Alex Gabennesch

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business

“I’m a driven business professional specializing in communication, qualitative research, and critical thinking.”

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Fun Fact About Yourself: I enjoy creative writing and have had short stories/poems published in various literary outlets, including Purdue University’s The Bell Tower.

Undergraduate School and Major: Purdue University; Major: English

Most Recent Employer and Job Title:

Most Recent Employer: The Boeing Company

Most Recent Title: Procurement Analyst

What excites you most about studying in Washington, DC? I’m thrilled to be studying in Washington, DC. As the capital of the United States, the city offers an exciting range of professional opportunities, particularly in business areas related to government, international affairs, and cutting-edge technology. DC’s vibrant and deeply historic culture also allows me to enjoy my free time at the national monuments, museums, and parks – or even at one of the city’s many eclectic restaurants.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Georgetown McDonough’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Georgetown McDonough stood out as the right MBA program for me because of its strong values, particularly its tradition of cura personalis. This Latin phrase, meaning “care of the person,” reflects a profound sense of responsibility and care for others in the community. It also calls for attentiveness to each individual’s skills, needs, and personal growth. I feel Georgetown’s tradition of cura personalis highly aligns with my professional convictions and the value I see in collaboration as a problem-solving business tool.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Georgetown McDonough? I’m especially excited to take part in Georgetown McDonough’s Global Business Experience (GBE). This experiential learning program gives MBA students the chance to partner with multinational corporations, travel internationally, and address complex business challenges. I think Georgetown’s GBE will be a stimulating chance to apply lessons from the classroom to innovative projects in a real-world setting.

Georgetown McDonough programming focuses heavily on instilling a global mindset. Why is exposure to global diversity so critical to business success? Throughout my professional career, I’ve seen that exposure to global diversity is critical to achieving business success. For example, during my time at Boeing, I faced a factory-stopping helicopter part shortage, but I utilized the concept of global diversity to lead a cross-functional team and mitigate the issue. This was important because finding a timely solution depended on the insight and coordinated effort of stakeholders from different cultures, age groups, industry departments, and time zones. Ultimately, our team managed to reduce the lead time for parts by several months. I believe this result was only achievable through the collaboration between various functions and personal experiences.

When you think of Georgetown University, what word comes to mind? Why? When I think of Georgetown University, one word comes to mind: impact. Whether volunteering for the community right in Washington, DC – or addressing complex, business challenges with corporations all the way across the world – Georgetown and its students have a demonstrated history of creating positive change for others.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: One of the biggest accomplishments of my career so far took place when I worked with Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes division. There, I implemented a data tracking system to identify procurement risks and execute targeted recovery measures for Boeing’s supplier facilities and operations. Within six months, my efforts helped these suppliers meet their 98% compliance goals for airplane part repairs, supporting aftermarket 737 MAXs.

What is your long-term career goal? My long-term career goal is to ensure the lasting and innovative success of a large company as an executive leader in operations. I believe Georgetown will prepare me for my objective by providing exposure to a broad range of business knowledge and collaborative, experiential opportunities with real-world corporate leaders.

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