MBA 590 (631) Sustainabiity in Business Introduction - Summer II 2021 by Jessica Thomas

Faculty Introduction

jothomas9 — 2021-06-24 19:57:39 UTC

Hello and welcome to MBA 590 (631), Sustainability in Business! My name is Jessica Yinka Thomas and I’ll be your instructor for this course. I view my role as the facilitator of your course journey, providing information and guidance to help you get what you need out of the course. I’ve been studying and teaching about sustainability in business for almost 20 years. I've been at NC State for almost 8 years and I currently teach MBA and undergraduate courses and serve as the Director of the Poole College Business Sustainability Collaborative.

My personal belief is that the future of business lies in thoughtfully engaging stakeholders across the value chain and building business models that serve people, the planet as well as the bottom line. I have a strong interest in certified B Corporations and serve as the co-founder, president and chair of the board of B Academics, a global network of educators and researchers who are studying B Corps and business as a force for good. You can find out more about my background on my LinkedIn page. You are welcome to send me a connection request.

I live in Durham and I have a 13 year old son. Outside of work, I enjoy creative writing and I’ve written two novels, How Not Save the World and How Not to Make Friends. I’m also an avid traveler. I speak French fluently as well as some basic Spanish, Yoruba, Portuguese and Vietnamese. I played rugby in undergrad and grad school but more recently I’ve gotten into triathlons and yoga. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you through our course.

Mary Beth Pelletier

2021-06-27 16:01:57 UTC

Hi everyone, I am excited to study business sustainability with you! My name is Mary Beth, and I work in the biotech industry. My educational background is in chemistry, and I am in the MBA program because I wanted to understand more about the business ecosystem in which we do science. This has also fueled a passion for seeing how corporations can be a force for good and drive sustainability - economic, healthcare, environmental, and quality of life. The other side of the equation, the value proposition for companies of investment in sustainability, is of interest to me as an employee, as it provides me leverage to drive change from inside my organization.

Also a major driver of my passion around sustainability is being a mom: I have 2 sons and want to make sure they inherit a world in which their generation can flourish as well as continue to drive innovation in sustainability.

I live in Cary with my family, and I'm an avid reader in my spare time. Looking forward to learning with you all!

Matt Ludwig

mwludwig — 2021-06-27 17:44:43 UTC

Hey Everyone! Nice to see some familiar faces in this class. I hope you all are well.

For those of you who I have not met to this point, my name is Matt, and I am a Commercial Lender at PNC Bank in downtown Raleigh. In my role, I lend to companies in the $5-50 million annual revenues space and assist with financing their day-to-day activities, acquisitions, etc. I love my job and the freedom it gives me to meet amazing people from all different walks of life.

This, like many of you, is my final class with the Jenkins MBA Program. I am pursuing my MBA, not for the job at PNC, but to open doors for me in the future in whatever industry or role I look to move to. My dad always told me that during his professional career, his one mistake was not getting his MBA, as it could have opened additional doors for him. I do not want to be limited in the future, wanted to expand my network here in Raleigh, and wanted to further my education outside of finance, so decided that there was no time like the present to get my MBA.

Outside of work and school, I am a passionate dog dad, husband, and volunteer. I love volunteering at the Boys & Girls Clubs and am also currently volunteering with the Miracle League of the Triangle through Leadership Raleigh.

I look forward to working with many of you.

-- Matt

Matt Edwards

msedwar2 — 2021-06-27 18:41:07 UTC

Hello all.

My name is Matt Edwards. I am a Vascular Surgeon and a physician executive with Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem. I am embarking upon the MBA journey to expand my understanding of business principles to assist in working from inside the healthcare system to make it a better and more sustainable model to meed the needs of the well, the sick (hopefully making them well), and our society. I am very much looking forward to this class to understand what sustainability means to the business community as the definition may differ from my own.

I am probably old enough to be a parent of many of my classmates and I have a 21 year old son, a 17 year old daughter and a wife, who is also a physician. I did all of my formal studies at UVA and took all my clinical training at Wake Forest.

In my spare time I train for and compete in long distance triathlons and do MBA homework. Look forward to interacting with all of you and hope to meet many of you in person.

Ben Cook Intro

2021-06-27 20:01:36 UTC

Hello! My name is Ben, I'm 29 and live in Greensboro, NC. Recently, I've just started working for the automotive manufacturer, Zoox, remotely as a packaging engineer and consultant. This after almost a year and a half in the job search market so I'm extremely grateful for this new opportunity! I wanted to get an MBA in general to make myself more marketable but also to learn the in's and out's of running a business, in areas that have been previously unfamiliar to me. My reasoning for taking this class is in a similar vein - in order for any business to be successful, it must have a sustainable and long-reaching future in mind. Other than that, I'm an avid musician (solo and with bands), golfer, and food enthusiast. I got engaged to my fiancé Lindsey last October and we have a 9 year old, hound-mix together named Dr. Joe. I look forward to meeting everyone, Go Pack!

Casey Brannigan

2021-06-27 20:19:09 UTC

Hello everyone, my name is Casey Brannigan. I have spent most of my career in business to business sales and sales management for two fortune 500 companies. I currently have responsibility for sales operations for a large national retailer. I have interest in many things and enjoy challenging myself to learn new subjects. Getting my MBA is a about focusing on continual improvement. This class is of interest to me because I agree with the professor that companies that are focused on sustainability in business will be set up for success. It is clear that both employees and consumers are demanding to understand what the culture is within an organization they are working for or buying from. In the past, sustainability may have been a feel good metric but now is becoming a lead indicator of the potential success of an organization.

Outside of this class I spend my time with my family which includes my wife and 12 year old son. In addition, I train for triathlons. Currently my triathlon training is focused on personal development and improving my self-discipline and organization. If I had time I would play more golf but golf and triathlons don't mix well. I am looking forward to this class and hope to meet many of you virtually.

Lexi Strom

anstrom — 2021-06-27 20:33:15 UTC

Hi everyone! My name is Lexi Strom and I'm a Global Program Marketing Manager at Red Hat. I am responsible for creating and implementing the marketing strategy for Red Hat's Training & Certification business.

The main reason I decided to pursue my MBA was to gain a better understanding of how businesses function so I can make a bigger impact as a marketing professional. In addition, I wanted to expand my network and challenge myself.

I'm excited to dive into this course because I'm very interested in sustainability initiatives in business. However, it's an area I don't know much about. I work in marketing, so I was excited to see a module about sustainability in marketing and "conscious customers." Hopefully I can apply some of the concepts from this course to my work at Red Hat and beyond.

I live in Raleigh, NC with my husband and our golden retriever, Bailey. Outside of work and school, I love hiking and running, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I serve on the board of a local nonprofit called Wee Care that provides free preschool education to economically disadvantaged families in the Southeast Raleigh area. This year, I have 9 weddings on the calendar, so I guess I should include that as a hobby as well. Looking forward to learning with you all!

My name is Michiko Shimizu. I am originally from Japan. I currently work as a Sr. Tax Analyst at a local Networking company. I am in this program to enhance my resume and learn how to engage in business as a whole in this rapidly changing world. I have started the MBA program in the Fall of 2017; however, I took a year off from taking classes last year since I did not know what to expect in terms of my health and employment due to Covid-19. Many of my classmates who started at the same time appeared that they already graduated or about to graduate. I am panicking now since I don't have much time left until my 6 yrs is up. Since my job often requires extended work hours, I can only take one class at a time, unfortunately. When I have some spare time, I like to work on art projects such as sculpting, sewing, and knitting, to name a few.I also love spending some time with my new grand fur baby "Momo."I am one cat away from becoming a crazy cat lady!I look forward to working with you all. Have a wonderful Summer!

2021-06-27 21:52:29 UTC

Kristen Hale

2021-06-28 00:03:51 UTC

My name is Kristen Hale and I am in my last couple semesters of the MBA program. I did my undergraduate at NC State and double majored in Business Finance and Biomedical Engineering. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and work within the tech industry where I manage a team.

I am doing the MBA program to meet classmates from different industries, learn to better solve problems, and enhance my strategies for approaching high stakes business decisions.
I am taking this class as sustainability is becoming more and more important in the workplace and for the environment. I want to learn and hear from companies on what they are doing to be sustainable and brainstorm ideas to implement initiatives within my own organization.

Outside of the program, I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, running, traveling, and reading. I look forward to this class and meeting you all!

Stephen Autry

asautry — 2021-06-28 01:41:19 UTC

Hi All, my name is Stephen Autry, I'm about half way through the program as a part-time student. I got my undergraduate degree from NC State in Electrical Engineering and I am working as a Senior Electrical Engineer at Heapy Engineering.

I am in the MBA program because I did not have any experience with business while at NC State and I had only a limited amount of exposure in my job. I also believe that having an MBA would benefit me in today's climate. I want to learn the reasons why some businesses do what they do, large or small. My goal is to own my own company, in whichever industry it is in.

In my free time, I enjoy working out, traveling (pre-covid) and preparing to be a first time dad. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone.

Shannon Stanich

2021-06-28 16:32:34 UTC

Hi classmates. My name is Shannon Stanich and I should complete my MBA in December 2021...I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am an officer in the Marine Corps and currently work for the NROTC units at NC State, UNC, and Duke. I am in the MBA program because I figured if I'm at a college campus for three years, I should leave with a degree!

I'm taking this class because I am interested in sustainability in business, and since I have never worked as a professional outside the Marine Corps I am unsure of how this topic is discussed within companies.

Outside of class, I like to travel, workout, and ride horses. I had my first child on May 31st so my husband and I are spending this summer learning how to be parents.

Alex Doles

2021-06-28 22:55:10 UTC

Hello, I'm Alex Doles and I am in the MBA program for a career change. I currently work in state government but am looking for either a promotion or something completely different as my life is dictated by "planned happenstance".

I am taking this course because I have some background in sustainability through previous schooling and international work I did more years ago than I like to admit so being able to connect something that I used to study with something I'm studying now will be very helpful in understanding business.

Outside of class, I like working with English as a Second Language students, refugees, and veterans.

Curtis Rice

2021-06-29 01:17:42 UTC

Hello everyone! This is Curtis Rice, I’m married, and I have one son (grown, age 24!). My extended family resides in the Asheville area of North Carolina, which we get to visit often and take advantage of the beautiful mountains to mountain bike, fish and hike! I have worked for Dominion Energy (an energy and natural gas distribution company) for just over 26 years, that serves customers across the state of North Carolina, as well as several other states across the US. I currently reside in Wake Forest (here in NC), but I am responsible for the Raleigh Region as a Regional Operations Manager for Dominion Energy.

I’m excited to get started with this class, and the chance to work with you all! I’m interested in sharpening my decision-making skills and broadening my business acumen, not only by the course content, but from the valuable viewpoints and experiences from my classmates.

Rushikesh Patel

2021-06-29 01:32:49 UTC

Hi All, my name is Rushikesh Patel. I am a Lead Software Engineer at Eaton where I develop software solutions for engineering automation. I got my undergraduate degree in Computer Engineering at Florida Atlantic University and a graduate degree in Computer Science at University of Southern California.

I am in the MBA program to have a better understanding of various business functions like marketing, supply chain as well as develop leadership and decision making skills. I am hopeful that the learnings from the MBA program combine with my background in software engineering will allow me to pursue leadership roles in technical product management.

I took this course to learn about the major drivers of business decisions as it relates to sustainability, considering that sustainability is quickly becoming a primary focus of organizations worldwide.

I live in Wake Forest, NC with my wife and two daughters (5 and 1). In my free time, I like to travel with my family even if it means short weekend trips! I also enjoy teaching kids how to code and introduce them to computer science.

Jeannien Engelbrecht

jbengelb — 2021-06-29 03:53:32 UTC

Hi there!

I am Jeannien, mom of 4, wife of a South African ex-pat, tech strategist at Express Scripts, and planned graduate for the MBA class of December 2021.

We moved down from NJ 10 years ago (crazy to think its been so long), and still loving NC much more than there! (ha!) I am totally fine with NJ can keeping their taxes far from here! :)

I am looking forward to this class! Sustainability has always been a topic of interest for me, and expanding my abilities to identify solutions that are both cost efficient and environmentally cleaner.

All the best -
Jeannien

Kathryn Bailey

kbbaile2 — 2021-06-29 09:18:08 UTC

Hi all,
I am Kathryn and currently work for Baxter International, Inc. as a Quality Supervisor. I work at the plant located in Marion, NC, but live in Asheville. I received my undergraduate degree from NC State in Medical Textiles and I have always been a dedicated Wolfpack fan.
I am receiving my MBA because I want to grow as a people leader and learn different ways I can benefit the company I work for. I am excited to take this course. I hope to learn more on how I can use sustainability to improve my plant. I briefly remember discussing sustainability during undergrad but the focus was on textiles. I currently do not work for a textile company so I would like to learn more concepts that I can apply at my current plant.
Outside of work and class, I like to explore the places of Western NC. I like to hike, river float, brewery hop, and try different food places.

Eric Brown

elbrown51 — 2021-06-29 09:44:43 UTC

Hello all. My name is Eric Brown. I live in Apex, NC with my wife and 2 daughters and graduated from NCSU with a BS in Food Science. I am currently a production manager with Grifols Therapeutics in Clayton, NC and have been there over 20 years. I am in the MBA program to sharpen my skills as a production manager - I am specifically interested in statistical models and production line improvements. I have a desire to open my own business one day, and I signed up for this class, because I know little about sustainability efforts and their value to businesses. I enjoy backpacking, acoustic guitar and running.

Daniel S. Johnson

dsjohns6 — 2021-06-29 15:17:12 UTC

Hello Everyone,

My name is Daniel S. Johnson, and I work in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. I just recently relocated to the beautiful Bay Area, CA from Hickory, NC and I am absolutely loving it so far (sans the housing expenses).
In August, I hope to graduate from my MBA program, making this one of my final courses in the program. I am very excited to be wrapping up this chapter while starting a new one, and a greater understanding of Business Sustainability will certainly be helpful in my new location.

I am looking forward to this class!

Hank Warren

hwwarren — 2021-06-29 18:57:41 UTC

My name is Hank Warren. I was born and raised in Raleigh, and live in Raleigh now with my wife and 14 month old daughter. I am the Area Sales Manager for NC/VA for Intuitive Surgical. I have been in the medical device business for the past 10 years. My wife and I both did our undergraduate degrees at NC State and my wife completed her Jenkins MBA in 2016.
I have a year left in my MBA. I enrolled in the MBA program to gain experience in other fields outside of sales/marketing, such as finance and supply chain. My wife also had a great experience in the program and encouraged me to complete my MBA too.
This class interested me as sustainability is an important topic in healthcare, and more specifically medical device, today. I look forward to learning more about how other business sectors approach this. Also, as a lifelong outdoorsmen, sustainability is important to conversation and the activities that I love doing.
In my free time, I am hunting, fishing, or on the boat with my wife and daughter.

Ann Beal

2021-06-30 14:22:21 UTC

HI Everyone -

I'm Ann and am about 3/4 of the way through the program. It has been a great experience and I have met some incredible people along the way.

In my professional life I am Vice President of Client Services for Ascellus Behavioral Health. We provider behavioral health care to injured workers who have experienced a physical injury or trauma on the job. My role is to oversee the recruitment and credentialing of our national provider network. Also I oversee marketing, communications and public relations for the company. This is my third private equity venture within the healthcare sector. Prior to healthcare I worked in banking, for a senator's office and in luxury retail.

I wanted to purse my MBA to round out my formal education. My undergraduate degree is in the fine arts. While it has served me well I wanted to learn more about business practices through the MBA program. NCSU was my first choice and I am proud to be part of the Wolfpack. I believe this class will serve me well as I continue to grow in my career. And to continue to grow we need to have sustainable businesses.

Outside of work I am a wife and mother. I have two kids - Billy (8) and Lacy Grey (5). I participate on two not-for-profit boards. And I spend as much time at the beach whenever possible.

Sam Crisp

2021-06-30 15:54:58 UTC

Hello everyone. My name is Sam Crisp, and the fall semester will be the last two classes I need to graduate. I decided to purse my MBA to better set me up for career advancement. I live in Raleigh, NC and work in the insurance industry, specifically in employee benefits. B corps is something I first learned about early on in my studies. To be honest, I had never heard of them before starting graduate school. I am taking this class for two reasons. First I believe we are going to hear more about B Corps and sustainability in the future as they are here to stay, and secondly, I need a few more elective hours. When not working or studying, I am chasing my 5 year old daughter. Looking forward to a productive and informative 5 weeks.

Dan Atwood

2021-06-30 19:29:18 UTC

Hi everyone! I am excited to spend the next five weeks studying sustainability with each of you. A little bit about me: I work in Charlotte on a reporting team for Bank of America. I am also a reservist in the Marines. I have been in this MBA program for coming up on two years and will graduate Summer 22. I am excited for this course, specifically, as it is sure to cover the subjects being discussed in most of today's boardrooms. I have a wife and two kids and we love living in Charlotte. We frequent the beach and the mountains and appreciate Charlotte's reasonable proximity to both. I love being outside, so whether it's playing sports, hiking, camping, or just doing yard work, you will find me happy. Again, looking forward to studying with each of you!

Colin Donahue

2021-07-01 15:51:48 UTC

Hi everyone. My name is Colin Donahue and after this summer, I will have been in this MBA program for 2 years. I received my undergraduate from NC State at the College Textiles (now the Wilson College of Textiles) as a Textile Technologist. I had little to no business classes in my undergrad and felt an MBA would help better round out my education. I work in a somewhat small textile technology manufacturing plant in Greensboro, NC where few people wear many hats. I am learning as much as I can about all aspects of business to help contribute as much as possible to my company. My wife and I enjoy hiking, frisbee golfing, and brewery hoping with our dog Doughnut.

Darius Rountree

ddrountr — 2021-07-01 23:50:55 UTC

Hello everyone,

My name is Darius Rountree and in the Fall I’ll be starting my second year in the online MBA program.

I am originally from Wilson, NC and I moved to Durham, NC for undergrad in 2006 and I have been here ever since. I graduated from North Carolina Central University in 2010 with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. I am currently the Intake Manager at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin (better known by the masses as “The Hurtline”). Since I can remember I have always wanted to be an attorney so the plan was for me to work for two years in the field of law and then attend law school. I realized that after working with attorneys, I did not want to be one (nothing against them). I did however grow a liking to how the President ran the law firm (very business oriented) and that’s what brought me to pursue an MBA.

Now that I don’t have an interest in law, I am pursuing this MBA to make a career change (if you know of any opportunities, let me know!). I have many years of experience in managing multi-level teams. This MBA will award me with the formal knowledge into the business world that I did not receive in undergrad. The classes have been intense but I am learning a lot.

This class fell in my lap as I signed up for summer classes a little late and this was one of few open. However, I believe everything happens for a reason. As I watched the welcome video, I was excited to hear Professor Thomas mention B Corporations, specifically Ben & Jerry’s, as I hope to one day land a role with that company. I like what Ben & Jerry’s stands for but aside from that, I don’t know much about B Corps; they now have my interest.

In my free time (which is not much), I enjoy watching movies (I’m a huge Marvel fan), listening to music (I’m a music head), participating in community service with my fraternity brothers, and just laughing and enjoying time with friends and family. I am looking forward to interacting with you all!

Jefferson Crawford

2021-07-02 01:43:52 UTC

Hello Everyone!

My name is Jefferson Crawford, and this is my second semester of the MBA program. I have been working in the sustainability field for the past decade, specifically in energy efficiency and renewable technology. I currently work for Franklin Energy as a Program Manager - Special Projects. We design and implement a variety of energy efficiency and demand response programs for utilities. I chose this MBA program in order to move into solo ventures that involve localized energy and food production and grid optimization.

I have lived in Durham for the past 6 years with my wonderful wife and two dogs. We had our first child in March, so our hands are quite full at the moment! I enjoy being outside whether it’s kayaking, hiking, or camping. My wife and I love to travel to national parks around the country and garden as much as time allows. I am incredibly excited for this class and hope there are similar opportunities and resources available in this program.

Kevin Campomizzi Intro

kcampom — 2021-07-02 12:01:44 UTC

Hello,

My name is Kevin Campomizzi, last name pronounced Camp-o-me-Z, (Rhymes with Easy, fo-sheezy).

I have been in the MBA online program for 30 months, and will graduate at the end of this month!!!!! It's been a long journey, but I have absolutely enjoyed it. I originally joined the program to help bridge my civilian-military gap, as I served as a U.S. Army bomb disposal officer for nearly a decade. To be frank, sustainability and community service have become more and more important to me as I've gotten older, and this class was one of the only classes offered in the summer to meet my requirements for graduation.

I am currently working as a Sr. Project Manager within the bio-tech industry working for a small CDMO, called Arranta Bio, located in Gainesville, FL. I have been debating a job change for a bit, but that's a story for another day.

In my off time, I spend most of my time entertaining my girls, Nora (2), and Alex (6). They enjoy swimming at the pool, going to theme parks, and crafts. So I guess I do all those things, while enjoying an ice cold beer.

As I looked for a recent picture, the one below popped up from my MBA consulting group, in which they made a meme of me talking about spending time with my girls. Almost my entire camera roll is of my girls!

Looking forward to working with y'all!

Meredith Slaughter

mbwhitle — 2021-07-02 20:10:22 UTC

Hi Everyone! My name is Meredith Slaughter and I am a Leader of Systems Engineers Juniper Networks, after spending 8 years at at Cisco Systems, covering US Commercial MidSize. I am a people leader because I LOVE the people aspect. Helping them leverage their skillsets to be successful and make an impact. I also really enjoy the strategic side of the business, where we can spot trends and help make shifts and changes as needed to keep moving forward.

I am almost at the 12 month mark of the program, and want to get my MBA to expand my knowledge and ability to make a larger impact with whatever company I work with.

For a fun fact, I lived in North Carolina my whole life but my husband got a job opportunity we couldn’t turn down in October. We sold our house, rented an RV and drove across the country. We are now in Redmond, Washington :)

Caleb Sargent

2021-07-03 03:16:48 UTC

Hi Everyone!

It's great to see some familiar faces in the class, and I look forward to working with those I have not before. I'm very excited to be finishing the MBA program this fall. My area of focus has been Supply Chain Management which has been a prime time of focus as we have gone through the impacts of COVID.

With a background of chemical engineering, my past experience is 10 years was in pulp and paper as a process engineer and operations manager. After moving from Virginia to Georgia, I had an opportunity to accept a position as a Senior Application Consultant at a small engineering consulting business, Process Innovations. I'm excited to grow my understanding of business sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and the rising trend of focus on this topic.

My wife and I, along with our two kids, now live outside Denver, Co. and we are loving the rocky mountain life. We enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, and skiing.

Matthew Taylor

matayl23 — 2021-07-03 11:48:42 UTC

My name is Matthew Taylor and I am currently the Chief Technology Advisor at a mid-sized department of defense contractor. Prior to this position I ran my own IT services business before selling it to pursue other opportunities.

I made the decision to join the MBA program at NCSU because I have always had a desire for more formal business training and NCSU offered a STEM designated tec focus.
I am looking forward to this class and learning more about sustainability in business as it continues to grow in importance for todays and future business.

Chester Oates

2021-07-03 17:22:57 UTC

Hello Everyone, My name is Chester Oates and I am currently a Solutions Engineer at Salesforce. I have been there for about 3 months now and prior to that I was a solutions Engineer at NetApp. I enrolled in the MBA program with hopes of growing my network as well as growing my marketability in the job field. As I have continued my journey through the MBA I have begun to understand that I have more options than just working for someone else my entire life and I am currently in the process of transitioning to self employment. I am taking this class in hopes of making sure that my moral compass is continuously set in the right position so that I can better serve my community and people. Outside of class I am a huge fan of cooking and all things food related. I also enjoy spending time with my family.

Kimberly Taft

ketaft — 2021-07-04 15:37:57 UTC

Hi everyone,
My name is Kimberly Taft and I am excited to be part of MBA 590 (631).

In May I joined Cisco as a Small Business Demand Manager, but previously I worked at UNC Health as a marketing strategist. I took a brief leave of absence from the MBA program and this is my first class back.

I started the MBA program in 2019 with the hopes of acquiring skills and knowledge that will help me advance my career. Outside of work and school I enjoy running. My fiance and I started a run streak last May and I am currently on day 406. What that means is everyday for the last 406 days, I ran at least a mile.

I look forward to getting to know everyone over the next five weeks.

-Kimberly

Araceli Ponce de León

2021-07-05 21:47:49 UTC

Hello everybody! Thank you, Jessica Thomas, for being the instructor for this course. My name is Araceli Ponce de Leon; I started the MBA program in Fall 2019 because I want to keep learning and improving. I will start taking more classes per semester if my job allows it. My husband and I live in Cary, we have only one daughter; she recently graduated as a chemical, mechanical and biological engineer from MIT. I studied for my bachelor's degree in Mexico in Business Administration. I have been working in my own business, in manufacturing companies, non-profit organizations. Currently, I work online for a bank where I have been for the last three years, but I want to start a new sustainable business. I enjoy learning new languages; I speak Spanish and French, English is the language in progress. I enjoy cooking, traveling, watching movies, exercising, and spending time with friends.

I am looking forward to working with you all!

I will share my most recent photo from this morning while running my 5 miles.