Favorite MBA Professors Of The Class Of 2021

Harry Kraemer in a Northwestern (Kellogg) classroom.

“Professor Harry Kraemer. His Managerial Leadership class is always popular among students because of his tendency to invite high-profile guests and the learnings and experiences he shares as the former CEO of Baxter.

More importantly, Professor Kraemer really cares about his students. Before taking his class, I heard from former students that he would reply to every email and phone call even though he was extremely busy as a professor and partner at a PE firm. This is consistent with my experience too.  When I contacted him the very first time, I just started at Kellogg and had not taken his class yet. I introduced myself and asked for a 1:1 to learn more about his career path and he quickly agreed!”
Di Gao, Northwestern University (Kellogg)

“The bridge between my aspiration to learn about supply chains and my current understanding of supply chains is one of my MBA professors, Judith Whipple. Not only are her methods of delivery and evaluation unique, but also her approachability and warmth are exceptional. She used a mix of in-class lectures, guest speakers, team-based simulations, and games to explain the concepts that no book could. Her quizzes and final exam were open-book, yet they ensured that the students had to read through the text to get familiarity with the concepts and then tie those back to each individual’s prior professional experience(s). She helped me immensely in my interview preparation by drawing parallels between my consulting experience and the service supply chain concepts I could highlight in my interviews. She played an indispensable role in my development through the MBA program and still is in great touch to make sure I continue making progress in the right direction.”
Deepal Singh Chhabra, Michigan State (Broad)

Ian D’Souza, New York University (Stern)

“At Stern, we have many professors who are intellectually stimulating, care for their students, and love teaching. My favorite professor would have to be Ian D’Souza. I took his New Venture Financing class in the fall on Thursday evenings. He brought so much energy to the three-hour class and created a very engaging environment with lots of student participation. He’s extremely knowledgeable and approachable. He scheduled insightful one-on-one mid-term feedback sessions with each of his 45 students to ensure we understood the material. He also used the time to casually chat and ask if there is anything he could assist with. I enjoyed his class so much that I enrolled in his Digital Currency and Blockchains course this semester.”
Melanie Gonzalez, New York University (Stern)

“There are many fantastic professors at Owen, but Professor Tim Vogus is certainly a standout. He teaches Negotiations and Leading Teams & Organizations, both of which are excellent. His teaching style is equal parts hip-hop MC, stand-up comic, and “cool” dad. Professor Vogus has a unique ability to build meaningful relationships with students. And he excels at highlighting the practical applications of class concepts. I feel like I always walk away from Professor Vogus’ classes with a new tool in my toolkit.”
Daniel Cortez, Vanderbilt University (Owen)

Xavier BOUTE – I did not have a statistics background and Professor Xavier BOUTE’s stats class was foundational to the improvement of my quantitative skills during my MBA. He taught the basics of data collection, processing, and analysis in an incredibly engaging way while regularly soliciting structured feedback from the class and adjusting his teaching method accordingly.

I learned more, however, from my non-classroom interactions with Professor BOUTE. He remained on campus with students throughout the COVID-19 confinement and always attended the meetings between the student representatives and the school’s administration. He remained calm but encouraging and humorous. Early on he was concerned about burnout among the students and administrative staff and was direct in pushing everyone to take days off and find levity when the challenges of the pandemic seemed overwhelming. A retired French military officer, he redefined effective leadership for me, showing it could be both decisive but sensitive.”
Michael Venditto, HEC Paris

Alberto Ribera, IESE Business School

“Since I have to pick one, I would say it was Alberto Ribera; he taught me a course called Personality, Self-Leadership and Happiness. The course itself helped me further my personal development through reflection on my past experiences and behavior. The course isn’t for everyone; you have to be very open to reflect on yourself and must be willing to change. Part of the course is a very in-depth personality test and a discussion about the individual results with Alberto. He helped me revisit my past with an open mind in order to find what’s really important for me in my personal and professional life.

The pursuit of our own happiness is an important part of our life and a lot of people want to be happy, but they just don’t know how to do it. That’s why it is so important to practice contemplation because it helps us find what makes us happy, but we must also be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. And if you can do that with the professional help of Alberto, it’s even better. He is one of the kindest people that I know; always encouraging me and there to help in any way. I really enjoy catching up with him—over lunch, a coffee or just a quick conversation in the hallway—he always pushes me to set new goals for my self-development to become a better person.”
Christian Bopp, IESE Business School

“It is Professor Lee Pinkowitz, associate professor of finance. I had the opportunity to take classes with him both in-person and in a virtual setting. I can say with confidence that I was as engaged in the virtual learning experience as I was in his in-person course. He used several methods to keep us excited and involved in his course, from class discussions to interactive videos. He encouraged peer-to-peer collaboration through weekly assignments that were designed to be discussed among groups of students. He also gave weekly awards for the people who helped others the most, who asked an insightful question, or who shared relevant professional experiences related to the topic we were discussing in class. He also made himself available every day of the week for office hours to discuss any questions relating to the course and hosted casual virtual meetings, even on Saturdays, for people to join and just chat about anything that was on their mind. I will always be grateful to him for all the effort he put into making students feel understood and passionate about finance. His Valuation course was the most valuable academic experience, and it prepared me for my summer internship, where I had to apply many of the concepts I learned from him and his course.”
Juanita Pardo Varela, Georgetown University (McDonough)

Helen Moser, University of Minnesota (Carlson)

“I find the passion that professors radiate when they are teaching things that they are truly interested in to be highly infectious. No one better embodies enthusiasm for their field than Helen Moser, our introductory finance professor. She challenged us to push beyond the theoretical understanding of financial concepts and apply them to real-world problems, and her connections to her own experiences in business often proved to be some of the most insightful lessons. It was evident from day one that she loved her profession, and she was a big reason that I ended up focusing my MBA in finance.”
Samantha Clute, University of Minnesota (Carlson)

“My favorite professor was Ken Perlman, who teaches Designing High Performing Organizations. Ken curated an engaging classroom experience that featured case discussions and diverse speakers who made me think differently about how organizations can invest in people and reach their strategic goals. When the pandemic hit, Ken was able to create a thoughtful virtual experience that was still incredibly engaging and also provided students the time and space we needed to adjust to online learning. He dedicated time in every online class for students to check in with one another and share the highs and lows they were experiencing at the time. Ken modeled flexibility, genuine care, and empathy at a time when we needed that more than we knew.”
Asia Liza Morales, USC (Marshall)

“Professor Brian Frons (Content Creation) has been an amazing professor, resource, and mentor to me. Many of our professors are practitioners with expansive networks. Warm introductions are critical in the entertainment space, and Professor Frons has been tremendous in proactively sharing contacts, webinars, and more helpful resources. I am working on a television show idea, and Professor Frons has been willing to hear every half-baked pitch and tangent I come up with, offering constructive feedback and ways to improve the marketability of the product. He genuinely takes and implements the suggestions of his students on how to improve the online classroom experience, such as increasing the gender and racial diversity of guest speakers. I plan on keeping in touch with a few professors through my academic career, and Professor Frons’ interest in his students puts him at the top of my list.”
Parth Chauhan, UCLA (Anderson)

“It would be Professor Tom Steenburgh. Tom taught me Marketing in my first quarter at Darden; he made me fall in love with the subject and simultaneously highlighted why the case method is so effective. Prior to his course, I perceived that Marketing was a creative field that encouraged a free flow of ideas and imagination. While this is true, Tom, in his unique style of calm intensity, emphasized the importance of grounding our answers in evidence, data, and facts as opposed to preconceived notions or intuitions. As simple as it sounds, Tom’s class highlighted the importance of evidence-based thinking and is something I continue to practice and learn.”
Harsha Gummagatta, University of Virginia (Darden)

Rockney Walters, Indiana University (Kelley)

Rockney Walters, or “Rock,” as students affectionately call him, is a professor of marketing. He is the rare professor who can make cold calling in class fun. In doing so, he gives voice to some classmates who are shyer or softer-spoken. Rock gives students nicknames, exhorts us to “price like surgeons not like lumberjacks,” and has his own cadre of abbreviations for his marketing tools (ZOPI, QEAT, PAET, etc.). Ultimately, Rock is a special combination of someone who cares deeply about his students, yet provides the deep expertise to prepare them for success. I directly applied one of his frameworks during my internship at DuPont, to the pleasure of senior leadership.  It is no surprise that Rock has won over 35 teaching awards at Indiana University.”
Jake Frego, Indiana University (Kelley)

Hossam Zeitoun is one of the most inspiring, interesting, and dedicated professors I have ever met. Hossam has a didactic and ingenious approach to teaching Strategic Thinking and made each class highly interactive and engaging! He made sure that all students were valued during the lesson, promoting unheard voices, online students, and different opinions. With an astute mastery of pedagogy, his classes incorporated debates, games, and theories to help us master difficult concepts and frameworks. Hossam puts diversity and inclusiveness at the heart of his work and paid particular attention to his class material, which included readings and case studies from varied countries and industries to reflect a plurality of ideologies and opinions. Seeing the real-world application of what we have learned, assimilating new knowledge and connecting the dots is a great feeling — and I want to share my gratitude with Hossam!”
Jeanne Roboh, Warwick Business School

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