Special sauce!
EMBAC offers members a unique community of sharing
The first time Colette Feldges attended an EMBAC conference, she decided to listen before sharing her experiences, but she changed her mind as other members discussed their concerns.
“I’m sitting there thinking these people, it’s like they’re reading my mind,” says Feldges, director of the EMBA Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Joe Stephens, senior assistant dean and director at the University of Texas at Austin, often notes a similar reaction when he talks to newer members at EMBAC conferences. “There are so many people who go through the same exact thing, and I hear, ‘I thought I was the only one.’ ”
Stephens values the network that he’s built as a result of his membership. “I’m hugely advantaged because of the connections I’ve made through EMBAC throughout the years and the fact that I’ve had great opportunities to serve.”
Hallmarks of the EMBAC culture include a consistent supportive, collegial environment and regular sharing of ideas, challenges, and opportunities. “I sometimes forget how lucky I’ve been to have the access to be with people from some great schools hearing about what they are doing,” says Feldges.
A place to build relationships
No matter how they start, connections among members in EMBAC spark quickly and often deeply.
Relationships can result from attending an EMBAC event, either in person, or online, presenting at the conference or a regional meeting, joining one or more of EMBAC’s committees, using the member portal directory to contact another member, or sending a question or two to members through the portal’s topic- and event-based communities.
“I think it’s all about relationships,” says Randell Hernandez, director of admissions, Executive MBA, at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Hernandez started his career in the higher education graduate world in 2008. When he discovered EMBAC, he began participating in events and volunteering, including serving on the EMBAC Board of Trustees. Along the way, he’s met and formed relationships with members from throughout the world and gained insights about globalization and the many other changes that impact EMBA Programs.
“This organization is unlike any other organization I belong to,” says Hernandez. “We have built trust with each other, and we share things that I’ve never shared the way I share in this organization.”
Greater involvement, greater gains
While engagement can take many forms, the greater the involvement, the greater the benefits. Like Hernandez and Stephens, Feldges has routinely attended conferences and regional meetings, and has served on the board and committees. She encourages members to take a deep dive into EMBA for the tremendous returns the time investment brings.
“If I had just joined and never really done anything, I would have gotten something out of my membership,” she says. “I would have met some people, but nothing to the level that I’ve received, especially being on the board and on committees.
“You give your time, but you get so much back in terms of insights and how different people are thinking. Having these conversations with really smart people and thinking about problems differently, it’s energizing and enriching. There’s such value in these committees and meeting and working with a small group of really good, smart, and interesting people.”
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