University at Buffalo School of Management

Alumni Impact A group of alumni executives sits in the front row as a team of first-year MBA students outlines the problems facing their assigned company and proposes strategies to resolve those issues. As more teams come forward, some recommenda- tions are straightforward — improving quality control processes or halting expansion plans, for example — while others introduce bold, new directions. One team, analyzing a national chain in the vitamin and supplement industry, advises shrinking retail space in stores to accommodate a fitness room that could attract new customers and open up additional revenue streams. "Go big or go home, right?" one executive remarks posi- tively, opening the question-and-answer period. The alumni grill each team about their analysis of the company and its competitors, and the financial im- plications of their recommendations, before joining the MBAs in a private conference room to deliver candid feedback about their performance. "It sounds like you're moving chairs around on the Titanic," says Chris Maugans, BS '10, JD/MBA '14, associ- ate attorney at Goldberg Segalla, challenging one team to defend how their solution really addresses the root prob- lem facing their company. The board presentations are the final project for Harold Star's "Strategic Management" capstone course, which pushes students to think like CEOs, exposing them to a wide range of business models and giving them the tools to recognize problems, diagnose their causes and prescribe solutions. For Maugans, it was one of the most important class- es he took in the School of Management, so he was eager to come back as an alumni board member to help current students build their skill sets. "I found the course to be extremely challenging, but equally thought-provoking," he says. "It taught me how to identify and dissect complex issues and present rec- ommendations in a clear, succinct manner. A large part of my role as an attorney is doing just that — identifying and analyzing issues and presenting potential solutions to clients." Laura Berrady, EMBA '07, director of population health management at Optimum Physician Alliance, also jumped at the chance to serve as a board member aer taking Star's course during her Executive MBA pro- gram. In the private feedback session, Berrady says she and her fellow alumni were supportive, while also deliv- ering honest advice on ways the MBAs could improve in the future. "It's so important for students and alumni to con- nect," she says. "When professors incorporate alumni into their curriculum, it can enhance students' One board of directors included the following alumni, from left: William Grieshober Jr., Michael Keane, Joseph Kuchera, Michael Cropp, MD, Adam Pratt and Laura Berrady. Photo: Tom Wolf 24 Buffalo Business Autumn 2018 Facing the board Alumni share actionable feedback during MBA capstone presentations

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