Executive in Residence
Our Executive in Residence is a series that provides an interactive forum for Executive MBA students to engage with distinguished industry leaders while fostering meaningful connections with Executive MBA alumni, faculty and staff. Gain behind-the-scenes perspectives on leading and transforming global businesses and strengthen your professional network.
Forum Details
Each session begins with a networking dinner followed by a dynamic keynote presentation from a featured speaker, culminating in an interactive Q&A session.
- Where: NIU Naperville
- When: twice per semester
- Access: exclusively for the Executive MBA community
About Our Speakers
Many executives are NIU alumni with whom we maintain strong relationships. They’re approachable, candid and eager to engage with students, making the experience both inspiring and accessible.
“Some advice I like to give is to move around in your career before you move up in your career. When I was moving laterally, I remember someone told me that I had just taken my career to die. But it was the combination of skills that helped me to be marketable.”– Janet Zelenka, MBA ’82
“It’s the leader’s role to enable a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up, where it’s OK to make mistakes, but don’t make the same mistake twice.”– John Tsaras, ’14
“When you do things the right way and when you do things the wrong way, it stays with you for your career.”– John Amaya, ’88
Lifetime Learning for Alumni
Once you complete the Executive MBA program, the learning does not end there.
As an alumnus of our program, you will be invited to attend our Executive in Residence at no cost as part of our commitment to providing our Huskies with lifetime learning opportunities. At each of these events, you will enjoy a complimentary gourmet meal, networking with other business professionals, and learning from executive leaders who have proven their skills in the real world.
Learn more about our previous speakers:
- Janet Zelenka, MBA ’82, retired finance and technology executive
- John Tsaras, ’14, head of operations for Operating Unit Digital Services at The Coca-Cola Company
- Mouneer Ahmad, ’96, CEO of the Duallie Luggage Corporation; deputy associate director of the Federal Reserve Board
- Wheeler Coleman, '83, CEO of EC-United
- John Amaya, '88, retired finance executive
- Justin Gress, '05, COO of Vantage Risk
- Al Crook, '92, chief HR officer, Zurich, North America
- Ani Filipova, founder and CEO, Change Advisory, Former Global Banking Executive
- Jocelyn Moore, MBA ’09, general manager of Global Diversity and Inclusion at Microsoft
- Rhonda Robinson, EMBA ’13, director – People and Inclusion Impact, United Airlines
- Dennis Barsema, ’77, NIU Board of Trustees secretary, philanthropist and former technology executive
- Terry Horan, ’86, past president and CEO of STIHL
- David Kalinowski, NIU ’89, president of Proactive Worldwide
- Fuad Hasanov, adjunct professor of economics at Georgetown University and senior economist at the International Monetary Fund