Skip to content Skip to Programs Navigation

News & Stories

UNC Kenan-Flagler graduates two classes of global leaders

The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School hosted graduation for students in its OneMBA®, the global executive MBA program, and UNC-Tsinghua Dual-Degree EMBA Program on June 9, 2018.

UNC Kenan-Flagler students studied with their OneMBA classmates from Tecnológico de Monterrey Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership in Mexico, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in the Netherlands, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getulio Vargas in Brazil and the School of Management at Xiamen University in China. They collaborated on global virtual project teams – a significant component of OneMBA – with classmates from the partner schools, and learned from partner-school faculty and business leaders during residencies in the Netherlands, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, India, China and the U.S.

The OneMBA Class of 2018 averages 16 years of work experience at organizations such as Target Corporation, Accenture, Fannie Mae, LexisNexis, Kendra Scott, Ecolab, CSX Technology, United Technologies, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps. They traveled from Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, California and Bermuda to take their UNC OneMBA classes.

The UNC-Tsinghua Program develops the next generation of supply chain leaders through a unique partnership between top-ranked UNC Kenan-Flagler and Tsinghua University’s Department of Industrial Engineering, the premier engineering school in China.

The UNC-Tsinghua Class of 2018 average 12 years of work experience in such fields as information technology, finance, investment banking, education, transportation, technology, power supply and marketing. They traveled from Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Shijiangzhuang, Kunming and Jinan to study in Beijing and Chapel Hill.

“These talented business leaders invested in a unique global education where they developed knowledge, skills and relationships that are transforming their careers and lives,” said Sridhar Balasubramanian, senior associate dean of MBA Programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler. “We congratulate them and look forward to watching how they transform the organizations they lead and the communities they serve.”

Tesa Oechsle (OneMBA ’06) gave the keynote address. She is the former chief financial officer and treasurer of LORD Corporation, where she was responsible for all financial activities of the corporation and led strategy and mergers and acquisitions. Triangle Business Journal named her CFO of the Year in the giant-private-company category in 2011, and UNC Kenan-Flagler awarded her the Executive MBA Alumni Merit Award in 2012.
Susan Milburn Meier (OneMBA ’18), advanced practice provider manager with UNC Health Care and School of Medicine, and Li Min (UNC-Tsinghua ‘18), president and CEO of Yiyuan Fine Chemicals, spoke on behalf of their graduating classes.

Ian Boyd (OneMBA ’18), joint staff officer with the U.S. Air Force, presented an excellence in teaching award to Hugh O’Neill, professor of strategy and entrepreneurship and Edward M. O’Herron, Jr. Distinguished Scholar. Zhang Wendong (UNC-Tsinghua ’18), director of the department of project management at Fuhuachushang Investment Holding Group Ltd., presented an excellence in teaching award to Noel Greis, adjunct professor of operations and director of the Center Digital Enterprise and Innovation at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

6.11.2018