Alumni Spotlights

Cary L. Purvines
MBA in Marketing Management 2008
Cooper Crouse-Hinds, Product Planner

Forgoing the option to attend medical school, Cary chose the Whitman School, because of its excellent facilities, a close-knit faculty, and outstanding resources. Cary said, “With smaller class sizes, I knew the Whitman School would provide opportunities to work one-on-one with professors and other students. Syracuse University’s extensive alumni network was another factor in my decision.” 

Cary credits her marketing internship at Cooper Crouse-Hinds as well as her MBA studies in helping her land a full-time position at Cooper Crouse-Hinds upon graduation. She said, “The Whitman School’s excellent marketing faculty has prepared me for the challenges of my position. I am able to transfer many of the concepts I learned in the MBA program and contribute a great deal to the Commercial Products department at Cooper Crouse-Hinds.” 

Seyi Ogundeji ’07 MBA
MBA in Marketing Management and Supply Chain Management 2007
Inventory Analyst, Sears Holdings Corporation

Seyi found the small class size in Whitman's full-time MBA program to be an advantage—she never felt lost in the crowd—and she was happy to be studying procurement at a business school known for its supply chain management program.

“The full-time MBA program is very focused,” she said. “The supply chain faculty do a lot to prepare students for the outside world, with Six Sigma and CPIM exams. They make students aware of how the outside world really is, and how to be a success in the real world.” Upon graduation, Seyi accepted a position with Sears Holdings Corporation.

Jessica Cemate
MBA in Marketing Management and Supply Chain Management 2008
Ochsner Medical Center

In choosing an MBA program, Jessica Cemate was looking for a small, close-knit program that would give her choices in concentrations while allowing her to pursue her interests in healthcare administration. Syracuse University was a perfect fit. “I love the flexibility the Whitman MBA offered me, especially the ability to enroll in a joint program with the Maxwell School, where I took part in a certificate program in Healthcare Management and Policy,” said Jessica.

Jessica spent the summer of 2007 working on two internships: one as a strategic planning/business development intern at Crouse Hospital and the other implementing a consulting project at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. The experience led to a job offer from Ochsner Medical Center, in Louisiana, where Jessica headed after graduation.

Benjamin Thompson
MBA in Accounting 2007
Deloitte

Originally from Altoona, Thompson returned to Pennsylvania to work with the global accounting firm Deloitte in Pittsburgh. Thompson met a contact at Deloitte while on a six-week trip to Melbourne, Australia, where he was completing an internship with Kodak. In Melbourne, Thompson and three other auditors participated in the first Sarbanes-Oxley compliance audit for Kodak Polychrome Graphics (KPG).

As a Whitman MBA student, Thompson was a member of the Whitman Investment Club. “Whitman really puts a strong emphasis on teamwork, which makes for a very positive learning experience,” said Thompson. “It is a lot easier to meet people when you work in a smaller setting.”

Eric Ripley
MBA and MS (ESF), 2007
Environmental Consultant, First Environment Inc.

Working closely with Elet Callahan, professor of law and public policy, Eric Ripley helped establish Whitman’s Business and Sustainability Program and also co-established the University Sustainability Action Coalition, focused on moving SU and ESF toward sustainability. As chair of the coalition’s Investments Committee, he was directly responsible for SU’s Treasurer’s Office adopting a new proxy voting protocol that will better ensure that investment decisions align with the University’s broader values and sustainability priorities.

“SU has joined an elite list of universities and institutional investors that realize they have a powerful voice through proactive shareholder engagement practices,” said Ripley, whose professional challenges are now focused on greenhouse gas management and climate change strategy at First Environment Inc. in Chicago. “Proactive investors around the world are winning battles related to the environment and climate change as well as human rights, diversity, and a host of other issues. I’m proud to have played a part in SU adding its name to that list.”

Ryan Houx, who is currently a business consultant with BearingPoint, initially looked into pursuing an MBA at Whitman because of its Northeast location and proximity to New York City. “Whitman caught my eye as a growing program with a diverse student population and a solid alumni network,” said Ryan. “My time at Whitman afforded me the opportunity to work in companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups to large and established organizations. My career choice in consulting became a natural and logical progression.”

Piper Titus found the combination of classroom lectures, guest speakers, team projects, and networking events on and off campus at Whitman, provided her with business tools and instilled in her the confidence to succeed in today’s competitive business environment.

Piper says, “My current company [DiMarco, Abiusi and Pascarella] was interested in hiring me particularly because of the managerial flair that I honed through my Whitman MBA. I’m certain Whitman will enable me to attain my goal of one day becoming a controller in a private firm.”

Christine Ringler credits her studies at the Whitman School in helping her discover her career interests and gain entry into a PhD program at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. 

"Going into the Whitman School I knew I was interested in marketing but I was unsure exactly what I wanted to do after graduation," says Christine. "During the summer after my first year I had the opportunity to work with a professor doing research on new product development and product champions. Because of this work, I was accepted into my PhD program at Arizona State University. Additionally, our paper was published at the International DSI Conference.”

Mario Hernando Aguilar de Irmay came to Whitman as a Fulbright Scholar from Bolivia, where he had studied economics as an undergraduate and worked as an economic development consultant for the Ministry of Popular Participation.

Mario cites “the close relationships he developed with professors and classmates as one of the most valuable aspects of his Whitman experience.” After graduating, Mario secured an analyst position at Markov Processes International, and he currently resides in the New York City area.

Piotr cites his international internships in London and Tokyo with Whitman as the most important experiences that helped him secure his position at Deloitte. “Thanks to my Whitman internships, my candidature became strong enough that I was invited to numerous job interviews early in the year, and I landed a job offer in one of the top accounting companies, Deloitte, by October,” says Piotr.