teach at the University of Iowa in the Event Planning Certificate program. I live in Solon, IA and we are blessed to have a granddaughter that lives nearby. Life is good! … Barry Richard ’82, I moved to Oberlin, OH, with my wife, Carol, sixteen years ago to raise our family. I was able to remain at Expeditors International. Thirty-four years total in the global logistics business, and there’s something new every day. … Shelley Blessing Bay ’82, upon graduation, I moved to work for William O’Neil & Co. I worked in the commercial satellite contracts organization for Hughes Space and Communications (now Boeing) as the youngest member and the only

female on the team at the time. … William Liu ’82, after working in Human Resources for 26 years, I am devoting myself to developing new talents in retirement. We have a weekly gathering with retired executives in Taipei, Taiwan. … Ian McCluskey ’82, I have been

Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce after 28 years of employment with the federal government. I still live in Milwaukee and have been keeping busy with volunteer work. … Donavon Ostrom ’83, I have recently created Arizona Collaboratory, an economic development non-profit to grow the Arizona economy and create sustainable, high-value jobs for Arizonans. … Alison Stern Stilwell ’83, I have been working in the Communications Department of Kiwanis International in Indianapolis, IN for nearly 16 years. … Gary Geller ’83, has been appointed to Atradius Special Products as head of the London underwriting team. Gary brings over 30 years of experience in trade finance,

Kenneth Strange ‘87

running the Americas operations for Thinking Heads, a consulting company which pioneered the business of personal positioning. We represent former and aspiring CEOs, as well as a number of ex-presidents, including Vicente Fox, Laura Chinchilla and Felipe Gonzalez. … Jane (Mary Jane Lewis) Lael ’82, I moved to Vilcabamba, Ecuador, in 2010. I continue to work as a freelance writer and editor, editing books on Asia. I teach Chinese to kids here - Chinese originally learned at Thunderbird! … Jerald (Jerry) Veit ’83, I retired from the

commodity trading and management of commodityrelated projects to the new role. … Tom Garrity ’84, and his wife of 35 years, Colleen, are retired. In 2011, they sold their business, Thermshield, a heat sink and cooling product supplier in global electronics industry. … Rob Lewis ’84, I recently celebrated my 18th year at PDQ Vehicle Wash Systems, I am responsible for global sales of equipment, parts and consumables through distribution in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. … Ted Wendelin ’84, retired from the University of

Colorado Denver after 21 years, where he taught classes in Spanish for Business and Translation. He plans to spend time hiking, nordic skiing, sailing, reading, writing, traveling and maybe some more teaching. … Zeek Ojeh ’84, is the Chief Financial Officer for the Cartwright School District in Phoenix, Arizona. … Nancy Baldwin Wagner ’84, I spent seven years with the Wenger Corporation in Owatonna, MN as Director, International Sales. I live in the Minneapolis/St Paul area with my husband of 21 years. … Doug Beckerman ’85, joined Danforth Advisors last August as a Finance Consultant in the life sciences industry. … Gary LeCheminant ’85, after 28 years in the Bay Area, I moved to Utah in January 2014 to become the Finance Director for Highland City. … Ahmed Dawood ’85, I am semi-retired and living in La Habra, CA with my wife, Seham, and my son, Amr, seven years old. I’m doing some consulting projects for 500 fortune companies for the EMEA region. … James Bogin ’85, I am now in my 20th year of managing my own global hedge fund. I enjoy keeping in touch with classmates Gary Greenberg ’85, Peter Boardman ’84, and Franco Bove ’84. … Abdul S. (Abe) Khan ’85, I worked as director of marketing for over 20 years. Since then, I have been writing short stories, poems, and creative non-fiction, which were published in two anthologies. … Daniela Bryan ’85, I have been working extensively with senior leaders, helping them gain clarity, make difficult decisions and lead themselves and others to maximize meaning and fulfillment. … Kathleen Phibbs-Pierz ’85, is the Practice Development Manager, Global, at JAMS. She works in the New York Resolution Center and recently completed a winter 2018

class notes T-bird’s dream project of working on the Global Pound Conference series. … Karen Baldauff ’85, I am in the midst of transitioning out of hi-tech, in part inspired by academic and sustainability talks at the Thunderbird reunion in Mallorca. Juris Ulmanis ’85, has lived in Latvia for the past 24 years and is co-founder of Experiential Simulations, an EdTech company that develops computer simulations which help make business topics/courses more interesting students. … Brian Nilsson ’85, I joined the State Department in October 2015 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Trade Controls. My directorate is responsible for the U.S. export control system for defense articles and services. … Catherine Curry ’86, is a real estate entrepreneur, a licensed Real Estate agent, investor and property manager specializing in architecturally unique properties. She is also the proud mother of one son. … Claudia Worthington Hess ’86, combined her Thunderbird degree with her long time experience in the fine art market to become a certified professional art appraiser. … Barry Weiss ’86, I’m celebrating 20 years as a residential and multi-family Realtor in Los Angeles. This year, I sold my 100th property with a cumulative volume of $52.7 million. … Bob Caragher ’86, following an almost 30-year career in higher education administration, I recently transitioned to working in the museum world. I was appointed Vice President of Finance and Operations at the Autry Museum of the American West. … Daniel Wagner ’87, published his fourth book - “Virtual Terror” -a comprehensive review of cyber terrorism, redefines what terrorism has become in the 21st century. … Bob Caines ’87, continues to serve as Managing Partner of thunderbird magazine

Paley Advisors, LLC, the New York-based M&A advisory and global business development firm. … Kenneth Strange ’87, recently launched an international investigative services company (Development Fraud Investigations), that offers risk mitigation services to NGOs and non-profit organizations. … Maria Houle ’87, after winding down a corporate career in New York and Geneva, returned to the Phoenix area. She is now Director of the Thunderbird SHARE Fellowship which provides funding and mentorship to exceptional Thunderbird students from developing countries. Maria encourages all alumni to get involved. … Stephen Hargreaves ’87, I joined Agilyx Solutions, North America in January 2017 as an Implementation Consultant for Unit4 ERP software. … Patrick Holland ’87, his wife, Pia, and son, Andaman, spent this summer in Eastern Europe. It had been 28 years since Patrick worked in Budapest. Currently Patrick and his family live in Chiang Mai, Thailand. … Genevieve Salley Athens ’87, I’m currently working at Wake Forest University in the Bioethics Graduate Program, responsible for recruiting more working professionals to complete the Master of Arts in Bioethics. … Paul Bradley ’87, I was appointed to serve on the B20 Task Force on Employment and Education for the G20 (the annual Heads of State Summit), which was hosted by the German Government. … Pamela (Pauline) Jenkins ’88, my Australian husband and I just celebrated 25 years of marriage. We have three children in their early 20s and live on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. … Reed Ramlow ’88, after serving seven years in overseas posts in Jordan and Vietnam as a “Chief of Party for

USAID family planning and HIV programs, and as Country Director in Vietnam for FHI 360, I recently relocated to the Washington, DC area. … Greg Olson ’88, after spending time this past year re-establishing myself in my hometown of Spooner, WI, I moved back to Egypt to manage a performance management and evaluation project with USAID/Egypt. … Steven Gan ’88, On August 17th I gave my sixth author speaking event on my book “Making it & Breaking It in Japan- My true Story of Songs, Sins, and Solitary.” The event was held at the Japan America Society of Chicago. … Kevin Chan ’88, after Thunderbird, I was in advertising with Leo Burnett, Grey and Dentsu for over 13 years in Tokyo. Then I worked for Japan’s biggest beauty chain for 12 years managing their Asia operation. Now I’m in real estate investment in Japan. … Rene ’88 and Michele von Rautenkranz ’88, returned to Europe after spending 12 years in Asia. Michele accepted a position with the International Atomic Agency (IAEA). Rene continuous running his trading company based in Singapore, representing clients in Asia/Pacific. … Ann Kunderer Hughes ’88, was appointed as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the R2 Standard, third party certification for those who

manage end of life computer and other electronic equipment. … Helmut Kaisergruber ’88, and Sabine Möritz-Kaisergruber ’89 are co-founders of Astro-Pharma GmbH, a family-owned company specializing in the distribution and trading of pharmaceutical products. … Diana Cowan Morrow ’89, in February I joined Risk Removal, an environmental services company in Colorado as the CFO/COO. … David R. Morse ’89, I have just had a new book published: “Divided We Stand: Racism in America from Jamestown to Trump.” … Taide Guajardo ’89, is currently living in Geneva, Switzerland, after 27 years working for Procter & Gamble right out of Thunderbird via Mexico, Poland and Italy. She is the head of Europe Brand Operations. … Ingo F. Schreiber ’89, Managing Director of schreiber-weinert.de in Hannover, Germany, sells business equipment worldwide and in such remote areas as Mongolia. … Steven Perkinson ’89, I recently trained (Factory Product Sales Training) at the KION Group in South Carolina on the Linde forklifts and was awarded my certificate by none other than a fellow T-bird: Mark Roessler ’77. … Lisa Woods Ploeg ’89, has joined Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas as Leadership Development

Robert Falco ’91

class notes Program Manager. … Julie Johnson ’89, is celebrating 27 years of living in The Netherlands with her Dutch artist husband Lieuwe Kingma and two teenage children! She founded JJC, a fast-growing global coaching services business. … Michael Laurie ’89, in March of 2017, I joined Fifth Third Bank as a Managing Director, Head of Food and Agribusiness Group.

1990s

Amy Barone ’90, has a new poetry collection, “We Became Summer,” from New York

London. … René van Baardewijk ’91, In August, Robert Falco ’91, Eric Kufel ’92, and I had a reunion in Sterling Alaska where Eric has a summerhouse. While fishing, kayaking and hiking we added new memories to our friendship started at Thunderbird. … Kathryn Ang ’91, joined Korn Ferry as Senior Client Partner, in its Singapore office. … Mario Zaldivar ’91, Mario’s firm opened offices in Morelia, México City and Houston, Texas. They provide services such as auditing, taxes, accounting, outsourcing payroll for expats.

Brendan McInerney ’92

Quarterly Books, which will be released in 2018. … SoonYong Kwon ’90, since 2012 I have been working as COO of LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison) KOREA. LHH is the world’s leading integrated Career Transition and Talent Development Company in over 60 countries. … Steve Syrmopoulos ’90, claim to fame: I used to be the bouncer at the PUB, LOL! I completed my Ph.D. in Financial Management earlier this year at Northcentral University, and now it’s Dr. Syrmopoulos! … Aleksandra (Aleks) Lubavs ’91, I was promoted this year to vice president, global field marketing for NCR Corporation. I manage a global team of marketing professionals across multiple industries. I’m still based in

… Lisa Tanen-La Fontaine ’91, is Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at LIMRA. … Leslie Hilleman ’91, I am Broadcast Relations Manager for Adstream. After several international positions I now travel throughout the U.S. for work. … Sanjeev Chowdhury ’91, after completed his term as

Marnee Reiley ‘96

Consul General of Canada in Rio de Janeiro, he has assumed the position of Head of the CanadaEuropean Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Task Force. … Terry Rosenbluth ’91, has been in Luxembourg for 23 years and is now Director of Business Development for Morningstar Benelux after 20 years with ThomsonReuters. I am married to a Frenchwoman and our only daughter is starting at McGill University. … Adrienne Pierce ’91, is the Director of Product Marketing at IronRidge. She is also on the Board of Directors for RE-volv, a nonprofit that crowdfunds to enable other nonprofits to go solar! … Samir Kumar ’92, was a delegate of Governor Clement Otter of Idaho’s trade mission to Beijing and Shanghai to explore business opportunities in China. He is based in Hong Kong where he runs his China food import consultancy, Sino Hero Foods. … Sunder Kimatrai ’92, recently stepped down from his role as EVP Asia Pacific for Twentieth Century Fox International ending a 24-year career starting right after Thunderbird, which took him to India, Singapore and Australia. He and his wife, Saira, currently reside in Sydney with their children. … Sven Thorslund ’92, has assumed the role of Vice President of Sales and Product Strategy, Travel Assistance at Generali

Global Assistance where he will develop and implement sales, account management, product, and marketing strategies. … Brendan McInerney ’92, who is head of Risk Analytics Europe at HSBC, recently completed the Fastnet yacht race from the UK to Ireland and back, to raise funds for the UKSA charity. … Musharraf Khan ’92, I have worked in North America, Middle East, and South Asian countries in various senior management positions with major FMCG companies, MNCs, and IDOs. … David Sanchez ’93, is semi-retired and living in Hawaii. He is also substitute teaching and managing his mainland house through Airbnb. … David Wittenberg ‘93, has joined the Indian School of Management and Entrepreneurship in Mumbai as professor of entrepreneurial innovation. … Katherine Brucker ’93, has been a Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State since 1994. She finished an assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission in Libreville, Gabon, and moved to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy. … Michael Adams ‘93, is a director with PwC in Eurasia, focusing on international financial institutions and regional M&A and valuation advisory. He lives with his wife, Olga, and their two children in Astana, Kazakhstan. … Jeff Smith ’93, is enjoying his new adventure leading Backroads biking trips in California and also actively advises technology companies through the Tech Futures Group in Berkeley. … Patrick Galvin ’94, just celebrated his 15th anniversary with his wife Ellen Galvin and 15th year in business as owners of The Galvanizing Group, a marketing communications company. … Jesse Lunsford ’94, is a real estate developer in Austin, TX. … Achim Gutwinter 2018

class notes

Mel Jackson ’98

knecht ’94, works as Operations Finance Director in Zurich / Switzerland for an Australian packaging company. … Louisa Elder ’94, Manager, Global Trade Compliance and Trade Agreements for AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company, is busy with USTR and EU trade re-negotiations, updates and Brexit. … Mark Field ’95, is Branch Manager and Senior Loan Officer for Geneva Financial. Mark has worked in the mortgage industry for 18 years serving as an underwriter, loan officer and branch manager. … Andreas Sigl ’95, has joined Burson-Marsteller in Switzerland as Managing Director, Geneva and as Member of the Executive Board. Andreas lives in Switzerland with his wife and their sons. … Nicola Hartmann ’95, is CEO for Youth On Their Own. A nonprofit helping youth experiencing homelessness stay in school and graduate from high school. … Mark Field ’95, was selected for the 2017 Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame. Mark is a U.S. Navy Submarine Veteran. … Eric Stoen ’95, is a travel writer with three kids who has taken his kids to 47 countries and writes/ photographs to inspire others to travel with their kids. Forbes just named him the world’s 4th most influential traveler. … Alison Sturdevant Miller ’95, is Product Manager, Dispensers thunderbird magazine

ESSITY. … Bryan Rice ’95, my tourism company - San Francisco Movie Tours - just celebrated its 10-year anniversary of providing memorable tours to famous movie locations all over San Francisco. … Brian Beeghly ’96, is co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Informed360, a technology company focused on supporting effective ethics and compliance programs. He currently lives in Milwaukee with his wife and three daughters. … Gregory Simmons ’96, is the senior vice president of sales for Amplifire in the company’s higher education and test prep division. Greg, will be responsible for the growth and strategic direction of Amplifire Advanced Education. … Alberto Cipriano ’96, Founder of Oh Crepes! Bistro to Go is the first launch in the food and beverage industry that fulfills a need in a niche market of a growing and evolving

prepackaged gourmet meals. … Kim Lee Ozawa ’96, designs jewelry for hit TV Shows and Films. Her handmade jewelry has been purchased by customers from 26 countries, and featured in Huffington Post and Lucky Magazine. … Greg Fitzgerald ’96, is Chairman of Cyberforce Security LLC a global cybersecurity reseller and Managed Services Provider. Cyberforce represents the best of the next generation cyber products, which Greg helped build from idea to over $1.5B valuation. … Marnee Reiley ’96, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Irvine, CA. She spends much of her free time training her puppy, Luigi, to be able to join her in sessions as a therapy dog. … Elizabeth Painter ’96, completed her Ph.D. in Ethnochoreology at the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at the University of Limerick. … Adam Falkoff ’97, was recently named to the Power 100 List - a list of Washington, D.C.’s 100 most powerful and influential people. … Dimitry Polyntsev ’97, recently moved to Darien, CT with his wife, Anne, and three young children. Dimitry works for Mylan N.V. in New York City as head of Branded BD. … Kristi Meyer Walsh ‘97, is a communications consultant for Arizona Public Service. She was previously the Assistant Executive Director for the Arizona

Exposition & State Fair. … Chelle Johnson ’97, Ann Bozick ’98 and Marianna Hynson ’97 recently got together in Denver, CO. The three are a part of a T-bird women’s group of seven that graduated in 1996-1998! Ann was visiting from Pittsburgh and Marianna and Chelle live in the Denver area. … Brett Marx ’97, is an accountant for the Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Recycling Center and a tax professional for H&R Block. I also volunteer for the Autism Society of Lakeshore. … Bo Herbst ’98, Heidrick & Struggles a provider of executive search, leadership consulting and culture shaping services worldwide, has appointed Bo to lead its Industrial Practice worldwide. … Melissa Conforti ’98, has spent the past year skiing around the world with Ski7, a fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer research. She also launched her executive and life coaching business. … Mel Jackson ’98, our T-bird classmates, Eric ’99 and Susan Zimmerman-Peter ’99 and Sergio Ilic ’98 and his wife, Becky, joined me and my wife, Lucie Jackson ’97, in Sun Valley, ID for an eclipsewatching weekend. … Joseph Urso ’99, was appointed as Director of GM International Operation’s Corporate Development, Mergers & Acquisitions covering the Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia, India Subcontinent, Middle-East and Africa regions.

2000s

Andy Harris ’02

Carrie (Stein) Melanda ’00, has recently joined Apple as the Sales Training Operations Manager for Latin America. She will be based in the Coral Gables, FL office. … Brian Kenny ’00, after serving as an analyst at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C., Brian joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

class notes Los Angeles District. Brian’s current role is Civil Works Project Manager, Arizona Nevada Area Office, in Phoenix. … Brian Kaplan ’01, I’m married to Kimberly Kuhn ’02. We just spent a little over a week in the Isle of Skye, Scotland. We are a Thunder-Couple and have a seven-year old son, Quincy. … Jennifer Beaston Hedrick ’01, is the executive director for Eagle Mount Bozeman, an organization committed to provide quality therapeutic recreational opportunities for people with disabilities and young people with cancer. … Irene Kontje ’01, after four years living in North Carolina and working at Duke University Medical Center, I returned home to the New York City area and am currently Director of Graduate Medical Education at Mount Sinai Beth Israel/Mount Sinai Health System. … George Sales ’01, after almost 20 years in management consulting

Angelika Makkas Rougas ’08

inputs into short-term medical missions by U.S. physicians. … Steve A. Varela ’02, earned a 2017 Fulbright Scholar award for his research and development in international program development for business school programs. … Andy Harris ’02, my wife Molly and I had our first child Penelope Juliet on July 9. Baby and mom are healthy and all are doing well! … Ercan Turkuner ’03, I am the Head of

Gbemi Disu ’06

and project management, I’ve decided to follow my passion and open up a mid-scale Filipino restaurant in Saint Johnsbury, VT. It’s the only Philippine restaurant in the state, and everyone is excited. … Paul Caldron ’02, completed a Ph.D in Governance and Policy Analysis at Maastricht University, United Nations University - MERIT in the Netherlands after defending his dissertation regarding motivations, economic, and manpower

Internal Audit and Senior Banking Expert at Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency of Turkey based in Istanbul. … Todd Kirkbride ’03, I am living in Pristina Kosovo with my wife and two kids. I run my own Public Private Partnerships for Development Consultancy with clients in the Balkans, Asia, Africa and the U.S. … Kevin McKellar ’03, I have been living in Los Angeles since 2008 and opened a restaurant concept called Bottega Louie

in Downtown Los Angeles. … Matt Frary ’04, the company I founded, SmarterChaos.com, has been featured for the third year in a row in the Inc 5000 fastest growing companies in America. … Gerardo Gonzalez-López ’05, I met my wife of 10 years, Maria E. (Sissy) Urista ’05 at Thunderbird. We now live in Princeton, NJ and I am running the NYC marathon in November. … Gbemi Disu ’06, everyone thinks I am joking when I say Thunderbird is with me everywhere I go! On a trip to South Africa on Safari, I found out that a couple in my group are ThunderParents! Their son is Malcolm Whitehead ’12. … Tracey Nguyen ’06, authored a study for IBM surveying over 330 nonprofits and 30+ organizational case studies revealing it is more important than ever for nonprofits to leapfrog analytics capabilities. … Becky Sacher Woods ’06, I recently joined ADP as their Global Mobility Director in New Jersey. That is keeping me busy, in addition to my five-year-old twins. … Mike Tomasello ’07, having spent 18+ years working with hiring executives and recruiters Mike launched his company HowToLandANYJob.com out of Los Angeles after a successful Marketing Executive Career. … Thomas Steck ’07, EMBA Prague Cohort IV celebrated its 10th anniversary in Dubai, UAE.

Thanks to Ghusoun Al Khaled ’07 and Stephane Sinimale ’07 now living in the UAE, we celebrated this important milestone from the top of the Burj Khalifa to the tip of the Palm Jumeirah. … Jaz Wray ’07, purchased a plane and earned his pilot’s license about five years ago. With the freedom of wings, he flew with his two sons from Southern California to experience the total eclipse of the sun just north of Boise, ID. … Shaun Smithson ’08, is now the CEO of Fig and Olive Restaurants working from the company’s offices in New York. He will be overseeing the portfolio of restaurants with a focus on stabilizing and growing the brand both domestically in the US and internationally. … David Riggs ’08, I run a business in Nashville, TN and Kathmandu Nepal. I have 10 employees in Nashville and 30 in Kathmandu. I have also been to Turkey, India, Panama, Colombia and Peru. … Angelika Makkas Rougas ’08, I am currently working in the biotechnology sector in Human Resources. My husband and I live in Cambridge, MA with our two children. … Umar Ahmed ’09, after graduating from Thunderbird, I developed a passion for teaching International Business and Strategy. I taught for about seven years in a University in Pakistan and am working on a Ph.D. in International Business at Victoria University of Wellington. … Bradley Lazard ’09, I am the Vice President of North Shore Steel headquarters in Houston. Our most recent business concern is taking care of our employees, customers, and vendors that have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey. We plan to provide steel products to rebuild our community. … David Schrader ’09, I am the Chief Operating Officer of Scythian Biosciences Corp, a Canadian company. We are in the pharmawinter 2018

class notes ceutical development field and working on a drug treatment for traumatic brain injury.

2010s

Mackenzie Cane ’10, I am the Associate Director of Business Partnerships at the Sierra Club based in Oakland CA, and I work with mission-aligned companies who are helping to advance solutions to environmental issues. … Bryan D’Souza ’11, is getting married to Sophie Ramer on October 7, 2017. He is currently working at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. … Sidharth Madhav ’11, a few T-birds from the class of ’11 attended the Second Annual T-birds & Friends Cookout hosted by Antoine Eloi ’11 at his home in Philadelphia. It was great catching up with this fun group I went to school. … Bharath Balasubramanian ’11, works for American Express Global Network Business bringing emerging payment solutions to

new markets in the Americas. … Michael Johnson ’12, I was named Vice President Global Strategy at PracticeMax in Scottsdale, AZ. Since then I have opened our first overseas operations in Cebu, Philippines. We opened in May with zero employees and will expand to 300 by December. … Andrew Goehl ’13, I recently accepted a threeyear National Office rotation with EY that will relocate me and my family from Seattle to Cleveland through the summer of 2020. … Brent Nelson ’13, I was recently on business travel in London, UK for my job at Amazon. I was fortunate to run in to my fellow cohort mate Ben Gherardi ’13 who leads international efforts with Jackson and in London. … Sean Murphy ’13, is Vice PresidentRegional Asset Manager for JPI Companies, a commercial real estate firm in San Diego headquartered in Dallas. Sean and his wife, Amber, welcomed

Jaz Wray ‘11

their second son in August. … Barbara Noseda ’14, was named to the 30 under 30 for the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Barbara joined LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company as a member of the Procurement Leadership Development Program. … Andres Porras ’15, I am Operations and Logistics Manager at Uber in Colombia for Cali, the country’s third largest city. Shortly after, I was assigned

THE THUNDERBIRD RING

to work on the expansion of Uber in Colombia, 16 cities total, and in early 2017 was sent to Thailand to lead the expansion in that country. … M. Brett McMickell ’16, accepted the position of Senior Vice President of Global Product Development at AgJunction.

Read more at thunderbird.asu.edu/ class-notes

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In a smoky bar in Bangkok... Across a crowded airport terminal in Paris... At an international business conference in Beijing...

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For years T-bird alumni have worn this ring. Be recognized as a T-bird. Wear the Thunderbird ring! Coming soon: color inlaid rings, for more information visit:

thethunderbirdring.com

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Questions? Contact Hannis Latham ’71 Cell: (520) 975.6522 Office: 1.520.529.3871 or (800) 769.7464 Email: hannis@reflectivetechnology.com

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thunderbird magazine

The one recognized around the world! 53

in memoriam John F. Nielsen ’47, retired Regional General Manager for Sears Roebuck & Co.-Hawaii and community leader, passed away on October 15, 2016 in Honolulu. A Marine veteran of WWII, he was a graduate of Pepperdine University and of the first (1947) class of Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona. Activities in Hawaii included board of directorships for First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaiian Electric, Iolani School, Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawaii Army Museum. Trustee for H.M. Dowsett Estate, past president of the Rotary Club of Honolulu, the Aloha Bowl and Co-Founder of the Annual Boy Scouts Aloha Council Golf Tourney. … Raymond Hagen ’50, of Coral Gables, FL succumbed to a lengthy illness on January 13 at the age of 92. A career with Goodyear International took the family to Akron, OH, New York City and Miami and entailed responsibilities for managing sales of aviation products in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. He was an active member and leader of the Lions Club, the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Board. … George Peckham ’52, passed away on Sunday, April 30, 2017 following some recent health challenges. He was a World War II veteran of the United States Marine Corps who saw combat operations in the Pacific Theatre. He was an accomplished agricultural nutritionist who specialized in the proper care and maintenance of livestock with a specialty in poultry. … Boye Lafayette De Mente ’53 passed away on May 12, 2017. As editor of The Importer magazine in Tokyo in the late 1950s and early 1960s and as the author of numerous pioneer books on the mindset and business practices of the Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans, he made major contributions to the initial rise of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China as economic superpowers. Boye’s

relationships with individuals as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, America’s ranking naval officer during World War II; Akio Morita, co-founder of the Sony empire; Toshio Karita, protocol officer for the Imperial Family of Japan; and Daisetzu Suzuki, Japan’s leading Zen master, were experiences he could not have even dreamed about before they happened. … Edward Campeau ’53, passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was stationed in Korea. Edward retired from IBM as a Senior Systems Engineer and was a member of St. Anne Catholic Church in Sebring. He enjoyed crossword puzzles and sudoku puzzles in his retirement. … Robert T. Mott ’57, passed away April 2, 2017. Bob was born in Berkeley, and grew up there and in Alameda. He attended San Jose State and graduated from Michigan State. He earned a BFT from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an M.A. in economics from UC Berkeley. Bob lived in the Bay Area most of his life. He was a long-time member of Tiburon Yacht Club, and took great pleasure in sailing on the bay. … Timothy S. Reed ’57, passed away August 14, 2017 in Traverse City, MI. From early days as a crew member aboard the Henry Ford II on the Great Lakes, hauling iron ore, driving a construction truck in Puerto Rico, and a summer cross country trip through Mexico, Tim’s course was set. His subsequent career as an international banker allowed him to live the life he dreamed-world travel and a dynamic career, with a large and loving family by his side. Tim joined Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis, and later an opening at Citibank in New York City offered the kind of job he had always hoped for, an assignment outside the United States, taking him to Valencia, Venezuela. That assignment eventually led to positions in Caracas and Maracaibo, and then a

posting to Quito, Ecuador. Tim continued to advance in his career with positions in Lagos, Nigeria, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and finally Miami, where he was in charge of Citibank’s Latin America corporate deposit business until his retirement. … Robert (Bob) Kohrs ’58, passed away on July 18, 2017, after a courageous battle with cancer. His career in banking began when he joined Chase Manhattan Bank in Panama. He and his family lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Lima, Peru and New Jersey, until he joined Indiana National Bank in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1973, where he was responsible for its international business until he retired. … Gerry Kangas ’60, passed away on April 25, 2015. Gerry was married in 1957 and after graduating from Thunderbird, he began his career as an international banker traveling to 108 countries. He lived in the U.S., Uruguay, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia Indonesia, Philippines, Fiji Islands, Kenya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Spain. He and his wife returned to their hometown of Clatskanie in 1994 and retired. In 1996, Gerry received the Jonas Mayer Distinguished Alumnus Award from Thunderbird. … William (Bill) Hartley ’62, passed away November 29, 2016 in Inverness, FL of congestive heart failure. A Hofstra University graduate and U.S. Army veteran, he became a field geologist for Core Laboratories, Inc., living for five years in Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. Later, following graduation from AIFT, he worked as a sales representative in the Far East and Indonesia for Celanese Corporation. In 1967 he began a 27-year career with Goulds Pumps Inc., serving first as International Sales Manager and later as Regional Sales Director for Central America and the Caribbean. His career with Goulds included spending two years in Sao Paulo, Brazil as sales manager for the company’s new manufacturing plant, Bombas Goulds. In retirement, he was a founder of the

Apalachicola Bay and Riverkeeper environmental organization, serving as the volunteer Riverkeeper and Board Chairman. He loved fishing, hunting and golf, according to his wife, Shirley Wood Hartley, also a 1962 AIFT graduate. … James Lyddon ’64, passed away on July 12, 2017 at his home on Tug Lake in Irma WI. After graduation from Thunderbird, Jim joined the Arizona Army National Guard in 1964, and served for several years. Jim was employed by Strasenburgh Laboratories, an American pharmaceutical company, from 1965 to 1970. He worked mostly in Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela where he was Regional Manager and eventually General Manager for Central America. He lived in Guayaquil and Cuenca, Ecuador; Medellin and Bogota, Colombia; and Caracas, Venezuela. After returning to the .U.S in 1970, Jim continued his education and worked two years as a corporate accountant for the Parker Pen Company in Janesville, WI. He then completed his MBA and CPA, and became a partner with Schweisberger & Lyddon, CPAs for 12 years. He married Karen Mahieu Lawson in 1990. … John Paul Lewis ’64, passed away on Sunday, February 19, 2017. He started his career in commercial banking, first focusing on loans to international markets in Asia and South America, and later transitioned to Oil & Gas financing. After travelling around the world, John eventually formed his own private equity fund, which invested in a variety of manufacturing and service companies throughout the United States. Prior to his banking career, John served in the United States Air Force as part of the Strategic Air Command. He was an avid golfer, loved music, and actively supported numerous charities. … Charles Friend ’65, passed away on February 20, 2017. He served two tours in the United States Air Force and subsequently attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law of the winter 2018

in memoriam College of William and Mary, where he was editor-in-chief of the William and Mary Law Review. In academics for nearly two decades, he taught law at William and Mary, George Mason University, and the University of Richmond, all in Virginia; the University of Houston, TX; and Campbell University, NC. He directed the University of Richmond’s summer law-study program in England and was acting dean at Richmond. He held the Distinguished Educator Award from Richmond and the Professor of the Year and Outstanding Professor awards from George Mason. He practiced law in Richmond and then entered private practice in York County where he served as president of the York County Bar Association. He was commissioner in chancery of the York Circuit Court and a substitute judge of the York County Court in 1972. Charles was editor of the Virginia Bar Association Journal from 1974 to 1998. … Richard Strayer ’65, passed away on December 22 in Tucson after a brief battle with lung cancer. He served his country as a member of the Arizona Air National Guard. As an executive with international companies, Dick and family traveled and worked in developing countries and Canada. Upon retirement, Dick and Louise returned to Tucson. For the remainder of his professional life, he joined The University of Arizona Department of Parking and Transportation /Special Events. Dick loved boating on Canadian and U.S. waterways. He was also an avid cyclist qualifying for the National Senior Olympics and enjoyed touring throughout many states and, most of all, Arizona. … Jack Stein ’66, passed away on Sunday, April 30, 2017. Jack was a resident of Wichita, Kansas at the time. Jack was an avid golfer, a Boeing employee for more than 30 years, a graduate of Wichita State University and Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a Vietnam veteran. … Charles A. (Sandy) Nalle ’66, passed away thunderbird magazine

December 18, 2016 from a sudden heart attack. … Charles V. Cupp II ’67, passed away at his home in Rancho Mirage, CA from throat cancer. Charly worked for the Libbey Owens Ford International Division and owned Lehman Insurance. He moved to California where he owned several businesses and where he invested in real estate. … Jack Witter ’69, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Jack spent the first 10 years after graduation working in international marketing for consumer product companies. He spent the rest of his career in real estate sales and management, first in the Bay Area, then working from San Luis Obispo he built and managed a number of large senior living homes in California and Arizona. … … Todd Stevens ’72, of Glen Rock, passed peacefully on Monday, February 13 following a long battle with vascular dementia. Todd spent most of his career in Real Estate. … Chris Morrison ’73, long-time alumni chapter leader passed away Friday May 19, 2017 after a brief battle with cancer. He was a friend and mentor to many and had been a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the South Florida Thunderbird alumni chapter and the Thunderbird Executive Alumni of Miami (TEAM) club. Chris spent most of his career managing Hyatt, Radisson and Omni hotels. After living all over while working in the hospitality industry, he and his wife, Debbie, eventually found their way to Coral Gables, where they lived for many years, and where Chris began working as a mortgage banker. … Arthur Wehrmeister Jr. ’73, passed away March 20, 2017, in Las Vegas. Arthur grew up in the Los Angeles area and joined the U.S. Air Force. His tour of duty included some interesting assignments and ended in Taipei, Taiwan, where he continued to work for the U.S. government. In Taipei, Arthur and Anne were married and daughter, Joyce, was born. The family moved to the U.S. with a job transfer

to Washington, D.C. in 1972. In the coming years, Arthur graduated from the University of Maryland, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and received his law degree from the University of San Diego. Arthur moved his family from San Diego to Las Vegas in 1979. Subsequently, he practiced law in several settings in Las Vegas. Arthur served as County District Attorney in Nye County, and later in Esmeralda County, NV. Throughout his life, Arthur loved playing tennis, keeping up with politics and world events. Arthur continued to enjoy traveling and, intermittently, working and living in Asia. Arthur was able to make his last trip traveling to the Philippines in 2015. … Randal Glenn Pearson ’74, passed away on October 22, 2016. He had a good career, spending many years doing business in Japan and in Southeast Asia. … Todd M. Stafne ’76, passed away in his home in Bellevue on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Todd worked in various countries in South America, and became bi-lingual in Spanish. He developed manufacturing facilities for several U.S. pharmaceutical companies in Panama and Chile. Workers loved him. Instead of packing toiletries and clothes when he traveled, he loaded his luggage with books and magazines to teach his workers about the world outside their countries. He was devoted to learning and inspired his workers to do the same. Todd had inexhaustible energy. When he committed himself to completing whatever he set out to do, his focus was riveting. Whether negotiating contracts with government employees, working with contractors, or devoting himself to hard work, he woke up every morning raring to go. … Mark Hendel ’79, of Miami Beach, FL, passed away on Monday June 5, 2017 at his home in Park City, UT surrounded by his family after losing a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer. Mark was a loving father, husband, grandfather, and a friend to all who knew him.

Mark Hendel ‘79

Mark was the brother of Valerie Hendel de La Torre ’85. … Ed Camargo ’86, passed away Sunday April 30, 2017 in Nantou Hospital, surrounded by four members of this Spiritual Assembly. He had been a member of this Assembly from the First Day of the Festival of Ridvan and was to host the Twelfth Day of Ridvan’s community celebration the evening of April 30, the day he ascended. His sudden death was caused by acute cardiopulmonary failure. Eddie was born on December 10, 1952 and came to Taiwan as a Baha’i pioneer in 1989. … Erin Gibbons ’90, passed away Saturday July 29, 2017 at Kobacker House after a ten month battle with cancer. Erin was a psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Central Ohio. Erin had a life-long love of travel and visited eighty-two countries, spoke four languages and had friends all around the world. … Fred Joseph Farris, Jr. ’92, passed away in January 2017. … Nestor Cubides ’99, passed away January 24, 2017 after a 10-month battle with tongue cancer. He was a champ, coping with the surgery, reconstruction, and treatment. He did that with the desire to live for his beautiful young girls, Amanda and Sara, family and friends. Several T-birds traveled to New York to celebrate his life. … Todd Gould ’06, of Columbia, MO passed away on Tuesday, January 17, 2017. Todd loved working in his parents’ business, hunting, woodworking, fishing with his nieces and nephews, and learning. His last years were spent lovingly caring for his aging father.

chapter A roundup of First Tuesdays, events and mixers from T-bird Chapters around the globe Anchorage: Karen Marquardt ‘89, Chapter Leader Gary Miller ‘73 and his wife Susan got together in Homer. Dallas: Adrienne Palmer (T-bird spouse), Peter Petrik ‘00, Peter Serra ‘19, Michael Olinger ‘08, Paul Sanders ‘98, Nicole Farby ‘00, Chapter Leader Julie Goodman ‘12 & Mark Heuchert ‘95.

DALLAS

Berlin: Enjoyed their second BBQ those attending Chapter Leader Dominik Hess ‘01, Cynthia & Alexander Gloger ‘92, Tracy Prentiss ‘98, Roland Quast ‘02, Gregory Linker ‘78, Mario Segvic ‘06, Ben Wilhem ‘03 , Charles Julien ‘86 & spouses.

BERLIN

NEW ORLEANS

ANCHORAGE Orange County: Hot & Spicy BBQ Pool Party August 26th. Those in attendance: Xavier Zatizabal, ‘91, Chapter Leader John DeLap ‘83, Ketan Parekh ‘83, Klara Farkas ‘93, Eugene Esparza ‘01, Simon Kings ‘79, Maria Piperova ‘03, Kris Vesa ‘96, Francisco Lopez ‘10, Kristina Spindler ‘96, John Sieh ‘79, Barbara Crofts ‘76, Tania Van Ranst-Yamauchi ‘09, David Perry ‘95 & Becca Clarke ’12.

ORANGE COUNTY

New Orleans: September chapter dinner at Saffron NOLA.

CHENNAI - AUGUST

TOKYO Tokyo: June Alumni gathering with Thunderbird Director General Allen Morrison & Chief Engagement Officer Patrick McDermott.

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connections San Francisco 40+: Saturday, August 26th Tbirds and their close friends gathered in sunny Silicon Valley to enjoy an ‘End of Summer Picnic & BBQ Party’. Organizers were Patty Trosclair ‘90, Gladys Zygadlo ‘82, and Bert Wank ‘01, our host. Our group included three “Thunder-Couples”, a record for our parties! Front row, L to R: Nancy Westcott ‘76, Keith Meyer ‘92, Mari Suzuki ‘91, Bo Gan ‘03, Patty Trosclair ‘90, Mark Hornor ‘85. Middle row, L to R: Alan Beber ‘82, Donah Kalens ‘95, Bert Wank ‘01. Back row, L to R: Claudia Hess ‘86, Bart Westcott ‘76, Gladys Zygadlo ‘82, Mia Nacke ‘00, Peter Gunther Nacke ‘95.

SAN FRANCISCO

LUXEMBOURG - SEPTEMBER Ft. Lauderdale: August 29th gathering those attending: Alberto Galofre ‘96, Brian Jameson ‘10 & Soledad Di Paola, Homayoun Ansari ‘77, Chapter Leader Karl Palsgaard ‘11, Michael Haerting ‘82 & Aileen, Rosa Isela Velasco ‘15 & Stephen McCarthy ‘09.

NEW ENGLAND FT. LAUDERDALE

HONG KONG

Hong Kong: The Chapter leadership team got together to have dinner with Chief Engagement Officer Patrick McDermott on his recent visit to Hong Kong. L-R: Chapter Leader Kevin Rohrer ’82, Patrick McDermott, Chapter Leader Marty Jetton ‘87, Angkana Jetton, Tyler McElhaney and Chapter Leader Viola Luo ‘12.

New England: Associate Director for Alumni Engagement Robyn McLaughlin, joined Chapter Leader Mary Anne Cleary ’93 and the New England alumni for their September First Tuesday.

SILICON VALLEY - SEPTEMBER BBQ

Salt Lake City: Mid September approximately 45 T-birds gathered for a BBQ at Chapter Leader Tarek Mango’s ’02 Park City home.

COLORADO SALT LAKE thunderbird magazine

Colorado: In September a picnic was held at the home of Jesse (’81) and Jeanie Young in Lakewood, Colorado. Some 35 T-birds across multiple generations met, mingled and enjoyed the wonderful Colorado late summer afternoon.

chapter connections Continued…

NEW YORK CITY - SEPTEMBER

CHICAGO - AUGUST

TAIPEI

Bangkok: Thunderbird Chief Engagement Officer Patrick McDermott met with the Bangkok alumni on Friday September 8th.

BANGKOK

SOUTH FLORIDA

South Florida: Nicolas Eterovic ‘06, Brian Jameson ‘10, Soledad di Paola Jameson, Jane Iversen ‘15, Gilberto Corona, Matthew Levy ‘96, Tina Lu ‘02, Jonaki Moitra ‘15, Steve Novak ‘89, Chapter Leader Karl Palsgaard ‘11 & John Viault ‘92.

Taipei: A large group of alumni gathered for First Friday, graduation years are from 1990-2016.

DC: June First Tuesday which was held at the Arlington Rooftop!

DC CHAPTER

NEW DELHI - AUGUST Lima: Tbird Thursday in the bar of JW Marriott Hotel. Jorge Cespedes ‘15, Antonieta Alfaro ‘92, Glenn Cameron ‘90, Chapter Leader Sachie Aso ‘14, Mahlon Barash ‘71, Emma Livingston ‘16 and Suzanne Sanchez Thunderbird Recruiting Department.

AMSTERDAM - SEPTEMBER

LIMA

JACKSONVILLE - APRIL winter 2018

THUNDERBIRD

Ski & Snow Weekend

The Colorado Chapter invites you to join us for the 7th annual Ski & Snow weekend. Alumni from around the world will gather to ski, attend our business forum featuring Dr. Allen Morrison and Thunderbird faculty, and enjoy beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado. Thunderbird Ski & Snow Weekend February 8-11, 2018 Breckenridge, CO Go to thunderbird.asu.edu/skiweekend for more details.

thunderbird magazine

Teacher, Mentor & Friend “Project of Love” leads to Medal of Friendship

-birds find adventure in faraway places, that’s a fact. Whether it’s something that’s already in their DNA, or an infu-

sion that occurs through their Thunderbird experience, doesn’t really matter. Once bitten, forever a carrier. Nancy Napier ’75 is a

case study. Her work and her curiosity took her from Boise, Idaho to Southeast Asia. To appreciate her impact, all you need to know is that Napier recently was awarded, the Vietnam Medal of Friendship, approved by Vietnam’s president.

IT ALL BEGAN WITH AN EMAIL Nearly 20 years after graduating from Thunderbird, Napier began working in Vietnam. It started as a 12-week training workshop with the Hanoibased National Economic University (NEU) to “train the trainers” It was a program was funded by a Swedish government agency to help the country move toward a marketoriented economy, under a Vietnamese government initiative called “Doi Moi,” while maintaining its dominant socialist government.

A JOB MADE FOR A T-BIRD Napier’s first visit evolved into a nine-year, $8.5 million capacitybuilding project managed by Boise State University, where she now serves as a Distinguished Professor. The program trained Vietnamese university educators and business people, many of whom had been trained in Soviet-bloc countries, in market economics and western style business skills and practices. “I was curious, I wanted to try something new and Vietnam had an appeal,” said Napier. “Once the project manager and I hit it off and she asked us to take over their MBA program, it became a project of love.” Participants in three cohorts spent several months on campus in Boise and interned at winter 2018

alumni recognition

“It was a way to remember why I went into teaching – giving knowledge and power to people who were eager to learn. It continued to be a way that my university could help a transitioning economy move into the international position of a trading and business partner.” numerous cooperating Boise-based companies and agencies. Ultimately all earned their MBAs from Boise State before commencing the next step in the program—developing and delivering their own MBA programs at the National Economics University. The program ultimately graduated 84 MBAs, who now teach, do research, and are in administration throughout the country. Several of the business people who graduated have started their own successful firms and work for foreign and Vietnamese companies. “The goal was to create an international standard business school and it began as an effort to train university professors so they could in turn, train Vietnamese managers,” Napier said. The program helped Vietnam’s National Economics University develop and deliver its own MBA programs. It included developing facilities, financial systems, IT standards thunderbird magazine

for the business school and it provided training workshops, conferences and consulting support to small businesses in Vietnam. “It was a way to remember why I went into teaching – giving knowledge and power to people who were eager to learn,” Napier said. “It continued to be a way that

my university could help a transitioning economy move into the international position of a trading and business partner.” After the project ended in 2003, Napier continued to teach in the VN university’s program and continued to do research with her colleagues in the country. Today, Napier coleads a residency in Hanoi

every year for Executive MBAs. Winning the Medal of Friendship is rare for foreigners in Vietnam. Napier called the experience “quite emotional”. “Vietnam and the people there are like family to me,” Napier said.

the skills gap

No. 1 Risk to Global Business? Survey Says: The Skills Gap

espite national forces to the contrary in some corners of the world, global business optimism remains strong, according to the second quarter International Business Report by Grant Thornton. Globally, business optimism was 51%; in the United States, it was 81%. The confidence is due in large part to strong revenue and profit expectations. But another metric hit an all-time high: the percentage of businesses who identify a lack of skilled workers as a constraint. That number rose to 35% – just over one in three businesses report being constrained by a lack of talent. It’s a challenge that has been making headlines for a while now and spans all types of jobs, from

manufacturing to IT, and all skill levels. According to the report, “Skills shortages are increasingly growing as a long-term issue businesses must address…longer-term, businesses will need to look at training programs to boost skills among existing workers, and even working more closely with education institutions to ensure the right skills are being taught at an early age.”

HELP WANTED: THE RIGHT SKILLS

soft skills were equally as or more important than technical skills. According to another study by LinkedIn, the skills most sought-after by employers include: 1. Communication 2. Organization 3. Teamwork 4. Punctuality 5. Critical thinking 6. Social skills 7. Creativity 8. Interpersonal communication 9. Adaptability 10. Having a friendly personality

What are the ‘right’ skills? It depends on the job, of course, but increasing evidence suggests that it is not technical know-how. In a Wall Street Journal survey of nearly 900 executives, 92% of respondents said

LinkedIn’s list is strikingly similar to the top 10 skills identified by the World Economic Forum in its Future of Jobs report: 1. Complex problem solving

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Critical thinking Creativity People management Coordinating with others Emotional intelligence Judgment and decision making 8. Service orientation 9. Negotiation 10. Cognitive flexibility

SOFT SKILLS UNIVERSITY So, a gap between the skills required for a job and the skills job candidates have is a key risk for businesses. And the skills that employers are looking for are predominantly soft skills, rather than technical know-how. So that begs the question: where’s the school students can go to learn those soft skills? That, perhaps, is the root

winter 2018

of the problem. Education institutions, at all levels, have historically been much better at teaching know-how than cultivating those soft skills. But it’s not unsolvable. At Thunderbird, everything we do is about cultivating global leaders. We teach the know-how, to be sure, but our emphasis has always been on the soft skills that underpin all know-how. It’s why we have a “collaborate to graduate” model, where students have to learn to work together – including across cultural divides – in order to succeed. It’s great preparation for the real world of global business. The importance of soft skills is why Thunderbird’s faculty members members continue to work in thunderbird magazine

industry. They’re keeping their fingers on the pulse of global business, putting to work skills like complex problem solving and coordinating with others – and bringing those lessons back to the classroom. And Thunderbird has a great track record of teaching soft skills. Thunderbird’s Global Mindset Inventory tool, for instance, helps individuals and organizations develop their global mindset, which is a defined set of qualities and attributes that help a manager influence individuals, groups, and organizations who are from other parts of the world. It’s essential in a world in which companies report that a lack of global leaders at all levels is constraining their global expansion plans.

THUNDERBIRD SOLUTIONS The importance of soft skills in global business success is a core part of the program in the School’s graduate degree programs, the Master of Global Management and the Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management. Thunderbird provides similar content in its executive education in-person programs, such as Global Mindset, Succeeding through Failure, Leading Diverse Teams for Collaborative Results. In addition to teaching core competencies, Thunderbird is known for focus on the soft skills that are essential for thriving in global business. Young people looking for a future in global business can jump-start their careers by seeking out these kinds

of educational opportunities. Current employees can stay relevant by continuing education throughout their careers. (As Deloitte’s Josh Bersin put it: “Professionals at all levels know that their skills directly contribute to their earning power – or, as we like to say, ‘the learning curve is the earning curve.’”) And businesses have an incredible opportunity to gain competitive advantage by training current employees in those “missing” soft skills. In a world increasingly saturated with social media and with renewed focus on customer service, the need for mastering soft skills isn’t going away. Talent will become, if it isn’t already, the #1 source of competitive advantage – for companies, and countries too.

Baseball: A Borderless Business By Keaton Allen

n the early days of baseball, there was a dispute about the birthplace of “America’s Pastime”. Was it born in the US or was it imported, based on games from overseas? We may never know the exact global DNA of the game, but we do know that the popularity of baseball has expanded across borders and now includes a bi-annual World Baseball Classic involving professional players representing countries from around the globe. Not surprisingly, where you find global business, you’ll find T-birds. With 29.8% of 2017 players being born outside of the United States, Major League Baseball is now more global than it has ever been. Dominican Republic native, and Thunderbird alumnus, Hatuey “Chuy” Mendoza ‘16 knows this more than anyone. Now in his 10th year as Coordinator for Latin America Operations for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chuy is a husband and father of 6 children (two of whom were born while he was in school at Thunderbird!). Mendoza graduated from Thunderbird’s Executive MGM program in 2016. “Twenty years ago, baseball brought me to America to play this fascinating game; and every year the game brings new players to the United States,” said Mendoza. “All of these baseball players come to the sport bringing with them various cultures – but with a common dream: to become a Major League Baseball player.” Since finishing his own pitching career with the Diamondbacks in 2006, Mendoza transitioned into the team’s front office has been the D-backs’ Coordinator for Latin American Operations. He focuses his time on developing new young talent in Latin America. The Diamondbacks Acade-

my in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, prepares young baseball players for a future baseball career and also provides high-quality education for life beyond baseball. With a growing number of teams competing for Latin American talent, the Diamondbacks sent Mendoza to Thunderbird in 2014 to sharpen his skill set and give the team an advantage in the business of Major League Baseball. “Chuy is a role model for so many of his colleagues because of his work ethic and the incredible journey he has taken to reach his current position,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “The Latin American market, including his home country of the Dominican Republic, is a great place for us to find talent on the field, but it has also provided us with high-quality front office members, coaches and executive.” “To be successful in this game, you must know more than just the business of baseball; and, understanding both our culture and foreign cultures has been very valuable to Chuy and the D-backs,” said Hall. A professional baseball player isn’t the type of guy most people expect to find sitting next to them in an international business degree program. One of Chuy’s classmates, Kevin Allen, remembers uncertainty about how the program would impact someone

who works with baseball players. “Within a couple of months, Chuy became everyone’s favorite classmate and by graduation he outshined most of us as he absorbed all that the school offered,” said Allen. “He was immediately implementing what we were learning and was sharing with us his significant results. Chuy’s global transformation was amazing to behold!” People like Chuy Mendoza are what the Thunderbird EMGM program is all about. “Chuy’s experience illustrates perfectly what makes the Thunderbird Executive MGM program unique: a cohort of diverse executives and industries creating a truly engaging learning journey, said Professor Denis Leclerc, Academic Director of the EMGM program” On the field, the 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks excelled beyond all expectations. Part of that success is credited to work done at the executive level by staff members like Chuy Mendoza, a T-bird who works across borders. “Since my graduation, I personally believe that my Thunderbird Global Mindset has become one of the most important tools to succeed in my career within the competitive environment of the professional sports industry,” Chuy said. winter 2018

European Reunion STOCKHOLM SWEDEN | JUNE 28 – JULY 1, 2018

It’s never too soon to plan ahead! Reconnect with Thunderbird classmates and T-birds from around the world next summer. You will experience the magical light of the Scandinavian skies, (22 hours of sunlight!), bask in the beauty of Sweden’s capital city and catch up with old friends and new.

Main Conference Hotel: Scandic Hasselbacken scandichotels.se/hasselbacken

You won’t want to miss these reunion events: • Business Forum: “Game changing innovation and why it often happens here first.” Stockholm is home to the most Unicorns in Europe. • Boat excursion into the Stockholm archipelago (30,000+ islands). • Gala evening at the historic 17th century Vasa warship one of the world’s top 10 most visited museums.

The capital of Scandinavia and Europe’s fastest growing capital city, Stockholm is one of the most livable cities in the world. Bring along your family and extend your visit – we’ll help you discover child-friendly Sweden.

Key Swedish words to know: Hej Skål Fika Tack

Learn more at thunderbird.asu.edu/Stockholm - More Reunion details and Registration coming soon!

Thunderbird Campus Alumni Relations 1 Global Place Glendale, Arizona USA 85306-6000 USA ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED 68 . 1 . 2018

Thunderbird Executive Inn & Conference Center Where T-birds connect •

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