This past December the members of EMBA Cohort 17 participated in the UNLV Lee Business School Commencement Ceremony and officially transitioned from EMBA students to alumni. The diverse group of twenty-four professionals hail from a variety of industries including medical, engineering, banking, non-profit and law enforcement, to name a few.  

 

The cohort completed a total of 20 classes (43 credit hours) over their 18-month interactive experience. Their learning objectives consisted of a multi-faceted business focused curriculum, which included courses such as Leadership and Team Effectiveness, Managerial Accounting, International Business, and Negotiations and Conflict Resolution.

 

Please join us in congratulating the following graduates:

 

Veronica Arrellano	Angela Lee
Arun Asokan	Andrew Locher
Kalen Axam	Ramu Nallamothu
Manivone Caballero	William Ruiz
Frank Corto	Dino Schulatz
Lisa Curran	Allison Shigley
Dr. Mark Escoto	Erica Suciu
Shayne Frank	James Taylor
Kenneth Golar	Christy Theisen
Jason Henslee	Christine Tonn
Andy Kieatiwong	Amy Waysack
Dr. Nathaniel Klein	Tashina Wortham

   

For more than two decades Josh Spear (Cohort 18) served his country as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, with the call sign "Steam." He's been deployed to Afghanistan; kept an eye on Russian activity in the Arctic and trained fellow fighter pilots at various bases throughout the U.S. and internationally including as a participant in Nellis Air Force Base's Red Flag operation, the service's premier air-to-air combat training exercise.

 

In 2011, he launched his flight career into a different trajectory. Retiring from the military as a Lieutenant Colonel, Spear joined Southwest Airlines. Today he is a First Officer based out of the airline's Las Vegas hub.

 

Spear continues, however, to use his combat-training expertise as an adversary pilot for Draken International, a provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services including military and defense industry customers.

 

As Spear progressed through his civilian career, he began to assess his readiness for transitioning into operational management positions in the highly competitive Southwest corporate environment. At-the-ready to face the challenges ahead, he realized that adding an EMBA to his academic achievements would be necessary for opening doors to new opportunities. Spear holds a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and undergraduate degree in economics from Central Washington University.

 

"I talked to some former military friends who had completed EMBA programs and saw how everything they learned, from finance and operations to communication styles, could be applied to achieving my career goals," said Spear.

 

Spear quickly narrowed his search for an EMBA program to UNLV. "Regardless of your specialty in the military or civilian career, an EMBA is a good way to round out your skill set and improve your marketability," Spear explained. "I also was excited about the cohort experience. In the Air Force, I worked with incredible people. The UNLV EMBA program provides that same bonding experience with talented and high-caliber professionals and faculty."

   

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EMBA Alumni Tifferney White Travels with Cohort 17 to Vietnam and Thailand

Views International Seminar Through a New and Exciting Lens

	Tifferney White - Cohort 15

"To travel on a UNLV EMBA international seminar trip as an Executive MBA alumni is a familiar experience but seen through a completely different and fascinating lens than when I was a student," said Tifferney White (Cohort 15), "I'd recommend it to all my fellow EMBA alums!" While attending the UNLV EMBA program, Tifferney White (Cohort 15) served as president and CEO of DISCOVERY Children's Museum. She relocated to Charlotte, NC immediately after graduation to accept the position as chief learning officer with Discovery Place, a national organization.

 

White, whose cohort traveled to Argentina for its international seminar, has always wanted to visit Asia, and jumped at the chance to experience Vietnam and Thailand with EMBA Cohort 17.

 

"I'm thrilled that the EMBA program invites alumni to participate in the international seminars," said White. "Because of the outstanding job the program does in developing the business and social itinerary, they offer an experience you couldn't find outside the EMBA program. It's an exceptional opportunity to continue learning about international business and to bond with fellow EMBA students and graduates."

 

"We always invite our EMBA alums to travel with us on the international seminar trips," said Nikkole Liesse, EMBA Executive director and program alumna. "The Executive MBA international experience is more than just an overseas trip. It's an opportunity for cohort members and our alumni to be immersed in the business world and the culture of unfamiliar places. That's the reason we select the locations we do - to create a transformative experience."

	Nadia Pomirleanu, PhD - EMBA 713

Nadia Pomirleanu, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Marketing

EMBA 713 - Principles of Marketing Strategy    

 

"Every day, CEOs and other C-level executives are faced with how to drive demand for a product or service. The solutions can be found in marketing," said Associate Professor Nadia Pomirleanu, who teaches EMBA 713 Principles of Marketing.

 

Growing up in Romania, Pomirleanu didn't originally select marketing as her first career choice. "I always thought I wanted to work in insurance," she said. And, for a while, Pomirleanu did just that after receiving her master's in finance and insurance from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest.

 

But her passion for marketing would soon be revealed. Working in the insurance industry, Pomirleanu began to use her finance background to explore how and why certain financial products were developed, rolled out and accepted or not accepted by consumers. Her curiosity also grew about how those products were perceived and operated within the corporate structure.

 

Pomirleanu recalls that without fully realizing it, she was searching for an understanding of the product -its pricing, promotion, packaging and positioning - within the marketplace from a marketing perspective. "I soon realized that the marketing field was where I belonged," she said.

 

Changing the trajectory of her life, Pomirleanu applied to Ph.D. programs in the U.S. eventually receiving her doctorate in business administration with a major in marketing and minor in psychology from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

 

In 2009, Pomirleanu, accepted a position with UNLV's Lee Business School as an assistant professor of marketing in the Marketing and International Business department. In 2017, she taught her first EMBA course.

 

"I love teaching EMBA students. Because they're at a different stage in their life and career, they relate differently to the information." Pomirleanu continues to be impressed by how much effort EMBA students put into their classwork. "These are people who have full-time jobs and families, but they come to class ready to give it their all and make the most of every opportunity. I can't imagine a better teaching environment." 

 

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	Gina Dion Muhammad

Welcome Gina Muhammad! 

 

We're pleased to announce that, this past fall ,  Gina Dion Muhammad has joined Lee Business School - Office of Online and Executive Education as Administrative Assistant IV.    As administrative assistant, Gina's responsibilities include providing support to Lee Business School Office of Online and Executive Education programs and initiatives, including daily office functions for both online programs and executive education.   Gina works closely with and reports directly to, Executive Education Manager, Carissa Marquez under the supervision of Nikkole Liesse.

 

Gina comes to us with more than 10 years of client-facing administrative support experience, having served as an administrative assistant in companies such as Ramboll US Corporation (Chicago, Illinois) and at Cabrera Capital Markets (Chicago, Illinois) to name a few.

 

Gina began her studies in business management at Loyola University Chicago and plans to complete her bachelor's degree in business administration here at UNLV.

 

Gina is a native of Chicago but completed high school here in Las Vegas at Palo Verde High School in Summerlin. After high school she moved back to Chicago for seven years and only recently returned to Las Vegas.  

 

In her free time Gina enjoys spending time with family and friends doing outside activities such as hiking and swimming. She has one 10-year old dog that is a Yorkie/Dachshund mix named Little Pup.