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Pittsburgh – The New Nexus of Business and Health Care

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHJOSEPH M. KATZ GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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When people, especially those who live far away, hear the word “Pittsburgh,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For sports fanatics, it’s likely to be the Steelers, Penguins, or Pirates. For foodies, it may be our unrivaled custom of piling french fries on top of everything, from sandwiches to salads. To many others, Pittsburgh will always be known as the Steel City, historically the cradle of American strength in the production of steel, iron, and glass.

Old stereotypes die hard. The Pittsburgh of today is a story of improving fortunes and reinvention, largely on the back of its “eds and meds” economy, and bolstered by growth in the technology, professional services, and hospitality sectors. In this edition of Pitt Business magazine, we focus on Pittsburgh’s growing and dynamic health care industry. Health care accounts for 20 percent of all spending in the United States — a staggering figure — and our region is a leader in clinical research, patient care, and business operations.

Our business school is in an excellent position to take this transformation to the next level. We have launched new academic programs that leverage the outstanding strengths of health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh to create forward-thinking, industry-centric management programs for health professionals. The centerpiece of our efforts is the Executive MBA in Healthcare, offered in affiliation with UPMC, which welcomed its highly capable candidates this past April. We seek to play an active role in Pittsburgh’s transformation to a health care center, and expect health professionals from all over the country to be drawn to our globally acclaimed programs.

I’m also proud of our other new or soon-to-be-created health care-oriented programs: the MBA/Master of Health Administration in Health Policy and Management (Graduate School of Public Health), the MBA/Master of Social Work (School of Social Work), the MBA/Master of Science in Nursing (School of Nursing), and the Master of Science in Pharmacy Business Administration (School of Pharmacy). It is something I never fail to mention in my journeys across the world to meet with esteemed alumni and corporate partners. This past year, I made my first trip as your dean to India, China, and Japan. In May 2018, we plan on hosting our first-ever International Alumni Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. During these international trips, I am delighted to log the miles to meet with the large number of alumni who retain a remarkable affinity for their school. In fact, there is a special magic and sense of community that only our alumni can bring to the school. We want each and every one of you to get involved.

The articles included in this year’s magazine do a superb job of capturing the impact of our students and faculty, and our deep-rooted commitment to offering the finest business education. From projects aimed at reducing food waste in our communities to the launch of Katz’s new blended online MBA program, to the recruitment of new chaired faculty members, the School of Business is constantly carrying out its mission. Happy reading!

PARTNERS IN PIONEERING PITTSBURGH’S NEW FUTURE AS THE LEADER IN HEALTH CARE

business.pitt.edu | 1

A MESSAGE FROM DEAN ARJANG A. ASSAD

2 | Pitt Business Magazine • FALL 2017 business.pitt.edu | 3

A YEAR OF IMPACTSecond Annual Dean’s Tea with Associate Dean Audrey J. Murrell

Homecoming Block Party A fun outdoor event hosted by CBA.

Race to the Case Competition hosted by the Center for Supply Chain Management

Leadership Webinarfeaturing Kakenya Ntaiya

Career Development Conference CBA Philadelphia Networking Trip

Inaugural SCM Symposiumhosted by the Center for Supply Chain Management

LMI MBAX Case Competition Katz students placed first at Howard University.

HealthTech 2.0This event brought together Pitt’s Schools of the Health Sciences, School of Information Sciences, Katz, UPMC, Carnegie Mellon University, area foundations, venture capitalists, and the local health care startup community.

Crane Co. Case Competition MBA and MS students solved supply chain management issues.

Veterans Health and Wellness Innovation Pitch Competitionpresented by the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership

CBA Honors Student Breakfast

Supply Chain Management Breakfast Speaker Series

International Health Care Management Program Kickoff In collaboration with UPMC and the Katz Center for Healthcare Management, the program provides management training to physicians from Asia.

Global Executive Forum in São Paulo Pitt Students vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Charity Basketball Game

Student Organization Retreat SCM Breakfast Series: Omni-Channel OpportunitiesAttendees learned from George Giacobbe, senior vice president of supply chain management at DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Investment Career Pathways Webinar Nancy Crouse (MBA ’81), former senior vice president of Nuveen Asset Management, presented “A Career in Investment Management: Why and How.”

Mentoring WebinarAssociate Dean Audrey Murrell presented “Mentoring Diverse Leaders,” and discussed the current state of mentoring research and best practices.

Katz Invitational Case Competition Global Corporate Social Responsibility Presentation Career and Internship Fair Thought Leaders Lecture Chinese New Year Celebration CBA Diversity Leadership Conference

Supply Chain Case Competition The Katz MBA team placed third in the TCU MBA/MS Supply Chain Case Competition.

Katz BNY Mellon and Center for Branding Case CompetitionKatz MBA and MS students participated in this inaugural event, co-sponsored by BNY Mellon, the Katz Center for Branding, and the Katz Marketing Club.

Women’s Executive Leadership Panel Hosted by the Katz Executive MBA Worldwide Program. Panelists included EMBA alumnae from Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers, Calgon Carbon Corporation, and SAP North America.

APICS Mid-Atlantic District Case CompetitionThe Katz team won first place and a trip to San Antonio, Texas to compete in the interantional round.

Alumni Rankings WebinarDean Arjang A. Assad and Assistant Dean Bill Valenta hosted a webinar to discuss the ranking process and the impact of our alumni.

Minority MBA Student Case Competition Katz MBA students won the KeyBank and Ohio State University Minority MBA Student Case Competition.

Closely Held and Family-Owned Business Event Hosted by Katz EMBA Worldwide, the annual event had panelists from the Hunter Family of Companies, FBC Chemical Corporation, and James Austin Company.

Networking in New York CityCBA students met with alumni and executives from Deloitte.

Analytics Case CompetitionOffered in partnership with DICK’S Sporting Goods and the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, the national competition brought undergraduate teams from across the country to the Pitt campus to compete.

Target Day of GivingCBA students, faculty, and staff assembled 250 care packages.

Institute of Management Accountants Certified Management Accounting Video ContestKatz MAcc students Dylan Shaffer, Jake Nikituk, Michael Coutinho, and Christine Barthen earned third place and $1,000 in the video contest.

The Pitt Business calendar is packed each year with educational, networking, and professional development events for graduate and undergraduate students. From case competitions to hackathons, alumni networking events to community service days, our students are enhancing a world-class education with hands-on development opportunities.

Real Estate Finance Academy Kickoff Meeting

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It was a question that William T. Valenta, assistant dean of MBA and executive programs at the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, heard time and time again from students and alumni.

“When will Katz begin offering online MBA courses?”

That day is here. The school is now offering blended online MBA courses with a mix of in-person and online learning as part of its Professional MBA program (formerly known as the Part-Time MBA program) for working professionals. Pilot courses were conducted in the spring term, and additional core courses were added this fall term. The online format uses the latest technology to allow students to complete coursework asynchronously on their own time and synchronously via live, online class sessions.

“Experience-based learning and a personalized experience are core parts of the Katz MBA experience. The blended format allows us to stay true to this mission, while also offering the convenience and flexibility that working professionals need,” Valenta says.

Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 89 percent of participants from the pilot courses saying they would take another blended course.

Because Katz is adding new blended online courses each semester, a student who began this fall term can graduate by taking only

College of Business Administration (CBA) students have the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in accounting or law in new accelerated-degree programs that shave off a full year of tuition and speed up their entry into the workforce.

The 3+1 BSBA/MS in Accounting Program is offered in partnership with the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and the 3+3 BSBA/JD Accelerated Law Admissions Program is offered in partnership with the Pitt School of Law. Both programs allow students to fulfill their undergraduate degree requirements within three years, which hastens their path toward earning a master’s degree that can make them more competitive in the job market.

“If you are a top student, you pay the same price for an undergraduate degree, and you get the same degree as an undergraduate, plus a master’s degree,” says Audrey J. Murrell, associate dean of CBA and director of the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership.

The design benefits accounting students because they can earn their BSBA and MS in Accounting degrees in four years, allowing

blended online courses. All blended online courses will be available by 2019.

Now that the Katz blended online MBA is in place, there is a new question that Valenta is hearing again and again: “Where do I sign up?”

QUANTIFYING THE IMPACT OF EXPERIENCE-BASED LEARNING

In offering Katz students the Management Simulation Capstone in which they run a hypothetical company and present to a board of directors, the Consulting Field Projects course in which students tackle the business challenges of their clients, and the Global Research Practicum in which students study global business abroad, the Katz School is at the forefront of experience-based learning for MBA and MS students.

them to enter the workforce at the same time as their peers, and arming them with an advanced degree and more prep for the CPA Exam.

Jared Sheinberg, 21, of Allentown, Pa., is the first business student to participate in the accelerated law admissions program. The finance major fulfilled his undergraduate degree requirements and is starting in the Pitt School of Law this fall term.

“You get the advantage of getting a job sooner, paying off loans sooner — it gives you a huge jump-start,” says Sheinberg, who plans to work in corporate law and this past summer interned with Pittsburgh incubator Idea Foundry in the sustainability sector.

OTHER NEW PROGRAMS

CBA continues to expand its portfolio of business analytics programs. These include the creation of a Business Analytics Certificate, an Industry Professional Network in Business Analytics, student analytics projects that are assisted by Entrepreneur in Residence Andrew Hannah (MBA ’92), the student organization League of Emerging Analytics Professionals, and the inaugural national Pitt Business

STRENGTHENING OURACADEMIC PORTFOLIO KATZ LAUNCHES BLENDED ONLINE MBA FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS

There is ample anecdotal evidence that these learning experiences have a significant positive impact on students. Now the Katz School is taking the next step by beginning to collect data on the student learning outcomes from these courses and the various professional development activities offered to students.

“We are focused on professional development and experience-based learning opportunities for students, and how they are tied together both inside and outside the classroom,” says Joe Pieri, Katz’s director of MBA programs.

“The data being collected will demonstrate in a tangible way, to recruiters and students alike, the impact of experience-based learning at Katz,” Pieri says. “For example, preliminary data collected on the Management Simulation Capstone demonstrates how board members’ evaluation of student performance improved as the semester progressed.”

The data collection project is a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research Development Center.

Analytics Competition, which was held in March 2017 at the DICK’S Sporting Goods world headquarters.

This emphasis on analytics has filtered into CBA’s internal operations as well.

Analytics are increasingly used to become more targeted in admissions recruitment and in the measurement of student career outcomes and indicators of academic success. For example, the school now can track the average increase in earnings that students can expect to receive if they participate in a student organization (+$6,000), complete an internship (+$4,000), schedule a career advising appointment (+$3,000), or study abroad ($+2,000).

“The data paints a very compelling picture for why it’s important for our students to take advantage of the opportunities to get involved and stay engaged,” Murrell says.

Finally, another new program starting at CBA is that, starting this fall, students will have the opportunity to earn a double degree of their BSBA and a BA in Health Services.

OTHER KATZ SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

+ INAUGURAL EBL DAY in spring 2017 to celebrate and invite industry leaders to observe experience-based learning happening at the school

+ INAUGURAL FULL-TIME MBA SALUTE CEREMONY in spring 2017 to celebrate the success of students and to recognize the faculty and staff members who were significant contributors to their success

ACCELERATED DEGREES GAIN TRACTION AT CBA

POSITIVE EARLY RETURNS

89% WOULD RECOMMEND KATZ BLENDED ONLINE COURSES TO A FRIEND, TAKE ANOTHER BLENDED ONLINE COURSE, AND RATED COURSE CONTENT AS “EXCELLENT.”

- Results of student survey in pilot courses

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS ACADEMIC PROGRAMS


An endowed chair is the highest academic award we can bestow on a faculty member, and this year, I had the very rare

opportunity to name four faculty members to endowed chairs. Sharon, CB, Cait, and Vanitha are the best of the best in

their fields, leaders in research and scholarship, and innovators creating and delivering new ideas and ways of thinking. I am

confident they will have a profound impact on our students and on their bodies of research, and I am grateful to our donors

who established the chairs in support of our faculty.

- Arjang A. Assad, Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean

INTRODUCING OUR NEW CHAIRED PROFESSORS

6 | Pitt Business Magazine • Spring 2016

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Sharon AlvarezSharon Alvarez is the new Tom W. Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies. She is an associate editor for Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal and the Academy of Management Review. She has been published in Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Academy of Management Executive, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management, and Human Resource Management Journal. Alvarez is the former Walter Koch Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. Her paper “Discovery and Creation: Alternative Theories of Entrepreneurial Action” won the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal Best Paper Award. Her paper “How Entrepreneurs Organize under Conditions of Uncertainty” won the Journal of Management Best Paper Award, and her paper “The Entrepreneurship of Resource-Based Theory” was that journal’s 27th most-cited article in the past 50 years.

The Tom W. Olofson Chair was created in 2003 by the late Tom W. Olofson (BBA ’63), chairman and CEO of EPIQ Systems. Olofson was a strong proponent of entrepreneurism at Katz and CBA and served as an Executive in Residence and on the school’s Board of Visitors.

CB BhattacharyaCB Bhattacharya is the new H. J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics. He is also on the editorial review board of Business and Society. Most recently, he was the Pietro Ferrero Chair in Sustainability at the ESMT European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, Germany, and was the founding director of ESMT’s Center for Sustainable Business. While at ESMT, he also served as professor of marketing, the E.ON Chair Professor in Corporate Responsibility, and the dean of international relations, and served on the editorial review board of Business Ethics Quarterly from 2009 to 2014. Bhattacharya’s research interests include ethics, business sustainability, and business strategy innovation. He has published more than 100 articles in leading journals and is the co-author of two books. His work has generated more than 18,000 citations according to Google Scholar.

The H. J. Zoffer Chair is named in honor of Dean Emeritus H. J. “Jerry” Zoffer, a former dean of the business school from 1968 to 1996 who remains active on the faculty. Under his leadership, Katz developed a global reputation for research excellence. The David Berg Foundation is one of the largest supporters of the Zoffer Chair.

Cait LambertonCait Lamberton is the inaugural holder of the Ben L. Fryrear Chair of Marketing. Her research on consumer behavior, both from an individual and a social perspective, has appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Association for Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Management Science, and Journal of Consumer Psychology. Lamberton serves as associate editor of the Journal of Consumer Research and Journal of Consumer Psychology and as senior editor at the International Journal of Research in Marketing. She has been selected as a Young Scholar by the Marketing Science Institute, received the Association for Consumer Research’s Early Career Award for her scholarly contributions, and received the American Marketing Association’s Erin Anderson Award, which recognizes an outstanding female scholar and mentor.

Ben Fryrear (MBA ’64), retired chairman and president of Applied Avionics, created the Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Chair at the University of Pittsburgh. He also created the Ben L. Fryrear Research Fellowship for doctoral students and the Ben L. Fryrear Faculty Development Fund.

Vanitha SwaminathanVanitha Swaminathan is the Thomas Marshall Chair in Marketing. A leading researcher in brand strategy and consumer-brand relationships, she serves on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Marketing and Journal of Consumer Psychology. Swaminathan’s work has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Marketing Science, and Journal of Consumer Psychology. She has been selected as a Young Scholar by the Marketing Science Institute and chaired the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) 2015 Winter Educators’ Conference. Last year, Swaminathan joined the Executive Committee of the AMA’s Academic Council for a four-year term, beginning with the role of president-elect designate, and she will later serve as president during her term. Additionally, Swaminathan established a Center for Branding at the school.

The late Thomas Marshall (BBA ’57), former chairman of Aristech Chemical Corporation, created the Thomas Marshall Endowed Chair in Marketing. He also funded two student investment management funds that continue to this day.

Cait Lamberton Ben L. Fryrear Chair of Marketing

Vanitha Swaminathan Thomas Marshall Chair in Marketing

Sharon Alvarez Tom W. Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies

CB Bhattacharya H. J. Zoffer Chair in Sustainability and Ethics

Thank you to David Shapira, executive chairman of Giant Eagle, Inc., for serving as the inaugural visiting H. J. Zoffer Chair.

He had an unwavering commitment to our students in their pursuit of models of ethical leadership. We are grateful for his

contributions as a teacher, an advisor, and a leader in the greater Pittsburgh region.

6 | Pitt Business Magazine • FALL 2017

FACULTY AND RESEARCHFACULTY AND RESEARCH


BUILDING OUR RESEARCH CAPACITY Construction for Cutting-Edge Behavioral Lab Underway in Posvar Hall –

Construction on the Katz and College of Business Administration Research Center began this summer. Located in Posvar Hall, the lab is a dedicated space for faculty and students to run experiments and conduct research. “The University of Pittsburgh is one of the nation’s leading public research universities and maintains this position by continually striving for excellence in research,” says Arjang A. Assad, Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean of the business school. “The Katz and CBA Research Center is a vital resource for both our faculty and our students as we continue to expand our research footprint and seek to attract and retain the best scholars.” The research center was designed in collaboration with Pittsburgh architecture firm Rothschild Doyno, University of Pittsburgh architects and facilities management, and the business school’s behavioral lab committee of faculty members Willie Choi, Nicole Coleman, Jeff Inman, David Lebel, and Adam Presslee, and staff members Craig Muscato and Karri Rogers. Emphasizing flexibility, the center design will accommodate different types of data collection and experiments. The center will have a focus-group room with a private observation area. Researchers can host discussions on new products and record test subjects’ responses to advertisements or interactive displays. A 20-seat computer lab will accommodate large-scale survey studies,

such as those looking at the use of accounting information in the decision-making of employees and investors. Breakout rooms will be used for management studies involving live negotiations, as well as studies involving groups making purchase decisions.

A full-time lab manager will run the lab’s operations and oversee the subject pool.

Behavioral Lab Committee Chair Eugenia Wu, assistant professor of business administration, has been working with the committee for two years on the project. “We’ve been talking about adding a behavioral lab for a while, and, recently, things just started falling into place,” she says. “This is one of those cases where timing is everything.” The timing could not be better because the number of faculty and PhD students conducting behavioral research at the business school has been growing. With space on Pitt’s campus at a premium, faculty and students conducted experiments wherever they could find room or relied on co-authors at other universities to collect data. “Katz and CBA have some very strong behavioral researchers, and having a lab space that is just for business research will boost productivity and allow us to examine questions that we haven’t addressed in the past because of space limitations,” Wu says. The Katz and CBA Research Center is slated to open this fall term.

FACULTY AND RESEARCH


his past spring, Katz introduced the Global Issue Workshop (GIW), a new graduate course allowing students to deeply explore an international business issue abroad by working on an immersive project.

“The Global Issue Workshop provides an extensive analysis of a structural or external issue affecting an organization or industry located abroad,” says Jacqueline Saslawski, managing director of the school’s International Business Center (IBC). “A student team conducts in-depth international business research in the U.S. and then travels abroad to conduct field research and to speak to industry and organization experts. The weeklong international experience culminates in a final presentation to the client.”

Before she graduated this past spring, Tamika Riley (MBA ’17), now an audit specialist on the risk management team of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, chose to participate in the GIW. “I had a positive experience the year before when I traveled to Europe for a Katz Global Research Practicum, and I wanted to build on that with a different kind of international experience that would be in Asia,” Riley says.

The GIW was a perfect fit. Riley and her team worked with Katz alumnus Span Sze (MBA ’96), head of China business at Vieway International, on a mobile payments-focused project in Asia. Clinical Assistant Professor Andrew Washburn was the faculty advisor and led the day-to-day course assignments.

record number of College of Business Administration (CBA) students studied abroad this past year, touching down in almost every corner of the globe for international internships, community-focused business projects,

and global business-related coursework.

Whereas traditional study abroad often means fulfilling general education requirements, an expanding portfolio of custom-built, experiential, business-centric programs is giving CBA students an edge and establishing the school as a leader in study abroad, says Bryan Schultz, director of international programs for CBA.

The Global Business Institute, International Internship Program, and Plus3 Program give students an opportunity to complete guaranteed internships, take business courses abroad, complete short-term business projects, and gain early exposure to study abroad.

“Our programs are distinctive in that they are more affordable and offer classes that count for our major requirements,” Schultz says.Indeed, $328,000 in study abroad scholarships were available to students last year, helping to offset the cost of the international travel.

Global Impact Grows Master’s Students Gain New Global Perspective

leading on the world stageUndergraduate Students Make Hands-on Impact

T AThe objective of the Katz GIW team was to identify the best markets to expand the company’s services. The students examined nine countries in Asia before identifying the top options.

“Payment systems are very different in China than in the U.S.,” Riley says. “In China, the app WeChat is used to send messages, request a ride, and to transfer money, whereas in the U.S., we have different apps for each one of those functions. For our project, we evaluated countries on a number of criteria, including the volume of Chinese tourism, as well as access to mobile phones and wireless networks.”

The Katz team spent a week in Shanghai meeting with company executives and learning more about the mobile payment industry in China. They also presented their findings directly to Sze.

“It was a terrific experience, and I gained a lot of knowledge about the industry and conducting a global research project,” Riley says.

Part of an innovative lineup of global, experience-based learning initiatives at Katz, the GIW was developed and launched in partnership with the IBC. The IBC’s mission is to create and deliver global learning opportunities through a collaborative approach.

The IBC worked closely with Washburn; Visiting Clinical Professor Bud Smith; Jim Waite, director of alumni relations at Katz; and the MBA Office to design and execute the GIW.

CBA STUDY ABROAD | HIGHLIGHTS 2016–17

COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA A team of students from the Phi Beta Lambda student organization worked with a local center for disabled youth, called CEOLI, on a social entrepreneurship project. The students developed a marketing and distribution plan to help CEOLI and its partner, Amizade, a global service-learning nonprofit in Pittsburgh, Pa., to grow a greeting-card business in which disabled children from CEOLI help to color hand-made greeting cards. “These cards have meaning behind them,” Schultz says. “One-hundred percent of the proceeds of the cards go to CEOLI.” Visit amizade.org/downloads to purchase the cards.

LONDON, ENGLAND A team of students from the Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics worked on a consulting project with the Castlehaven Community Association in London’s Camden Town neighborhood. Hurt by declining government support, Castlehaven has been exploring new ways to generate revenue, and students assisted in developing a business plan for a small children’s nursery business that Castlehaven recently launched. “Working on this project, and knowing the positive impact it has on the community, was the experience of a lifetime,” says Matt Smith, a senior studying finance and economics.

55% OF STUDENTS

STUDIED ABROAD AT LEAST ONCE

#1 HIGHEST LEVEL

AT PITT

339 STUDENTS STUDIED

ABROAD

133 STUDENTS COMPLETED INTERNATIONAL

INTERNSHIPS INCLUDING: AB INBEV (PRAGUE), ESPN (LONDON),

AND BIRKHOLZ INTERNATIONAL (BERLIN)

OVER 75 WORLD DESTINATIONS

AVAILABLE

$328,000 IN SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING

AVAILABLE, ABOUT TWICE AS HIGH AS THE YEAR BEFORE

$2,000 average salary increase

for students who study abroad

2017 GLOBAL RESEARCH PRACTICUM LOCATIONSThe Global Research Practicum is a three-credit course in which Katz MBA and MS students spend time assessing an international economic center and then travel abroad for company site visits, cultural activities, alumni engagement, and field research.

LONDON (ENGLAND) AND BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) Assessment of the business and geopolitical impact of Brexit

BUENOS AIRES (ARGENTINA) Examination of business trends in Latin America

SHANGHAI AND BEIJING (CHINA) Analysis of economic, cultural, and geopolitical drivers in China

GET INVOLVEDIf you would like to learn more about Katz’s global opportunities and how your organization can get involved, please contact Bill McShane, the program manager for experience-based learning at Katz, or Jacqueline Saslawski, managing director of the IBC, at [email protected].


GLOBAL BUSINESSGLOBAL BUSINESS

THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH RECEIVES THE 2017 SENATOR PAUL SIMON AWARD FOR CAMPUS INTERNATIONALIZATION FROM NAFSA


he career teams at Katz and the College of Business Administration help students to recognize their strengths, set career goals, prepare for tough interviews, and connect with top recruiters at hundreds of companies, ranging from local Pittsburgh startups to global Fortune 500 companies.

UNDERGRADUATE

During the 2016–17 academic year, the College of Business Administration launched the Pitt Business Industry Professional Networks and Pitt Business Professional Academies Program. These new initiatives connect students with established industry professionals, while providing an educational opportunity in rapidly growing areas of business. AACSB International, the world’s largest global education network, recognized these programs with its prestigious 2017 Innovations that Inspire Award.

The Pitt Business Industry Professional Networks are facilitated by Pitt Business Executives in Residence, who offer decades of industry experience and an extensive network of professional contacts. Industry networks are offered in consulting, analytics, health care, and investments, and new for the 2017–18 academic year is energy.

The Pitt Business Professional Academies Program provides students with industry-specific skills that complement their education in the classroom. Academies are taught by corporate partners. Students enrolled in the Professional Sales Academy participated in workshops hosted by Solutions 21, Lockheed Martin, Covestro,

ADP, LLC, and dck worldwide, while students enrolled in the Real Estate Finance Academy interacted with corporate partners from HFF, JLL, McKnight Realty Partners, and First Commonwealth Bank. A new Sports and Entertainment Academy will launch later this academic year, offering students exposure to various management styles across different types of organizations, such as hotels vs. sports arenas.

GRADUATE

The Katz Career Management team hosted more than 70 recruiting organizations throughout the academic year. Events included information sessions, case competitions, on-campus interviews, and Katz Coffee Chatz, a new initiative giving students an opportunity to interact with recruiters in a more casual environment.

In addition to the corporate connections facilitated by the Career Management team, Katz alumni, faculty, and staff all made introductions to their connections in industry. Most recently, through a connection made by Joe Pieri, director of MBA programs, an MS in Supply Chain Management student was hired for a corporate position at The Vitamin Shoppe, while two MBA students accepted internships with the company.

The calendar of Katz recruiting events continues to grow, creating even more opportunities for students. The Katz Career Management team is looking forward to welcoming new recruiters Eaton and Quest Diagnostics to campus for recruiting events during the 2017–18 academic year, while the CBA Career Development Office is committed to making the 2017 Pitt Business

CONNECTING STUDENTS TO INDUSTRYTOP COMPANIES ARE SEEKING THE UNIQUE TALENT OF PITT BUSINESS GRADUATES

Job Placements: Amazon • Crane Co. • Fitch Ratings • General Mills • Goldman Sachs • Highmark • Howard Hanna • IBM • Koppers • Nationwide Insurance • PNC • PPG Industries • SDLC Partners • Texas Instruments • Uber

Internships: ALDI • BNY Mellon • Covestro • Crane Co. • General Motors • GlaxoSmithKline • M&T Bank • Walgreens • Wells Fargo • Xerox

Job Placements: Chase • DICK’S Sporting Goods • Deloitte • EY • J.P. Morgan • KPMG • Macy’s • Microsoft • Northrop Grumman • PNC • PwC • Vanguard • Yelp Internships: ADP • ALDI • American Eagle Outfitters • Baker Tilly • BNY Mellon • City of Pittsburgh • Covestro • Deloitte • Giant Eagle • Highmark • SAP • Siemens • Wells Fargo

Career Development Conference bigger and better than ever.

There are many ways Pitt Business alumni can get involved and assist in the employment of students, including through career mentoring, interview preparation, and resume review. Learn more by visiting www.hire.katz.pitt.edu to connect with the Katz Career Management Team or www.cba.pitt.edu/careers to contact the CBA Career Development Office.

SPOTLIGHT ON ALEXANDRA GODFREYAlexandra Godfrey joined the Katz Career Management Team in 2014 and quickly made her mark by helping students find employment by increasing the recruiter presence on campus. Godfrey’s talents soon led to her assuming the management of employer relations and student engagement.

In addition to relationships with companies like Crane Company, Deloitte, Giant Eagle, Texas Instruments, and SDLC Partners, which have had a presence on campus for years, Godfrey is cultivating

new relationships with local and global companies. She is also focused on expanding the employment opportunities for Katz students to include more variety in full-time and internship positions.

By tapping into the Pitt Business alumni network and by incorporating recruiting opportunities into the events held by the Pitt Business Research Centers, she has enriched the recruiter and student relationship at Katz.

CBA CAREER DEVELOPMENT STATS

KATZ CAREER MANAGEMENT STATS

91%of students received

job offers within 3 months of graduation

98%of students receive

internship offers

65%of student employment

is the direct result of Katz Career

Management

70+companies conducted on-campus recruiting

events throughout the 2016—17

academic year

NO. 4among Public

Business Schools by Recruiters

Bloomberg Businessweek

57590%companies have hired students

for jobs and internships

students accepted jobs or were

accepted to grad school within 90

days of graduation

1 in 3 internships leads

to a job at the company

“The Center for Supply Chain Management hosts a Breakfast Speaker Series throughout the year, and I’ve built on-campus interviews into the events. Recently, one of our MBA students connected with an executive from the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and that connection facilitated interviews and eventually a full-time employment offer for that student,” Godfrey says.

Godfrey has also created recruiting opportunities for students with Apple, Amazon, IBM, SCA Technologies, and many more local and global organizations.

“Looking forward, I am creating an initiative in which our students can connect with alumni from anywhere around the world,” she says.

New companies committed for this fall include Sales Force and TechMahindra, and the list is growing. Visit hire.katz.pitt.edu to learn about the many opportunities to recruit at Katz, or contact Godfrey to start planning your recruiting event at [email protected].

EMPLOYMENT HIGHLIGHTS


RECRUITING AND EMPLOYMENT RECRUITING AND EMPLOYMENT

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F


BERG CENTER EXPANDS FOOD SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

ood security and food sustainability are core to the research mission of the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership. The center previously created a Food Abundance Index to measure the access and availability of healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food in a geographic area.

The topic is of concern locally and globally.Every year, one-third of all food produced for human consumption globally is wasted, according to the United Nations. Perfectly good food ends up in trash cans, compost bins, and landfills. The average four-person American household throws away anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 worth of food each year, according to media accounts. This occurs while hundreds of millions of people go hungry.

“There is a daunting disconnect in the world’s food systems, yet there also exists a golden opportunity for businesses, government agencies, individuals, and community stakeholders to partner for solutions,” says Audrey J. Murrell, director of the Berg Center and associate dean of the College of Business Administration.

The Berg Center, working with Pittsburgh-based Steady State Media, is in the process of creating a social documentary on these issues called “Rescuing Abundance.” The film details strategies for

combating food waste through interviews with members of 412 Food Rescue, Food Recovery Heroes, Pitt Dining Services, Eat’n Park Restaurants, Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance, Hollymead Capital, and more. The film was initiated in a class project in the Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics.

“As our film ‘Rescuing Abundance’ shows, there are actions taking place in Pittsburgh and on the University of Pittsburgh campus that offer a blueprint for success for other cities,” Murrell says. “We hope this film is used as a tool to inspire others to take action to make a difference in their communities.”

The Berg Center plans to release “Rescuing Abundance” later this academic year.

SUSTAINABILITY ON MENU OF NEW CAMPUS FOOD TRUCK

eginning this fall, University of Pittsburgh students will have a new eco-friendly option for grabbing fresh sandwiches, wraps, and paninis on the go — one that was developed by College of Business Administration (CBA) students in a project course.

The Panther Grille, a converted box truck decked out in school colors, is designed to be a “no food waste” food truck, says Jim Earle, assistant vice chancellor for business at the University of Pittsburgh. Leftover food will be repurposed for use at the University’s 18 other dining facilities.

“Because we have so many dining options, we have a unique advantage over other food trucks. At the end of the day, we can take the product and store it in our refrigerator and freezer space,” Earle says.

The Panther Grille is a collaboration among Pitt Dining Services, its food provider Sodexo, and CBA. Students from CBA’s Certificate Program in Leadership and Ethics were responsible for developing a business plan, modeling out financial projections, researching city permits, and creating a comprehensive marketing plan. Students even came up with the menu items.

“This was an idea we had, and the students really brought it to life,” Earle says.The University is the only food-recovery–certified school in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Pitt Dining Services partners with Food Recovery Heroes to have students collect leftover food and deliver it to food pantries.

Earle says he envisions CBA students continuing to work on the food truck for years to come.

“It’s a fantastic learning opportunity. Students are involved in running the truck, which is great experience for supply chain majors with sourcing and for marketing majors with the promotions,” he says.

FOOD SYSTEMS THE FOCUS OF NEW EXECUTIVE IN RESIDENCE

ood was always a fixture in Joe Bute’s life. He remembers working the hamburger patty press in his dad’s coffee shop in Northbrook, Ill., before heading off to first grade. Fifteen years later, he would knead the dough at their neighborhood pizza restaurant in Charlottesville, Va.

Then, before farm-to-table was even a thing, his parents converted an old farmhouse into a country inn and restaurant.

“When I was a kid, my dad’s idea of a good time was to take me to the national restaurant trade show in Chicago,” Bute recalls with a chuckle. “Our house was full of trade rags and magazines in food services.”

Today, Bute is a managing partner of Hollymead Capital, an investment firm that looks to acquire food and beverage companies that support the local food economy. Last year, the team purchased Tomanetti’s Food Products, an Oakmont-based commercial bakery.

Earlier this year, Bute was named an Executive in Residence in Food Systems at the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership. Bute is keenly interested in the food infrastructure of Western Pennsylvania, which encompasses the entirety of the food chain, everything from farmers and growers to processers and shippers, to point-of-sale and consumers.

“One of the advantages of the Berg Center is it can connect the dots,” Bute says.Bute has been busy creating opportunities for Pitt Business students. He is assisting in the development of a food business accelerator for aspiring food entrepreneurs. He is working with Food Conscious, the nonprofit that recently added Pittsburgh as its third city. He is also involved in organizing case competitions, consulting projects, and internships for students.

“Quality of life is tied to time spent at the dinner table. Everybody eats,” Bute says, paraphrasing the words of the author and food activist Michael Pollan. Food appreciation is a truth Bute learned at a young age, and it continues to inspire him today.

NEW DOCUMENTARY TACKLES FOOD WASTE PARADOX

Panther

Grille


FOOD SUSTAINABILITY

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very day, we make countless food decisions. What to eat? When to eat? And how much to eat.

Peggy Liu, assistant professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration, studies the psychology of consumer food behavior.

“I like studying food because it applies to everyone,” Liu says.

In 2013, Liu co-authored the paper “Using Behavioral Economics to Design More Effective Food Policies to Address Obesity” in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, which argued that existing food nutrition policies in the United States do relatively little to sway consumer behavior. Three common psychological

biases explain why people fail to make healthy choices. The present-bias preference is our tendency to overvalue immediate benefits, which leads to food decisions based on convenience. Studies have shown that cafeteria patrons are less likely to eat ice cream if the cooler lid is closed and that residents who stockpile food items like potato chips eat more of them.

Visceral cues are another food bias. Studies show that exposure to smells, sights, and sounds — such as observing a slice of pizza in the oven — increases food cravings, even in situations when a person was not already hungry.

The third bias is the status-quo and default-option bias. People are inclined to stick with whatever food is presented to them, even if healthier choices are available. Examples include menu side dishes that offer either french fries or side salads, but which make the fries the default, and the oversized portions served at most American restaurants.

Liu believes policy makers can adopt measures to spur healthier choices for consumers. One approach is to simplify nutritional labeling on food packaging. The United Kingdom, for example, devised a traffic-light rating system for food nutrition. Green (“go”) represents healthier foods, and red (“stop”) represents unhealthy foods. Another approach is to display the physical activity equivalent of the caloric units. Instead of seeing a sugary beverage represented as 250 calories, it would be represented as 50 minutes of jogging. Another option is to use a system of stars, check marks, or a numeric score to represent the nutritional value.

Liu also believes that restaurants can consider creative approaches to encourage healthier choices for consumers. For instance, she and her co-authors have proposed and investigated “vice–virtue bundles” (e.g., side dish plates comprising 75 percent salad and 25 percent fries). They are a win–win for consumers, addressing their taste goals and health goals within the same choice.

“There are simple tweaks that don’t cost much that can make a big impact,” Liu says.

E I

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FOOD CHOICES

“I like studying food because it applies to everyone.”

nefficiencies in the food system lead to food waste during the harvest, storage, transportation, processing, and packaging of food.

Perhaps no part of food waste is more notorious, and more preventable, than after it reaches the consumer. In developed nations like the United States, consumers account for more than half of food waste.

Cait Lamberton, Ben L. Fryrear Chair of Marketing and associate professor of marketing, was part of a team of 13 researchers who examined the underlying psychological causes and potential solutions to consumer food waste in the 2016 paper “The Squander Sequence: Understanding Food Waste at Each Stage of the Consumer Decision-Making Process,” published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

Mapping the “Squander Sequence” in Food Waste

The squander sequence encompasses the food waste that occurs during point-of-sale/pre-acquisition, consumer acquisition, consumption, and disposition. There are many reasons for food waste, including shoppers’ insistence for unblemished fruits and perfect packaging, shoppers’ desire for great variety and abundance of choices, and the reality that people are poor planners who often buy more food than they need.

Lamberton and her co-authors presented several strategies for reducing food waste. Consumer education campaigns, like those initiated in Europe, can teach consumers that “ugly” produce is still edible. There are also service providers and mobile apps that make it possible to buy and receive alerts when imperfect produce or overstocked foods are available.

The authors also recommend that policy makers reevaluate expiration dates on food packaging. Some researchers call for making sell-by dates invisible to the consumer since these dates are intended for retailers to make stocking decisions. Others prefer an “open dating” convention. Open dating lists when the product was manufactured, alongside recommendations for sell-by or use-by dates.

Beyond this study, Lamberton is conducting other research into preventing food waste. Lamberton, Katz PhD marketing students Lauren Grewal and Jillian Hmurovic, and Ohio State University Associate Professor of Marketing Rebecca Walker Reczek are addressing a specific stage in the squander sequence: the moment when consumers are faced with a purchase decision.

They are investigating why consumers don’t want to buy “ugly” fruits and vegetables. This produce is perfectly edible but has odd shapes and other aesthetic imperfections. The research — which is based in part on a field study conducted with the Pittsburgh organization 412 Food Rescue — indicates that consumers devalue this produce because purchasing it acts as a negative “self-signal,” making consumers feel worse about themselves. As a result, consumers are less willing to buy ugly produce, which leads to farmers and retailers throwing out perfectly edible produce.

Lamberton and colleagues hope these insights into food waste will reduce the amount of food being squandered in the future.

“Consumers are less willing to buy ugly produce, which leads to farmers and retailers throwing out food.”

FOOD SUSTAINABILITYFOOD SUSTAINABILITY


n his sophomore year, Vinh Luong combined his interest in aquaponics and entrepreneurship through the Aquaponics Project. He and his classmates converted an old freight-

shipping container into a functioning ecosystem and installed it on the lawn of Liberty Avenue Park in downtown Pittsburgh.

Huong, 20, is studying computer science and information systems and is undeclared within the College of Business Administration (CBA). The Aquaponics Project — a collaboration with Joe DiPietro (Actuarial Science), Kiel Hillock (Environmental Engineering), Maddi Johnson (Architectural Studies), Kareem Rabbat (Environmental Engineering), and Catherine Schrading (Environmental Science) — received a total of $22,000 in funding from the Door Campaign and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s BetaBurgh program.

“I was amazed at the potential of aquaponics to create immediate impact. From the star t, our goal was to educate communities about sustainable practices of agriculture,” Luong says. Aquaponics is an agriculture system that produces fish, aquaculture, and plants in an integrated closed environment with minimal waste. This agriculture system decreases the amount of land and water needed for farming, while eliminating most transportation costs.

More than 1,000 educational tours were given of the Aquaponics Project structure when it was installed downtown from September 2016 to January 2017. The first harvest of basil was donated to a nonprofit and utilized by The Savoy, an upscale Pittsburgh restaurant.

The Aquaponics Project received support from the CBA chapter of Enactus, a national organization focused on social entrepreneurship.

“By bringing the project into Enactus, we provided professional development opportunities for students, and in return Enactus provided a wealth of resources to the project, including students, advisors, and grant opportunities,” Luong says.

Luong and his team also received consistent support from the Student Government Board and participated in various competitions such as the Randall Family Big Idea Competition. Additionally, Luong and his team won the Enactus Regional Competition this past spring in Chicago.

Sipes & Son contractors designed and built the two-story farming system. The project was developed in partnership with the Door Campaign, a local nonprofit investing in the link between education and employment.

“One of the most important things I have learned from this experience is how to lead and manage people. I have learned that to gather people around a project is to allow their ideas and concerns to be heard and thoughtfully considered,” Luong says.

The Aquaponics Project structure has been transferred to the Door Campaign for further research and development. The team is examining how different communities interact with the project. Luong hopes that the project will eventually be a part of the University of Pittsburgh campus for students to observe.

Following the success of its downtown installation, another Aquaponics Project shipping container was installed in Manchester Park in Pittsburgh’s Northside.

“The Aquaponics Project has been an enriching experience in entrepreneurship,” Luong says. “Three students who worked on the project received internships through their involvement.”

Although he is passing on some duties to other students, Luong will remain involved in big-picture issues. He already has his sights set on the next biological challenge of the Aquaponics Project. He is studying anaerobic digestion, so the project can begin processing local food waste and move one step closer to a turnkey food system.

I

Student’s Underwater Farming Venture Creates Buzz

FOOD SUSTAINABILITY

business.pitt.edu | 2120 | Pitt Business Magazine • FALL 2017

PITTSBURGH The New Nexus of Business and Health Care

ittsburgh’s steel industry was in a state of total collapse in the 1980s. Carrie Leana, then a professor at the University of Florida, had traveled to Pittsburgh to interview former steel workers for a research project. She found that, in addition to losing their jobs, many also felt the loss of their personal identities. Being a steelworker was part of who they were, and, for some, that identity was forged across several generations of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and brothers working in steel or related industries. Now it was all unraveling. Not just individually but for the region as a whole.

“Unemployment is a way to study what work means to people. Everybody knew somebody who worked in the steel industry, and when that disappeared, not only did jobs disappear, entire identities disappeared,” says Leana, who during her research visit to Pittsburgh presented a talk at the University of Pittsburgh and was subsequently offered a position on the faculty of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.

Leana, now the George H. Love Professor of Organizations and Management and director of Katz’s Center for Healthcare Management, documented the effects of the steel industry’s demise on workers. Now she is closely involved in building up an industry that is fueling the city’s economic revival: health care. She envisions the region standing out not only on the merit of its clinical prowess but also for its embrace of key business drivers, such as data analytics, supply chain optimization, and financial acumen. The necessary infrastructure already exists, she says, in the form of the region’s universities and health organizations.

“At the time I visited Pittsburgh, most people viewed it as a place in decay. I saw it as a place of great transition and thus great opportunity, so I accepted the offer to come to Pitt and never looked back,” Leana says.

Health care may be Pittsburgh’s future, but for over 100 years, Pittsburgh was the world’s steel capital. The confluence of three rivers, coal deposits in the hills, and innovations in the steel production process provided all the necessary ingredients for the mighty steel industry to be born.

In the 1920s, one-third of all American steel was produced in local mills. Pittsburgh-made steel built the Empire State Building, the gates of the Panama Canal, and countless bridges across America, and helped Allied forces win World War II in Europeand the Pacific.

Suddenly all that was gone.

Between 1980 and 1985, Pittsburgh shed more than 115,000 manufacturing jobs. Almost half of the drop came from the steel industry. Katz Professor of Business Administration Jim Craft says the primary causes for the Pittsburgh steel industry’s swift decline were outdated production operations, low-cost steel imports coupled with higher wages for U.S. workers, and decreased demand caused bya shift toward lighter and cheaper substitutes such as aluminum.

“There was a big question in the 1980s about whether Pittsburgh would survive,” Craft says.

A MODEL FOR HEALTH-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIPS

When the steel mills began to close, Pittsburgh’s health care industry was limited in scope. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) operated a single facility, what today is Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Furthermore, Pittsburgh’s universities then did not have the global reputation that they do today.

Few could have predicted the change that was about to take place. The next chapter of Pittsburgh’s story was about to be written.During the 1980s, through public and private partnerships of corporations, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, community groups, and local universities, Pittsburgh was able to avoid a total economic implosion and undergo an economic restructuring away from steel, says Sabina Deitrick, associate professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and director of the Urban and Regional Analysis program at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research.

FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

P


While manufacturing, including steel, continues to employ tens of thousands of workers in Pittsburgh today, the regional economy is more diversified. In particular, higher education institutions and medical facilities are the twin pillars of the “eds and meds” sector. Health care involves both education through the universities and medicine through the clinical treatment facilities. Nowhere is the ascent of this sector in Pittsburgh more symbolic than with the former U. S. Steel Tower. Now the headquarters for UPMC, the top of the 64-story skyscraper is now adorned with the UPMC name.

Under the leadership of Arjang A. Assad, Henry E. Haller Jr. Dean of the Katz School and the College of Business Administration, Pitt Business has initiated a number of new academic programs in the area of health management. All were created in partnership with other University of Pittsburgh schools. Programs recently created or under development include the Master of Science in Pharmacy Business Administration (School of Pharmacy), the MBA/Master of Health Administration in Health Policy and Management (Graduate School of Public Health), the MBA/Master of Social Work (School of Social Work), and the MBA/Master of Science in Nursing (School of Nursing).

“In today’s challenging environment, leaders in health care must be experts not just in medicine but also in management,” Assad says. “Our students have a major advantage because they benefit from the long tradition of business excellence at Katz and the incredibly strong health science programs at Pitt. Programs like this are needed and will go a long way toward improving our nation’s health system.”

Additionally, this past April, the Katz School welcomed the inaugural cohort of its new Executive MBA in Healthcare program, which is offered in affiliation with UPMC. The first group of 23 students includes a mix of physicians and professionals from the insurance, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries.

Katz’s graduate degree programs build on the foundation that Leana established over nine years ago with the launch of the Marshall Webster

Physician Leadership Program. More than 400 UPMC physicians have completed the program, which offers a “mini-MBA,” covering topics such as leadership, strategic planning, and finance and accounting. Courses are taught by Katz faculty handpicked by Leana and by senior administrators from UPMC.

“Our vision for the EMBA Healthcare program is global in scope,” Leana says. “We plan to attract physicians and health professionals from hospital systems and health care companies from all over the world. There is an impressive confluence of expertise in business and health care in Pittsburgh that can be a model for others to learn from.”

There is an appetite for this program, Leana says, because of the management challenges facing the health care system.

Dr. Steven Shapiro, an executive vice president who is the chief medical and scientific officer and president of the health services division

at UPMC, agrees. New training is required for health care leaders. Physician leaders have to focus on both the science of medicine and the larger business picture.

“Physicians can’t dissociate themselves from the move toward value-based care and quality in relation to cost. It’s the new dynamic in health care reform,” Shapiro says.

THE FUTURE OF “EDS AND MEDS”

Craft, who joined the Katz faculty in 1972, remembers afternoons when he would shut his office window on the 17th floor of the Cathedral of Learning because of smoke wafting in from the former J & L Works on the Monongahela River. Those days are gone. Craft sees a bright future for the City of Pittsburgh in health care industries and envisions the Katz School playing a big role. “Health care has grown as a major employer in Pittsburgh’s restructured economy.

We at the Katz School of Business are now working with the health industry to enhance the quality of care,” Craft says.

In Pittsburgh, and in many other cities across the United States, higher education institutions and health care providers are the region’s largest non-government employers. With over 20 percent of its population employed in the “eds and meds” sector, Pittsburgh has the third-highest rates of employment in education

and health care among large U.S. metropolitan areas, trailing only Philadelphia and Boston, according to a report released earlier this year by CBRE Group, Inc., the Los Angeles–based commercial real estate services and investment firm.

In the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, employment in education and health services grew by 56 percent, to more than 245,000 employees, from 1990 through 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During that same period, employment in manufacturing decreased by 36 percent. Other industries that grew during that time period were financial activities and professional business services, which grew by 23 percent and 48 percent respectively.

The University of Pittsburgh supports 29,436 direct and indirect jobs, and generates an economic impact of $3.9 billion, according to the University’s 2015–16 annual report. UPMC employs about 65,000 employees and generates an economic impact of $26.5 billion.

Additionally, there are tens of thousands of other jobs and billions in economic impact from other health organizations, including

Highmark, Allegheny Health Network, St. Clair Hospital, and Jefferson Regional Medical Center. (Employees from any of these organizations are eligible to enroll in the health-management degree programs offered at Katz, including the Executive MBA in Healthcare program.)

Chancellor Patrick D. Gallagher believes that the life sciences industry will become a major economic force in the Pittsburgh region. This past May, at the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Life Sciences Week, he said in his address that “the Googles of health care companies are yet to be formed. It’s going to be a time of big disruption and innovation.”

This past year, the University received a record number of patents and ranked in the top third of U.S. universities. Most patents were in the health sciences domain. Gallagher, who was the director of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology before joining the university, has made commercialization of faculty research a top strategic priority.

The “eds and meds” economy — along with growth in the professional services, banking, and technology sectors — are fueling Pittsburgh’s economic renaissance, helping the region to reverse negative demographic trends like net outward migration and an aging population, says Chris Briem, a regional economist with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR). “The bottom line is that Pittsburgh suffered a lot of job destruction. People consider us just one of many rust-belt regions, but proportionally we lost far more jobs and people than either Detroit or Cleveland. In terms of what has provided jobs since the 1980s, it has been by and large the growth of health and education,” he says.

Almost three decades ago, Leana observed the negative effects of the steel industry’s collapse on the local population. Her interest in the topic, then like it is now, was on the human aspect of work, and how personal interactions can enhance or detract from performance.

“In today’s challenging environment, leaders in health care must be experts not just in medicine but also in management.” - Arjang A. Assad“A big part of what is motivating the doctors

in our programs is they don’t want to just fix patients. They also want to fix the system and make it better.” - Carrie Leana

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EDS AND MEDSHEALTH CARE IS A $3.4 TRILLION INDUSTRY,

ACCOUNTING FOR 1 IN 9 JOBS NATIONWIDE

PITTSBURGH HAS THE THIRD-HIGHEST RATE OF EMPLOYMENT IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE IN THE UNITED STATES

MORE THAN 1 IN 5 PITTSBURGHERS ARE EMPLOYED IN EDUCATION OR HEALTH CARE

29,436 PITT-SUPPORTED AND -SUSTAINED JOBS IN PA

65,000 EMPLOYEES AT UPMC

“HEALING IS AN ART, MEDICINE IS A SCIENCE, AND HEALTH CARE IS A BUSINESS.”

KEY HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY TRENDS+ PATIENT EXPERIENCE BEING IMPROVED THROUGH BETTER SERVICE AND TREATMENT

+ SERVICE LINES CREATING ONE-STOP SHOPS AND IMPROVED INFORMATION SHARING

+ CONSOLIDATION OF HOSPITAL SYSTEMS AND SHARED PROVIDERS AND INSURERS

FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

Leana’s interest later shifted to health care. It is a highly human-intensive industry. It takes an army of nurses, doctors, emergency-services personnel, home-care aides, office staff, and administrators to treat and heal the sick. Leana is also drawn to health care because, of all the industries, it is one where adopting best practices in management can do the greatest good for society.

“A big part of what is motivating the doctors in our programs is they don’t want to just fix patients. They also want to fix the system, and make the system better,” Leana says.

With its new focus on health management, the Katz School aims to give physicians and other health professionals the training to do just that.



STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

“I decided to earn my MBA with a focus in health care because business skills are essential for doctors. As an orthopaedic surgery foot-and-ankle specialist operating within a hybrid academic and integrated-care delivery system, I think we, as physicians, must have an understanding of the business of medicine. That’s the only way we can both innovate and help more people.” MACALUS V. HOGAN, MD (EMBA HEALTHCARE, CLASS OF 2018) VICE CHAIRMAN OF EDUCATION AND RESIDENCY PROGRAM DIRECTOR, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF OUTCOMES AND REGISTRIES, UPMC WOLFF CENTER FOR QUALITY, SAFETY, AND INNOVATION CHIEF, UPMC MERCY ORTHOPAEDICS CHIEF, DIVISION OF FOOT AND ANKLE SURGERY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY AND BIOENGINEERING, DEPARTMENT OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER

Power of Partnerships

EMBA HEALTHCARE

Health care sectors:

74% of students are physicians

14average years of work experience

42 average age

23

students

PROGRAM FACTS Six-credit practicum in which students apply tools and skil ls learned in the classroom

to an ongoing opportunity or challenge in their organization.

Healthcare immersion curriculum

Courses emphasize the application of business and management concepts in a health care environment.

Classes held once

a month 48

credits19

months to complete

Katz-UPMC Executive MBA in Healthcare Program

CLINICAL QUALITY AND COMPLIANCE • HEMATOLOGY • ORTHOPAEDIC • TRANSPLANT • EMERGENCY MEDICINE • NEUROLOGY • INSURANCE • MEDICAL DEVICES • BEHAVIORAL HEALTH • FAMILY MEDICINE

“The MSW/MBA degree provides students with higher levels of knowledge and skills for any field of social work. I am a perfect example: I have an MBA, in addition to my social work degrees, and the combination has positively impacted my teaching, my scholarship, and my administrative leadership skills. This has enhanced my publication rate, increased my ability to teach students with expanded scope, and prepared me to be selected as associate dean for research, director of strategic planning and quality assurance, and PI of numerous grants and research projects.”

HIDENORI YAMATANI, PHD, MSW, MBAPROFESSOR AND CHAIR, THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK PROMOTION AND TENURE COMMITTEECOORDINATOR MSW/MBA JOINT DEGREE PROGRAMCHAIR, THE CENTER ON RACE AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS’ COMMUNITY AND EVALUATION RESEARCH

“The joint MHA/MBA program was developed to provide students with an integrated learning experience that recognizes the incredible importance that the business side of health care plays in the management of health care organizations today. Our program combines the health care content expertise of a Master in Healthcare Administration with the extensive financial and marketing management expertise of a Master in Business Administration to produce a highly-trained professional who can rapidly grow into leadership positions in health care organizations.”

MARK S. ROBERTS, MD, MPPPROFESSOR AND CHAIR, HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENTDIRECTOR, PUBLIC HEALTH DYNAMICS LABUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHGRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

“The Master of Science in Pharmacy Business Administration (MSPBA) is a unique, 12-month, executive-style graduate program for pharmacy professionals seeking to obtain in-depth leadership and business skills. Synergistically fusing the expertise from the School of Pharmacy and the Katz Graduate School of Business, the real–world–focused curriculum, taught by world-class leaders in industry, focuses on leadership development, business concepts, and key analytical tools.”

BRIDGET T. REGAN, MBA, R.PH.DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY BUSINESS PROGRAMS AND ASSISTANT PROFESSORUNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHSCHOOL OF PHARMACY

INTERNALINDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL NETWORK IN HEALTHCARE

— UNDERGRADUATE

BUSINESS HEALTHCARE CLUB (BHC)

— GRADUATE

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOLSMASTER OF SCIENCE IN PHARMACY BUSINESS

ADMINISTRATION (MSPBA) — SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

MBA/MASTER OF HEALTH ADMINISTRATION IN HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT — GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

MBA/MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK — SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

PROPOSED JOINT MASTER’S DEGREE WITH SCHOOL OF NURSING

PROPOSED BA DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAM IN HEALTH WITH COLLEGE OF GENERAL STUDIES

UPMCEXECUTIVE MBA IN

HEALTHCARE PROGRAM

MARSHALL WEBSTER PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP

PROGRAM

THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT

PROGRAM


By harnessing the vast expertise of the University of Pittsburgh’s world-class health-sciences schools and the globally acclaimed University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business has developed a robust portfolio of health-management graduate degree and executive education programs. These partnerships help Katz to develop leaders who, in addition to advancing their own careers, elevate their organization’s performance and improve patient outcomes.

business.pitt.edu | 2726 | Pitt Business Magazine • FALL 2017

B U I L D I N G A B E T T E R M O D E L F O R T R E A T I N G K I D N E Y D I S E A S E

Chronic kidney disease, the slow decline of the kidney’s essential filtration functions, is the ninth-leading cause of death in the United States, killing more Americans than breast and prostate cancers combined. Furthermore, one-fifth of all Medicare spending is on treating kidney disease. Treatment is complex because the patient’s condition is constantly changing and a high proportion of patients have other chronic ailments, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

“Prior research has largely focused on disease detection and the optimal time to screen for a disease. My research focuses on optimizing the treatment strategies for patients so that they receive the best possible care,” says Zlatana Nenova, a 2017 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business doctoral program.

Nenova became interested in treatment of chronic conditions because many of the women in her family have diabetes. She ended up focusing on kidney disease because she was given access to a large data set of nearly 69,000 patients in stages three through five of chronic kidney disease, treated at 11 U.S. Department of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities across the country.

After running the data through a supercomputer, Nenova developed three predictive models for optimal appointment care. The models suggest that patients with the same chronic disease but different underlying complications will require different care intensity. Additionally, older individuals who are not close to kidney failure should be monitored more frequently than younger patients because age is a statistically significant factor in disease progression. One of the models suggests when to begin palliative care preparation, which is based on the annual number of chronic kidney disease appointments.

“My hope is that this information will assist in capacity planning for the patient population and possibly aid in hiring and staffing decisions,” Nenova says.

The research paper, which is part of her dissertation, is titled “Optimizing Appointment Frequencies for Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.” Her co-authors are Katz Professors of Business Administration Jennifer Shang (her advisor) and Jerrold H. May.

John Hotchkiss, associate professor of critical care medicine and medicine strategic analyst at the VHA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, also worked on the study.

This fall, Nenova will join the faculty of the University of Denver Daniels College of Business as an assistant professor in the business intelligence and analytics group.

A D D R E S S I N G A P P O I N T M E N T B O O K I N G S I N H O S P I T A L S

Supply and demand is not the only reason that the line in the doctor’s office is so long. Many health providers purposely overbook to mitigate the risk of missed appointments.

“It’s a delicate balance between the facility wanting to see as many patients as possible and being respectful of patients’ time,” says Shannon Harris, a 2016 graduate of the Katz School’s doctoral program in the business analytics and operations area and a former Ben L. Fryrear Doctoral Fellow. Harris, now an assistant professor at the Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, specializes in analytical modeling in health care as it relates to improving patients’ access to care.

Her interest in health care began when, as a PhD student, she met Katz Professor of Business Administration Jerrold H. May. While at Katz, she created a new model for predicting the probability that a patient will no-show for an outpatient clinic appointment. The model was tested on two data sets: more than 11,000 records of charitable donation activity and 4.7 million appointment sequences at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility over a five-year period.

“The model predicts no-shows based solely on past behavior, and can

MAKING AN IMPACT THROUGH RESEARCH

be used as input in a larger model that includes other variables such as personal characteristics,” Harris says.

One of the strengths of the model, according to Harris, is its flexibility to be applied to other settings beyond health care and its ease of application for practitioners with a working knowledge of statistics. “We used appointment behavior and donor data. Both have a yes–no outcome and are an example where past history could affect what we do in the future,” Harris says.

The findings were published in the 2016 paper “Predictive Analytics Model for Healthcare Planning and Scheduling,” in the European Journal of Operational Research, which was co-authored with May and Katz Professor of Business Administration Luis Vargas.

Currently, Harris is working on a project with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center designed to reduce the number of hospital readmissions following kidney transplants.

The scientific study will test the effects of a mentoring program that pairs former kidney transplant patients with new patients to see if their readmission rate is lower than the rate of the control group.

Harris is proud to work on data analytics projects that have an impact on health care. A shorter wait time in the doctor’s office — and increased efficiencies that lower costs — is something everyone can appreciate.


I M P R O V I N G A C C E S S T O C A R E F O R M I L I T A R Y V E T E R A N S

Since 2010, University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Professor of Business Administration Jerrold H. May has worked on a number of big–data–oriented, predictive modeling projects for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA has a national network of hospitals and outpatient clinics serving nearly 9 million patients annually. May’s projects have a singular focus: to improve patient access to care. The contracts currently pay for five full-time and two part-time employees, and cover part of May’s time.

“Our goal is to make things better in the VHA. We’re doing this to improve treatment for veterans,” May says.

Due to its large size and integrated system, the VHA provides a dataset ideal for large-scale modeling projects. VHA datasets include patient demographics, past histories, length of hospital stays, the drugs administered — everything down to detailed information on a patient’s prescription refills.

Using this information, May and his co-researchers have been able to identify the people most likely to miss outpatient appointments. This allows the VHA, since it cannot afford to offer a personalized

reminder to each patient, to prioritize its resources and contact these patients with personalized phone calls. The first version of May’s models, currently in daily use across the entire VHA, customizes its analysis based on the outpatient service line and the geographic location of the facility. The latest version, currently at the pilot testing stage, has a tighter clinic focus, and is initially zeroing in on mental health outpatient appointments.

“Our model will be focused on identifying the types of things that are the biggest drivers for missing an appointment and on suggesting the most effective actionable strategies that clinical staff can pursue to improve patient access,” May says.

In another ongoing VHA project, May and his team are exploring the usage of e-consultations to treat patients. The initial focus will be diabetic patients. There are a large

number of them in the VHA system, and the VHA has to cover people nationwide, including in rural areas like Montana where there can be long wait times. The goal of the project is to identify those patients who would most benefit from a diabetes consult, by predicting if and when people may experience poorly controlled diabetes before it happens.

“It is always better to stop a problem than to fix a problem,” May says.

Driven by a curiosity for inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge, Katz faculty and doctoral students explore significant issues in health care in order to improve systems, organizational structures, and the delivery of care for patients. Each year, the school co-sponsors the University of Pittsburgh’s Integrative Conference on Technology, Social Media, and Behavioral Health.


AN ALUMNA’S STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING EMPLOYEE BURNOUT

LOVE working in health care. There are many opportunities to learn, grow, and diversify a career. The complexity of the work continues to increase, and just when I think it can’t possibly get more challenging, it does.

As a health care administrator working within academic medicine, much of my time is spent coaching clinicians and staff to reach optimal performance levels. This is no easy task within a large, complicated health care delivery system. The challenges inherent to modern health care delivery are further encumbered by process inefficiencies and bureaucratic barriers. These stressors can weigh heavily on team members. Health care leaders have been inundated with literature about burnout and its negative effects on clinicians and staff. Many organizations have responded by initiating wellness programs that focus on coping mechanisms and developing personal resiliency.

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, are emotionally drained, and lack the energy reserves to meet constant demands. Often it is characterized by cynicism and detachment, a lack of empathy for others, and feelings of ineffectiveness or lack of accomplishment. It can result in depression, abuse of drugs or alcohol, and, at its worst, suicide.

Much of the published literature focuses on the impact of burnout on physicians. One in three physicians suffers from burnout, making it the single-largest threat to a physician’s career. The problem goes much deeper than that, however. Burnout affects all members of the health care team and, as such, is the largest negative effect to the services in a health care delivery system. Burnout is directly associated with decreased quantity and quality of care delivery, lower patient satisfaction scores, increased medical errors, increased risk for malpractice, and costly clinician and staff turnover. Sadly, suicide also is a very real consequence of burnout. There are also consequences on the health care system. In this country, where we already have a shortage of health care providers, this chokes the already narrow talent pipeline and prohibits access to timely, high-quality medical care.

To mitigate the effects of burnout, improving the work life of clinicians and staff is becoming a primary goal of health care delivery, right up there with improving population health, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing per-capita spending (what is commonly known as the Quadruple Aim). As a clinical administrator leader, I am responsible for ensuring that tools, resources, and systems are available to optimize levels of quality, safety, and productivity. I need to do more than empower my teams to be resilient and manage their stressors. I must also focus my attention to invest in the resources and activities that prevent burnout from occurring in the first place.

To be honest, some days I’m tired, too. However, I draw motivation and restore myself by focusing on my belief that I am here to make a difference, and that I am resilient. Growing up as a teen just outside of Pittsburgh, I knew I wanted a career that included meaningful, meritorious work. A quote from one of my favorite poets, Ralph Waldo Emerson, steered me to the health care sector. He wrote, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

I spent the first 15 years of my career working as an EMT-Paramedic in prehospital emergency medicine. It was then that I developed perspective about the human condition and learned the strength of true compassion. I considered myself an insecure overachiever, so I was driven by a compulsion to prove myself and work hard. For years, I worked two jobs, and in the process I neglected activities that would have nurtured my own health and my own needs. I relied on my more experienced peers to be role models for resilience and to demonstrate how to depersonalize situations to avoid compassion fatigue. Little did I realize, then, that they too were quietly struggling. Over the years, it wasn’t caring for patients that stole my joy. What stole my joy was a lack of progressive tools and equipment to perform my job, inadequate staffing, office politics, and non-value–added bureaucratic tasks. I sensed my once kind-hearted optimism waning. As I now know, I was entering the beginning stages of burnout.

Eventually, I was ready for a change. I realized there was more to my identity than being a paramedic, and I decided to transition from direct patient-care delivery to rewarding administrator roles within UPMC in Pittsburgh. The fast-paced, ambiguous, and dynamic nature of the health care industry fed my desire to push myself to achieve superb results. By taking on challenging roles, I gained the experience, subject matter expertise, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal communication skills necessary to positively influence others and be effective at setting a vision and rallying others to action. It was difficult, but I enjoyed my broad impact on improving policy and patient-care delivery for thousands of clinicians and staff throughout Western Pa.

In time, I was ready to pursue a promotion into a senior leadership role, yet in order to advance I needed a graduate degree. To say that my personal 18-month experience in the Katz Executive MBA

(EMBA) Worldwide program was difficult is an understatement. Three days prior to the start of the cohort, I was promoted into a newly created role at work. Then my family was stricken with long-term illness and significant loss. In the first two semesters, my grandmother and father died, and my mother was hospitalized in the ICU for months with a poor prognosis to recover. My employer was supportive, the Katz EMBA faculty and program managers were compassionate, and my classmates… well, there are not enough words for me to express my gratitude for their comfort. I thought about quitting the program and deferring to the following year. Then I realized, life happens. I knew I had the ability to recover from these temporary setbacks, and I would adapt well to the changes to create a “new normal” for me and for my family. The key for me was to keep going in the face of adversity. Alas, this is the very definition of resilience.

Upon graduation, I again had the opportunity to work in an alternate specialty area of health care. For the past five years, I have enjoyed working within the physician group practice management at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. This role comes with no lack of pressure. Extrinsic and intrinsic pressures create challenges to meet business demands. Every day, I monitor the risk of clinician and staff burnout, while concurrently devising and implementing opportunities for prevention. The work will not get easier. Therefore, we must find ways to work together to make complex work easier to do. There is growing need for skilled, knowledgeable, innovative, and resilient health care leaders. The broad framework of the Katz EMBA curriculum helped me to expand my horizon and hone the skills I needed for critical thinking and a strategic approach to problem-solving. I applaud Katz and UPMC for their new Executive MBA in Healthcare partnership and am delighted for all those who choose to advance their careers in health care. Cheers!

MELINDA FRANKSJOB TITLE: Clinical Administrator, Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Emory School of Medicine, Emory Healthcare

HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh, Pa.

DEGREES: University of Pittsburgh, Katz EMBA Worldwide (2008); Drexel University, BS Emergency Medical Service Management (2004)

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT: Director of Operations, Department of Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; various administrator roles at UPMC; EMT-Paramedic

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” - Carl Sandburg

FAVORITE PART OF MY JOB: My role has a broad impact. I play a critical role in support of high-quality health care delivery for millions of patients and family members throughout the southeast region. Working within academic medicine also allows me to take part in valuable and innovative efforts to prevent and treat disease, and help support the training of clinicians, today and in the future.

ADVICE TO OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS: Know your values and stay true to them. This will give you the comfort, courage, and moral compass to navigate the ambiguous and dynamic landscape of health care.

EMORY HEALTH FAST FACTS

� BASED IN ATLANTA, GA.

�LARGEST HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE STATE

�FOUNDED IN 1905

�16,000+ EMPLOYEES

�MORE THAN 3.6 MILLION PATIENT VISITS LAST YEAR

�6 HOSPITALS 2,000 DOCTORS 200 CLINICAL LOCATIONS AS WELL AS PRIMARY CARE, URGENT CARE, AND MINUTECLINICS

Article submitted by Melinda Franks (EMBA ’08)

FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE

I

Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read & So many ways to keep in touch.www.business.pitt.edu/magazine/

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Director of Marketing/WriterKarlye Rowles

Associate Director of Marketing/Editor/WriterGreg Latshaw

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Marketing and Communications Specialist/WriterMegan Grguras

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ProofreaderCarol Pickerine

Cover IllustrationDaniel Bridy

PhotographyHarry Giglio (p. 1)Tiffany Cooper (pp. 5, 6, 20, 23, 28) Dennis Galletta (pp. 34, 37)

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The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

WHAT ’S INSIDE1. A Message from Dean Arjang A. Assad

2. A Year of Impact

4. Katz School New Blended Online MBA

5. CBA Accelerated Degree Programs Gain Traction 6. New Chaired Professors

8. Cutting-Edge Behavioral Lab in Posvar Hall

10. Global Impact Grows for Master’s Students

11. Undergraduate Students Leading on the World Stage

12. Connecting Students to Industry

14. Berg Center Tackles Food Waste

16. The Psychology of Food Choices

17. Mapping the “Squander Sequence” in Food Waste

19. Student’s Underwater Farming Venture

20. Pittsburgh - The New Nexus of Business and Health Care

24. Katz-UPMC Executive MBA in Healthcare Program

25. Power of Partnerships

26. Making an Impact Through Research

28. An Alumna’s Strategies for Reducing Employee Burnout

30. Distinguished Alumni Awards

32. Alumni Happenings

34. Doctoral Fellowship Recipient Finds Niche in Data-Driven Marketing

35. Pitt Day of Giving

36. Meet the New Katz Website

37. Remembering Thomas L . Saaty

38. Class Notes

40. Read & Repeat

BUSINESSPIT

T


For more information about

the awards or to nominate

an alumnus or friend of

Pitt Business for future

awards, visit

www.katz.pitt.edu/awards.

The 53rd Annual

Business Alumni

Association Awards,

held in April 2017,

honored the achievements

of this year’s outstanding

53rd

Annual Business Alumni Association Awards

INTERNATIONAL DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS HONOREE

FERRY A. SOETIKNO (MBA ’87)President Director, CEODexa Medica (Indonesia)

Ferry Soetikno is the CEO of Dexa Group, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Indonesia. Under his leadership, Dexa Group operates six companies in the pharmaceutical industry, with a strong market presence in Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. He joined the company as a business development director, and in this role established Dexa’s export activities to various Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and Africa.

He is continuing the legacy of his parents, who founded the company a generation ago because they wanted to end the scarcity of medicine in their community.

Prior to joining Dexa Group, Mr. Soetikno served as Chief Operating Manager for KC Pharmaceuticals in Pomona, Calif.

Mr. Soetikno was a recipient of the 2016 Indonesia Most Admired CEO Award.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS HONOREE

JOHN T. HARPER (MBA ’82)President, Store Design, Visual, Construction, and OperationsMacy’s, Inc.

John Harper is the president of Store Design, Visual, Construction, and Store Operations for Macy’s Inc. He oversees the creation of visual displays, the logistics of delivering merchandise, and staffing, asset protection, and food operations for more than 700 Macy’s stores across the United States. He began his career at Kaufmann’s as a financial analyst in the downtown Pittsburgh store.

Later at Hecht’s, Mr. Harper held senior executive positions before being named chairman. When Macy’s Inc. acquired May Company, which included Hecht’s and The Famous-Barr Co., he returned to St. Louis to serve as president of stores at Macy’s Midwest.

Mr. Harper currently sits on the board of directors of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is a past board member of the Washington Ballet and Board of Visitors of Marymount University.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS HONOREE

ROBERT B. HARRISON (MBA ’91) Chief Omnichannel OfficerMacy’s, Inc.

Robert (R.B.) Harrison is chief omnichannel officer of Macy’s Inc. He is responsible for the technology, infrastructure, programming, site development, and analytics for macys.com and bloomingdales.com. All of the company’s technology capabilities fall under his executive leadership. Prior to his current position, Mr. Harrison was the company’s executive vice president for Omnichannel Strategy.

Mr. Harrison previously served as executive vice president for Finance, president for Stores, and president and chief operating officer for Macy’s West, and president and chief operating officer of Macy’s Northwest in 2006, following Macy’s Inc.’s acquisition of May Company.

Mr. Harrison began his career at Kaufmann’s in 1986 as an accounting analyst and served in positions of increasing responsibility before becoming vice president and controller.

CBA OUTSTANDING ALUMNA HONOREE

KARLA G. GECI (BSBA ’01)Strategic Partner DevelopmentFacebook (London)

In her role with Facebook, Karla Geci partners with media organizations and content creators, leveraging the Facebook platform to build social applications and experiences on digital and mobile properties. She works with businesses in television, print, and digital media to increase their audience and engagement.

Prior to Facebook, she was the director of marketing for Bebo, a social networking website acquired by AOL in 2008, where she was responsible for developing marketing partnerships with media owners and publishers.

Previously, Ms. Geci was the European marketing and public relations manager for RealNetworks, where she worked across mobile, software, and digital music vehicles, launching and promoting enterprise products and consumer services.

H. J. ZOFFER MEDAL FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE HONOREE

BEN L. FRYREAR (MBA ’64)President (Retired) and Board MemberApplied Avionics, Inc.

Ben Fryrear retired as president and chairman of Aerospace Optics, Inc. in 2000. He joined the company in its infancy in 1970. The company was renamed Applied Avionics in 2015, and continues to be a technical leader in illuminated components for the aircraft and aerospace industries.

After serving in the United States Army, Mr. Fryrear worked as a chemical process operator and supervisor in the Coors Porcelain Company’s Atomic Energy Division in Golden, Colo.

He has established numerous scholarships, fellowships, and an endowed chair position at several universities and colleges. At the Katz School, he established the Ben L. Fryrear Fund for Faculty Development for professors, the Ben L. Fryrear Research Fellowship for doctoral students, and the Ben L. Fryrear Chair of Marketing.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDHONOREE

TRICINA CASH (EMBA ’09)Strategic Initiatives and Business Consultant;President, Pitt Black MBA Network (PBAN)

Tricina Cash is a projects leader and business development consultant, with past clients and engagements including Urban Innovation21, SolePower, FedEx Ground, and Highmark Health.

She is a co-founding officer of the Pitt Black MBA Network (PBAN), an independent, global alumni network of the Katz School that was established in 2010. Cash was the first woman elected as PBAN board chair and president, and is the first member elected to serve two terms. During her tenure, she has led PBAN in establishing and developing a scholarship goal that is on track to surpass $1 million in scholarships given by 2017 and also created an Ambassador program to connect alumni and students.

CORPORATEAPPRECIATION AWARDHONOREE

EY Award accepted by Lynette Horrell, Managing Partner, Pittsburgh Office

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services. Our 231,000 people are united by a single set of shared values and a common purpose: building a better working world. It is the legacy we’re creating for our people, clients, and communities. We are building this world day by day, through a relentless quest for better working in everything we do. Our culture has been recognized by leading organizations in the Americas. Ernst & Young LLP, the U. S. member firm, has been ranked #1 in accounting on the U.S. Universum Undergraduate Overall IDEAL® Employer Survey for eight consecutive years. In addition, EY has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list for 18 consecutive years.

To learn more about the EY experience visit www.exceptionalEY.com.

ALUMNI HAPPENINGS


HOMECOMING 2017 AND 51+ LUNCHEON

Mark your calendar for the University of Pittsburgh’s 2017 Homecoming Celebrations, October 12-14! Pitt Business’ signature events kick off Thursday, October 12, with the return of the CBA Block Party in the Sennott Square Parking Lot. This new tradition is a highlight of the homecoming festivities with fun, food, and games for students, alumni, faculty, and staff to enjoy! You may even see your favorite professor in the dunk tank.

The annual 51+ Pitt Business Luncheon, which honors alumni celebrating more than 50 years of alumni status from the University of Pittsburgh business school, will be held Friday, October 13, 2017 at the Wyndham Hotel Ballroom. Generations of alumni will reconnect with friends and learn about the school’s initiatives. This special event is exclusive to Pitt Business alumni who graduated prior to 1966.

Homecoming weekend will have plenty of opportunities for alumni to reconnect with the school, including through mixers at Mario’s Eastside Saloon and The Porch at Schenley, and a fireworks and laser show.

The weekend’s activities culminate with the Alumni Tailgate before the Pitt Panthers take on the NC State Wolfpack.

Visit www.business.pitt.edu/alumni/events to register and view the full schedule of events.

PITT BUSINESS AROUND THE WORLD

Pitt Business hosts a variety of alumni events in Pittsburgh, across the United States, and internationally so you can stay engaged with fellow alumni and friends. Check out where we have been in 2016–17.

VIRGINIA | May 7, 2016: The Pitt Chesapeake Potomac Club hosted Pitt alumni at the Virginia Gold Cup Horse Races.

HONG KONG | May 9, 2016: Dean Assad, Executive Director of Development Tom O’Toole, and Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations Jim Waite hosted a Pitt Business alumni gathering in Hong Kong.

JAKARTA | May 13, 2016: Dexa Medica hosted a professional development seminar in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dean Arjang Assad; alumnus Roy Sembel (PhD ’96), dean of the IPMI International Business School in Jakarta; and former Dean John Delaney were also in attendance.

TOKYO | May 20, 2016: The KGSB Japan Alumni Network (JANet) hosted a networking event for incoming Katz students, new graduates, and alumni in Tokyo, Japan.

PITTSBURGH | June 2, 2016: Dr. Rasu Shrestha, chief information officer, UPMC, and executive vice president, UPMC Enterprises, served as keynote speaker for the Pennsylvania Treasury Department: Small Business Initiative at Alumni Hall.

DALLAS | June 16, 2016: Alumni and guests welcomed Dean Arjang Assad for his visit to Dallas, Texas.

PITTSBURGH | July 20, 2016: Professor Richard Franklin hosted his annual alumni reception in downtown Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH | August 19, 2016: Alumni welcomed incoming MBA and MS students at the annual alumni networking luncheon held at the University’s William Pitt Union.

PITTSBURGH | October 7–8, 2016: Katz and CBA alumni and their friends and families were welcomed back to Oakland for a weekend packed with fun activities and networking events.

PITTSBURGH | October 11, 2016: Mike Janke, former Navy SEAL and former student at the University of Pittsburgh, led the Pitt Business Thought Leader Discussion, “SEAL Team 6 to Silicon Valley — Unique Strategies Applied to Modern Startups,” held on campus.

PITTSBURGH | October 25, 2016: Pitt Business alumnae attended the campus Fireside Chat “Diversity through the Eyes of Women,” co-hosted by Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya (EDU PhD ’11) and Associate Dean Audrey Murrell.

MUNICH | November 3, 2016: The Katz School and the University of Augsburg co-hosted an event for Katz alumni and prospective students in Munich, Germany.

PITTSBURGH | November 5, 2016: Pitt Business sponsored the Pitt Panthers at the University of Miami Pregame Event.

PITTSBURGH | November 14, 2016: Pitt Business alumni and students attended the “Dawn Gideon Lecture: Health Care’s Newest Code Blue: The Need for Cash Infusion and Restructuring,” hosted by Pitt Public Health.

SÄO PAULO | December 7, 2016: The Katz Brazil Alumni Association hosted an event featuring Beto Pandiani, a sailor who has crossed the most dangerous seas in the world, who shared stories about planning, fears, and adventures.

BERLIN | December 13, 2016: The European Business School hosted a holiday get-together in Berlin for alumni and friends of the Katz School.

PITTSBURGH | January 11, 2017: Pitt Business hosted a watch party for the Pitt Panthers vs. University of Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball game. The event is a new tradition for alumni living in the Pittsburgh area and is held at The Saloon of Mt. Lebanon.

PITTSBURGH | January 26, 2017: Donald Hatter (MBA ’93) delivered the on-campus Pitt Business Thought Leader Lecture, which focused on how to effectively deliver a value proposition and the importance of the ability to sell in any career path.

PITTSBURGH | March 25, 2017: The second-annual Redefining Leadership Conference: Leveraging Differences to Drive Results was presented on campus by the University of Pittsburgh Women in Business, the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business Alumnae Council, the National Association of Women MBAs Katz Chapter, and the Women in Business of the College of Business Administration.

PITTSBURGH | April 7, 2017: The Pitt Business community celebrated the impact and reach of our global alumni network at the 53rd Annual Business Alumni Association Awards Program. Read about the winners on pages 30–31.

SAVE THE DATE | MAY 3–5, 2018

FOR THE INAUGURAL KATZ GLOBAL CONNECTION FORUM IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

ALUMNI GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD

Pitt Business Alumni Groups are established all over the world! Brazil (São Paulo), China (Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong) Czech Republic, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates all have active school groups.

Contact Jim Waite at [email protected] to join.

PITT BUSINESS ALUMNI MENTORING PROGRAM More than 200 alumni have signed up for the Mentoring Match program, which connects College of Business Administration students with alumni from a diverse range of industries and specializations. Students search an online database of registered alumni based on industry, functional area, geographic location, and other parameters. For more information, contact the CBA Career Development Office at [email protected] or visit pittbusiness.xinspire.com. BECOME AN ALUMNI AMBASSADOR Alumni living and working in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C. — which are the cities with the highest concentration of Pitt Business alumni — can represent their alma mater by attending alumni networking events in the region, helping recent graduates assimilate, and spreading the word about upcoming events in their city. Contact Amy Lind, manager of constituent relations, at [email protected] for more information. ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT If you were recently married, welcomed a new child, changed jobs, or received recognition in your career, share your good news! The news you share may be included in future editions of the alumni magazine, the monthly e-newsletter, on social media, or in the news sections of the Katz or CBA websites. Email [email protected] to share your story. SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS Each month, we update our alumni with the latest news from the business school, including new initiatives, student and alumni success stories, and school rankings. If you would like to sign up for the e-newsletter, or if you would like to update your contact information, email the Pitt Business Alumni Relations Office at [email protected]. PARTICIPATE IN RANKINGS SURVEYS Alumni are our strongest ambassadors and proof of the power of a Pitt Business education. As a top business school, Katz participates in annual business school rankings by Bloomberg Businessweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Economist, Forbes, and Financial Times. Alumni ratings are a huge factor in the rankings.

GET INVOLVEDThere are numerous ways for alumni to get involved with the school and build on the success of Pitt Business.



Doctoral Fellowship Recipient Finds Her Niche in Data-Driven Marketing ebruary 28, 2017 marked the 230th anniversary of the University of Pittsburgh’s founders’ day. To celebrate the school’s rich

history and bright future, the Pitt community united for the inaugural Pitt Day of Giving. Alumni, students, faculty, and staff generously donated more than $5.5 million in just 24 hours. The donations of all sizes — 7,106 gifts to be exact — will be used to help deserving students and support Pitt’s mission of education and innovation.

Many gifts came from supporters of Katz and the College of Business Administration. The funds will be deployed to strengthen a range of valuable initiatives in the months ahead.

egardless of her job description, Aleksandra Kovacheva

couldn’t imagine herself being happy at work if she wasn’t analyzing data and pondering business insights through comprehensive spreadsheets.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Kocacheva began working at the Nielsen Company in Bulgaria. She was

responsible for analyzing retail sales data and providing insights about the development of the market and the performance of company brands, and identifying possible opportunities or threats in the industry.

“I loved the analytical aspect of the job but wanted to go a step further and pursue my own research ideas and better understand the processes that shape market performance,” Kovacheva says. “The next logical step was to pursue a career in academia and focus on understanding consumer behavior.”

Kovacheva selected the marketing doctoral program at the Katz School because of the emphasis on research and the collegiality and collaboration among faculty, staff, and her peers.

At Katz, Kovacheva focused her research on how consumers react to uncertain products like mystery deals and how feelings of personal control and power impact consumer experiences and purchases. She collaborated with Katz marketing faculty members Jeffrey Inman, Eugenia Wu, and Cait Lamberton.

“Cait Lamberton is amazing,” Kovacheva says. “She is one of the smartest and kindest people I know in academia, and is truly an outstanding mentor and an extremely compassionate and supportive friend. Working with her has been one of the highlights of my PhD experience, and I hope to continue collaborating with her in the future.”

Lamberton is the Ben L. Fryrear Chair of Marketing and associate professor of marketing. Both Lamberton and Kovacheva are recipients of Ben L. Fryrear’s (MBA ’64) gifts to the school, which have provided an opportunity for research development and contributed to the school’s high research productivity rankings.

As a result of the Ben L. Fryrear Research Fellowship, Kovacheva was able to invest her energy into conducting research, preparing for job interviews, giving presentations, and completing her dissertation.

“The fellowship not only helped me secure a position as an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Albany, but also allowed me to establish important relationships,” Kovacheva says. “I presented my work to 22 business schools in the U.S., Canada, and The Netherlands, and established relationships with some of the most prominent academics in marketing along the way.”

“The fellowship played a key role in propelling my research and helped me advance my scholarly and career pursuits,” she says.

Pitt Day of Giving Sets New Milestone

DEVELOPMENT NEWS DEVELOPMENT NEWS

College of Business Administration

Scholarships: This fund both attracts high-achieving applicants to Pitt Business and provides need-based tuition assistance. Annual Giving Fund: This fund helps students to develop strong leadership traits and industry skills, connect with corporate recruiters and alumni mentors, and participate in experience-based learning.

Study Abroad Scholarships: This fund enhances study abroad programs, international internships, and global corporate social responsibility projects.

Katz Graduate School of Business

Joseph M. Katz Graduate Student Scholarships: This fund both attracts high-achieving applicants to Katz and provides need-based tuition assistance.

Dean’s Excellence Fund: This fund supports the dean’s strategic priorities, and helps Katz recruit and retain high-caliber faculty, while maintaining a competitive edge in value and affordability.

Competitive and Leadership Skills Support Fund: This fund assists experience-based learning programs, international travel for students, case competitions, professional development, and more.

One Day. A World of Difference.

Donors from

22 countries

6 continents

50 states

More than 7,100

gifts received

2.75 million

social media impressions #PittDayofGiving

$5.5 million

donated

Learn more: www.pittdayofgiving.com

RF

Dedicated to quality teaching and faculty development, Ben L. Fryrear (MBA ’64) established the Ben L. Fryrear Research Fellowship for doctoral students and the Ben L. Fryrear Faculty Development Fund to provide fellowships for outstanding faculty.


Welcome to the New Katz Website

Remembering a Giant of Research and Truly Creative MindTHOMAS L. SAATY • 1926 – 2017

ccording to World Internet Stats, there are more than 3.7 billion internet users around the world, visiting more than 1.2 billion websites. Websites are often the first interaction a customer has with an organization. That first impression counts. It takes about

50 milliseconds (or 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about a website and to decide whether to stay or to leave. Ninety-four percent of that first impression is influenced by design.

During the past year, a team of students, administrators, and program staff have been working with a Pittsburgh-based digital marketing agency to design a new website for the Katz School. Their goal was to create a site with effective navigation, clear and concise messaging, and a functional design. The team reviewed who used the site, how they used it, and what content was most relevant to visitors.

The end result is a fresh new look, simplified navigation, consolidated content, and a few shiny bells and whistles.

One of the striking new features is the Katz Degree Finder, an interactive tool designed to help a visitor pick a program that aligns with his or her interests and goals. A visitor can also view highly visual student profiles that present a day in the life of a Katz student and alumni success stories that highlight the accomplishments of Katz graduates. A new section about Pittsburgh was added to show off the city’s transformation from a steel town into a future-focused hub for eds and meds. The site’s responsive design can be viewed across mobile platforms and tablets.

We’re proud of the new website and think it will create a positive (and lasting) impression! Check it out: www.business.pitt.edu/katz.

ATom Saaty, a long-tenured Katz professor who was known around the world for his creation of a groundbreaking decision-making framework that was notable both for its effectiveness and its versatility in solving complex problems, died this past August at the age of 91.

In the 1970s, Saaty pioneered the Analytic Hierarchy Process, which with his subsequent Analytic Network Process was applied to such issues as arms control and disarmament, geopolitical conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, urban design in American cities, NFL draft-day decisions, and countless business applications worldwide. In the field of decision analysis, making comparisons among choices is of central importance, and Saaty advanced the theory of relative measurement, which was necessary to build meaningful numerical scales associated with intangibles.

“Tom put Pitt in the limelight,” says Dean Emeritus H. J. “Jerry” Zoffer, who in 1979, convinced Saaty to join the Katz faculty and leave his position at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “He was clearly the rare academic who was able to produce a valuable process that not only added to the literature but also improved the world.”

Holding the highest faculty rank of Distinguished University Professor and receiving many awards and accolades, Saaty was a prolific researcher and author who generated more than 97,000 academic citations, according to Google Scholar, in his lifetime. His wide-ranging contributions to operations research included mathematics, queuing, networks, linear programming, and arms control.

Saaty earned his PhD in mathematics from Yale University and completed post-graduate work in pure mathematics at The Sorbonne at the University of Paris. Prior to his academic career, Saaty worked in government and defense areas for the U.S. government, sometimes working on classified projects. He held prominent positions with the Office of Naval Research, Navy Management Office, Operations Evaluation Group, the U.S. Embassy in London, and the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Up until the end of his life, Saaty continued teaching and conducting research. For years, Saaty taught the popular MBA course Problem Solving and Creativity, where he challenged business-minded students to think outside the box.

Katz Professor of Business Administration Luis Vargas worked on research with Saaty for more than four decades, first as his doctoral student at the Wharton School. He will always remember Saaty’s eternal curiosity for truth and his passion for life, which also included a love of Beethoven and humor. Over the years, Saaty compiled hundreds of jokes into many published booklets.

“After 40 years spent with him, I cannot find words to express the sadness that I feel,” Vargas says, “but I am happy to think that perhaps now he has found the answers he was looking for to the innumerable questions he had about physics, mathematics, science, and life in general.”

Saaty is survived by his wife, Rozann Saaty, his five children, and his 13 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A Legacy of ImpactOver the course of nearly 40 years on the Katz faculty, Tom Saaty left an inedible mark on the institution through his interactions with colleagues and the doctoral and MBA students who benefited from his instruction. Saaty was the recipient of the University of Pittsburgh’s highest honor for research, the Chancellor’s Award for Research, and the business school’s H. J. Zoffer Medal for Meritorious Service. Saaty also received the Impact Prize from INFORMS and the Gold Medal from the International Society for Multi-Criteria Decision Making.


Catherine Jin Riccelli (MBA ’19, MHA ’19) founded the Business Healthcare Club. The goal for the club is to expose students to the business of health care and prepare members for a career within the industry.

Gabriela Sava (Katz PhD ’16) published a paper, “Patient-centered medical decision making regarding colorectal cancer screening,” with Professors Luis G. Vargas and Jerrold H. May.

Jenny Shao (MAcc ’16) joined the certified public accounting firm of Goff Backa Alfera & Company, LLC (GBACO) as a consultant in the Audit Department of the firm.

Rebecca Stehle (MBA ’17), supplier quality and development manager for MSA Safety, was recognized by the Manufacturing Institute as one of 130 U.S. women who are making meaningful contributions to the manufacturing industry.

James Zeminski (MBA ’15) was promoted to plant manager at the MSA Murrysville facility, where he is responsible for driving continuous improvement of KPI metrics, including safety and people, quality, delivery, and cost.


Have news to share? Email us at [email protected] and use “Class Notes” in the subject line.

Lawrence Z. Herer (MBA ’85) is a computer programmer for Jobs and Family Service, focusing in Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence for the state of Ohio. He is married with two children.

Paul Kline (MBA ’86) was named CEO of Mercy Health in Youngstown, Ohio.

Christopher Mager (MBA ’88) was named head of the New Global Innovation Group for BNY Mellon’s Treasury Services Business.

Craig Moffatt (MBA ’84) was named CFO of Journey Health System in Bradford, Pa.

David Amy (MBA ’91) was named vice chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, a Baltimore-based company.

Jeanne Graff (MBA ’96) was appointed as new vice president of Grove City Medical Center.

Barbara Mistick (MBA ’93), president of Wilson College, was chosen as a recipient of the 2017 Women of Influence Award. The award is an annual Central Penn Business Journal program recognizing 30 of the midstate’s top women leaders.

Frederico Olivares (MBA ’99), founder and CEO of 2nd Skull, Inc., presented his product at the second pre–Super Bowl 1st and Future Competition. 2nd Skull is a spandex cap with impact-absorbing technology that fits under a helmet.

Suzanne Smith (MBA ’90) was named director of Institutional Advancement for Ashley Hall. Previously, she was director of academic, corporate, and foundation relations at Hood College.

David Turner (MBA ‘97) was named president and CEO Hitachi Data Systems Federal.

H. Daniel Cessna, P.E. (MBA ’03), joined Michael Baker International as senior vice president and Pennsylvania headquarters regional director.

Thibault Kassir (MBA ’03) was named VP and GM, Energy Storage Products, at Maxwell Technologies.

Matthew Lucco (MBA ’05) was promoted to chief risk and strategy officer for Farmers National Bank of Emlenton.

Beck Bamberger (MBA ’06) was featured in USA Today for her plans to retire at age 40 and her solid career and financial planning that will make that possible.

Brian S. Fetterolf (MBA ’02), TriState Capital Bank president, has been elected chief executive officer of the financial institution, and to the board of directors of the bank and its parent company, TriState Capital Holdings, Inc.

Andrew J. Brennan (MBA ’17) was named to Poets & Quants 2017 Best and Brightest MBAs. Additionally, Brennan is the founder and executive director of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation, an organization that has received federal approval for the construction of a national memorial honoring service members who have fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.

Brian Burley (MBA ’13) released YNGBLKPGH, a book that spotlights Young Black Professionals in Pittsburgh and highlights their journeys, impact, and influence.

Diana Cugliari (MBA ’16), senior executive associate, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, received the Pittsburgh Business Times Business Women First Award.

Al Jacobsen (MBA ’15), director of corporate support for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and his wife, Necole, welcomed their son, Alfred Christian Luigi (AJ for short), into the family on October 12,

2015. He joins his big sister, Megan.

William Lauer (MBA ’15, MS Engineering ’15), Business Operations Analyst - Electrical Utilities, T&S Data Analytics and Performance, PPL Corporation, won EPRI’s Technology Transfer Award. The award recognizes industry leaders and innovators at the vanguard of adopting new technology and spearheading the application of research findings.

Anna (Langell) Lynch (MBA ’16) married Patrick Lynch on May 28, 2016. Patrick graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper

School of Business in May.

Mehul Mohanka (MBA ’01) was appointed as the managing director and Group CEO of Tega Industries Limited.

notes notesCLASS CLASS

THE

1980S

THE

1990S

THE

2000S

THE

2010S

Jon Amelio

Rex Ashbrook

Randy Belansky

Carl Benson

Robert Benson

Lori Bodnar

Ted Blumenthal

Richard Bopp

Urich Bowers

Kerry Bowser

Sandra Brandon

Tom Brighton

Mark Burdsall

Maureen Cable

Mark Chiodo

John Clowes

Bob Coliane

Ray Coll

Anthony Cosnotti

George Coulston

Gavin Crain

James Crist

Laura DeDi

Rebecca DeFazio

Ed Denton

Jim Dietz

Amy Dubin

Allison Duncan

Joseph Dykta

Harry Edelman

Mike Evan

Karen Evans

Corey Filburn

Kurt Fowler

Walter Fowler

James Gaetano

John George

John Hammer

Thomas Harvey

Binh Hoang

Peggy Hynes

Bud Kahn

Christy Kaminsky-Strum

Charles Kannair

Susan Kasko

Jim Kelly

Roy Kim, Jr.

Albert Klimas

Jeff Kondis

Jon Koteski

Mary Koziara

Thomas Link

Thomas McCool

Ross Magnuson

Luke McElhinny

Kathleen Miller

Edward Motznik

Ken Norris

Thomas Paradise

Reed Pederson

The Katz Management Simulation Capstone is a required course in which MBA students gain the experience of running an organization by serving in top executive roles and making firm-wide decisions in the areas of finance, marketing, operations, and human resources. The distinguishing feature of the simulation is that student teams report to a real board of directors who assess their performance. The board members, many of whom are Katz alumni, are volunteers. We thank them for helping to educate future business leaders.

2016-17 Academic Year Board Members

SPECIAL THANKS

Ryan Perlson

Julia Poepping

Mike Rapach

Trish Ritenour

Joel Rosenthal

Michele Sandoe

Chris Schnatterly

Laura Shoemaker

Datta Sourya

Brian Tokar

Frank Torbert, Jr.

Zachery Tucker

Ken Vandrak

Jennifer Waldo

Alfie Watterson

Bill Wedemeyer

Theresa Wilson

Bill Wolf

Andrew Wolfinger

Yana Zatuchnaya


IN MEMORIAMFrank Cahouet, former chairman and CEO of Mellon Financial Corporation, was a member of the Pitt Business Board of Visitors. He also served on the board of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and was a University of Pittsburgh trustee and emeritus trustee. He died on June 20, 2017, at the age of 85.

Marshall Katz, former president and CEO of the household consumer products company Papercraft Corporation, was a member of the Pitt Business Board of Visitors. The Katz School is named after his father, Joseph M. Katz. Marshall Katz died on July 18, 2017, at the age of 77.

Tom Olofson (BBA ’63), founder of EPIQ Systems, was a member of the Pitt Business Board of Visitors and supported the school’s entrepreneurship programs, including through the establishment of the Tom W. Olofson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies. He died on April 8, 2017, at the age of 75.


Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read &

CBA graduates Alicia Craig and Everett Green were named to the Poets & Quants List of the Best and Brightest Business Majors – Class of 2017.

The Pitt Business Professional Academies and Industry Professional Networks were recognized among the 2017 Innovations That Inspire by AACSB International, for critical work being done by business schools to better their communities at large.

Associate Dean Audrey Murrell, Professor Carrie Leana, Professor John Camillus, and Professor Ravi Madhavan were named to the 2017 Smart Business “Who to Watch” Pittsburgh list, which recognizes men and women poised to make the Pittsburgh region a better place to live and work.

Katz graduate Wenjia (Anna) Huo and her team of Pitt Engineering students earned the Best Video Award and a $1,000 cash

prize at the Randall Family Big Idea Competition for their startup, Root, a company that provides a method for effective defense against cyber attacks.

A team of CBA students earned first place in the inaugural Deloitte Audit Case Competition.

CBA students Kelsey Magilton and Jackie Pines received the Study of Ethics in Business

scholarship from Angiulli & Associates at the Pittsburgh Business Ethics Awards. CBA students, along

with Dean Arjang Assad, attended an annual student leaders dinner hosted by Chancellor Patrick Gallagher.

The University of Pittsburgh received the 2017 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, presented by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. It is the most prestigious honor a college or university can receive in recognition of its overall excellence in internationalization efforts. The Pitt Business International Programs Office has been recognized as playing a significant role in receiving this award.

CBA students Evan Turman and Everett Green won first and second place respectively in the 9th Annual KeyBank Leadership and Creativity Undergraduate Minority Student Symposium.

MBA student Dontez Ford was named to the prestigious Hampshire Honor Society by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. He was also named a recipient of an ACC Postgraduate Scholarship and is a four-time University Scholar - Athlete honoree at Pitt.

Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read & Repeat > Read &

CBA and Katz MS in Accounting auditing teams placed 3rd and 4th in the IIA/PICPA Case Competition at Maher Duessel.

Professor Jay Sukits and CBA senior Connor Van Pevenage appeared on KDKA-TV Sunday Business Page to discuss socially responsible investing.

Cait Lamberton and Jeff Inman were recognized by the AMA for research productivity. Lamberton ranked 28th and Inman was ranked 12th. Katz was ranked 17th.

NONPROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDPITTSBURGH, PAPERMIT NO. 511

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SEE ALL UPCOMING EVENTS HERE: WWW.BUSINESS.PITT.EDU/ALUMNI/EVENTS

OCTOBER 13, 2017: ANNUAL 51+ PITT BUSINESS LUNCHEONPitt Business alumni who graduated more than 51 years ago are invited to attend the Annual 51+ Pitt Business Luncheon.

OCTOBER 14, 2017: CBA ALUMNI AFTER-PARTY8:30 – 10:30 PMThe Porch at Schenley, 221 Schenley Drive, OaklandWe welcome CBA alumni to The Porch for fireworks, food, fun, and socializing.

OCTOBER 14, 2017: KATZ HOMECOMING MIXER8:00 – 11:00 PMMario’s Eastside Saloon, 5442 Walnut Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15232We welcome Pitt Business alumni to join current Katz students for fun, fellowship, and networking.

OCTOBER 15, 2017: PITT BUSINESS ALUMNI TAILGATETwo Hours prior to Kick-offCome stop by our tailgate outside Heinz Field at Gold Lots 1 and get ready to cheer on Pitt as they tackle NC State.

University of PittsburghJoseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business& College of Business Administration

372 Mervis HallRoberto Clemente DrivePittsburgh, PA 15260

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