October 2 0 2 2 | I S S U E 1

NORTHERN ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY
MBA ALUMNI
A publication of the Northern Illinois University MBA Offices

Upcoming
Letter from the Dean Events
Balaji Rajagopalan
Greetings, Huskies! Welcome to the first issue of the NIU MBA alumni
newsletter. Through this newsletter, we will share updates about
exciting developments and news about the college, program and Homecoming Football
alumni. Game - Oct. 8
Our graduates continue to have a profound impact on the everchanging
business landscape shaping the future of industry. We are very proud of
our alumni and are eager to continue to build upon the relationship with
COB Alumni Award Dinner
you as you continue to rise in your professional career. We recognize - Oct. 21
that the fast pace of change in industry requires lifelong learning, and

we are ready to be a source of cutting-edge knowledge for you. Together, we look forward to
helping you stay current, expand your professional network and change lives of those around us. The Commencements Graduate
social impact mission of the College of Business is paramount to us, and we look to your knowledge
School - Dec. 10
and support to contribute to the social mobility of future generations to positively impact the
sustainable economic development of our region.

On the programmatic front, we continue to enhance our MBA program by updating the course New Class Schaumburg One
content to remain relevant to industry and, more importantly, design experiences that create value
for students. Do you have an idea on how we can enhance experiences in the MBA program? Send
Year MBA - Jan. 2023
them to us by emailing Dr. Anthony Preston at apreston@niu.edu. Thank you for your continued
support and commitment to the College of Business. I hope to see you in person at one of our
upcoming events. Go Huskies!

mba@niu.edu
NIU MBA Program
866-648-6221
Anthony's Updates Huskies on the
Anthony Preston, Assistant Dean
Move
We are pleased to announce our inaugural issue of the
MBA alumni newsletter. This newsletter will be sent out
twice a year and will have updates on upcoming events Congratulations to these
and recent MBA news. Over the past few years, the
College of Business has been diligently working on MBA alumni on their new
reimagining our MBA program. Thanks to the great work roles!
by our curriculum committee and alumni, we have
redesigned our MBA curriculum and program formats to
meet the demands of industry. Andrew Gorski
Senior Channel Sales Manager,
We recently announced new partnerships with MATTER and Motorola Solutions
where our One Year MBA program will now be housed. More than just a space, the Dynabook
partnership will allow our current MBA students access to experts and startups to
learn from leaders. There are many great accomplishments the team has been able Jonathan Abejuela
to achieve that we hope we can continue to highlight through our social media
posts and upcoming alumni events. Senior Category Manager,
Mizkan America
We are eager to hear from you, our alumni, on all your successes that you have had
since graduating from our NIU MBA program. It is our sincere hope to continue to
strengthen our lifetime partnership together and build upon the strong Huskie
Lacey Cortez
network in the future. We appreciate the dedication and loyalty that you have to Senior Finance Manager,
NIU and our program. Your continuous effort and commitment to giving back has HARIBO of America
helped our program thrive.
Manufacturing
We hope to reconnect with many of you at our upcoming events and provide an
opportunity for you to reunite with your peers. Thank you for your continued
support and commitment to the College of Business and our MBA program at NIU.
Go Huskies!

Networking
Event
at Topgolf
Alumni, current students
and prospective students
joined together for
networking and fun. All
fueled with food, drinks
and great golf shots!

mba@niu.edu
NIU MBA Program
866-648-6221
 MBA-Related Articles
NIU MBA’s new Northwest Suburb location in-residence with
Motorola Solutions -
Motorola Solutions, Inc. is the new home for the college’s
Schaumburg-based, one-year MBA program. The new location
expands upon the college’s intention to provide students with the
dynamic environment that is characteristic of leading
organizations in the global technology sector.

Alan T. Handley, CEO of LRS, gives compelling EMBA

Keynote Address -
At a graduation celebration for Northern Illinois University
Executive MBA students, Alan Handley, CEO of LRS (formerly
known as Lakeshore Recycling Systems) and NIU alumnus,
provided an inspirational keynote address outlining important life
lessons. Handley reminded students to take risks and to fail small
but fail often, be relentlessly curious, love fiercely, be
empathetic, seek out things that challenge you and make you
uncomfortable, never underestimate friends and their
contributions to your social and professional growth, and always
find ways to give back.

NIU MBA’s new Chicago location in-residence with

MATTER at the Merchandise Mart -
MATTER became the new home for the college’s Chicago-
based, one-year MBA program. MATTER is a global health care
incubator located in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, and the new
location expands upon an existing three-year partnership
launched in spring 2019.

MBA commencement keynoter Brent Brodeski, CEO Savant

Wealth and alumnus, shares key lessons -
Brent Bodeski, CEO of Savant Wealth and an alumnus, shared
insights on creating a long and successful career as well as a
balanced and happy life to the Executive MBA Class of 2021.
Bodeski shared six pieces of advice including the importance of
taking risks and giving back.

mba@niu.edu
NIU MBA Program
866-648-6221
 As alumni, you have the voice to help us promote our

HOW CAN
MBA program and tell students how it has helped you
grow in your careers. To help the program succeed, you

YOU HELP? can interact with our social media pages linked in the
icons below, register for networking events, and offer
to speak with current and prospective students.

REFERRALS
If you know someone who may
benefit from earning their MBA

Class Notes
at NIU, please fill out the referral
form.

When you refer a friend or

This section will include updates colleague, you help our NIU
on YOU! We are so grateful for MBA program thrive and
our alumni, and we want to keep continue to grow each year.
up to date on each of your new
adventures and successes. At NIU, we value the power of
community and we hope to help
those who have helped you as
Please fill in this form with any
well.
updates on you, your career, or
your personal life.

We will go through each

submission and select a few alumni
to feature in this section for each
issue.

mba@niu.edu
NIU MBA Program
866-648-6221