Alumni Happenings: Spring and Summer 2020

Virtual 1st Tuesday Events
The Carlson School shifted the longrunning 1st Tuesday Speaker Series to a virtual format, beginning in May 2020. The first virtual event featured business leaders Whit Alexander, ’00 BSB, from Best Buy, Marcelo Montero, ’91 MBA, from Cargill, and Christine Sovereign, ’89 BSB, from Accenture, who all shared their insights on leadership in a current and post- social distancing world. Other recent speakers included Jim Owens from H.B. Fuller Company (June), Craig Samitt from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (August), and Chris Koch from Carlisle Companies (September).

Farewelcome Fair
The Carlson School hosted its first-ever Virtual Farewelcome Fair to say farewell to college life and welcome to the alumni community for the undergraduate Class of 2020. The fair offered information on alumni chapters, affinity networks, alumni career services, and volunteering opportunities for alumni. Gophers of the Last Decade Board members Lauren Sheibley, ’16 BSB, Zach Brauer, ’17 BSB, and Juhyun Kwon, ’17 BSB, shared their experiences staying connected as recent graduates and offered advice about life after graduation.

GOLD Trivia Night
In May, members of the GOLD (Gophers of the Last Decade) Board hosted GOLD Trivia Night. Recent graduates from the undergraduate program gathered to play trivia and test their knowledge of Carlson School fun facts, Minnesota-based business facts, and random trivia tidbits.

MBA Virtual Reunion Gathering
The Carlson School couldn’t host an in-person MBA Reunion this spring, so graduates from Classes of ’95 to ’19 joined us virtually for a day of programming that included a town hall with Dean Sri Zaheer and Assistant Dean Phil Miller, ’97 MBA, learning about the legacy of Carlson School pioneer Dr. Marcus Alexis, ’59 PhD, and a dive into the University’s COVID-19 efforts and the future of healthcare with our MILI partners. The Carlson School looks forward to hosting an in-person double reunion May 7 and 8, 2021. Details to follow this fall.

Cargill Chapter
Carlson School Supply Chain and Operations Professor Anant Mishra led a fascinating discussion hosted by the Cargill Alumni Chapter. Mishra’s presentation, “What Suppliers Need To Do To Survive a Current- and Post- COVID-19 World,” covered the importance of looking into the future to develop actionable risk management strategies to increase visibility and vigilance across supply chains.

EMBA and Global Alumni Webinar with Aks Zaheer
Professor Aks Zaheer presented his ongoing research on cross-cultural trust creation to an audience of nearly 400 Executive MBA alumni and students in July. Webinar participants represented programs on three continents, with representation from the China, Warsaw, Vienna, and Minneapolis-based EMBA programs.

Investors Circle Insiders Conversation

Members of the Investors Circle joined Dean Sri Zaheer and Assistant Dean Travis Smith for a deep dive into what’s going on at the Carlson School, including diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, plans for the fall semester, and more. To learn more about the Investors Circle, visit z.umn.edu/investorscircle.

The Way We Work
The Way We Work welcomed more than 300 alumni and community members to its first virtual event. Speakers Cindy Coleman and Rachelle Schoessler Lynn from architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler shared research on how companies and organizations must evolve their physical spaces to adapt to our “new normal.”

Alumni Career Coaching
Did you know? Carlson School alumni have access to career services for life, including career coaching through our career centers. Meet with an experienced career coach to discuss career paths, job search strategies, receive assistance on your resume and cover letters, and more. Request an appointment for alumni career coaching at z.umn.edu/csomalumnicoaching.

Special 1st Tuesday Conversation with Tony Dungy ’78
Football legend, Super Bowl-winning former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, and Carlson School alumnus Tony Dungy, ’78 BSB, joined Dean Sri Zaheer in August for a special 1st Tuesday event. Dungy discussed his experience in leadership, his belief that everyone is a leader, and the theme of unity.

UnitedHealth Group Chapter
UnitedHealth Group executive and University of Minnesota alumnus Adam Hjerpe led more than 100 members of the alumni chapter in April through training about career development and navigating your career journey using a framework he created called Walkabout.

CHEMBA Alumni Association Virtual Speaker Series
The active China Executive MBA (CHEMBA) alumni group started a virtual speaker series this spring in lieu of regular in-person events. Prominent business leaders who are alumni of the program spoke to participants on various business topics of interest. Freeman Shen, ’03 MBA, kicked off the series in April discussing the growth of his company, WM Motor.