Archive for May, 2011

Northern Europe and Central Europe are now tied for third place in Thunderbird’s first annual Global Giving Competition.

Which team is going to pull ahead and earn recognition in Thunderbird Magazine? With five more weeks to go, it could be anyone!

The China & Hong Kong team is still leading the way in first place, and have even exceeded Thunderbird’s overall participation goal of 17 percent by reaching 17.7 percent to date.  The U.K. team remains in second place with 15.9 percent participation.

Thunderbird’s current participation figure stands at 12 percent. One week ago our figure was 11.7 percent. The goal for the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011 is 17 percent. We can get there, but we need your help!

Please Tweet this message, e-mail it, post it on your Facebook pages and encourage T-birds on your team to support Thunderbird.

Some interesting developments in the competition this week:

-          The Eastern Europe Russia and Mongolia team leaped ahead to 13.4 percent!

-          Much of the United States increased slightly this past week, which was more than the previous week.

This week we want to extend a special thanks to all of the Chapter Leaders who have offered their assistance.

• Thank you Honolulu Chapter Leader Vince Kimura ’10 for sharing the competition on Facebook.
• Thank you Lima Chapter Leader Carla Bernaoloa ’10 for taking on the competition with such enthusiasm.
• Thank you Washington D.C. Chapter Leader Jean-Christophe Deverines ’01 for promoting the competition among your Chapter.
• Thank you Moscow Chapter Leader Yulia Fenzl ’10 for taking on the competition with such enthusiasm.
• Thank you Salt Lake City Chapter Leader Tarek Mango ’02 for offering to spread the word about the competition.
• Thank you South Florida Chapter Leader Hanna Brenalt ’09 for offering to reach out to your team members and encourage enthusiasm among your teammates.
• Thank you Rio de Janeiro Chapter Leader Luciana Araujo ’08 for offering to spread the message about the competition to your chapter.

And to everyone else who has helped in any way – great or small – we thank you and please let us know so that we can recognize you in next week’s blog!

For everyone else, lets show our support for Thunderbird this week, and lets see the numbers rise by making a gift here!

The winning team in this competition will be featured in the Fall edition of Thunderbird Magazine and will see their names published. They will also receive a personal thank you letter from President Dr. Cabrera and will be recognized during the 11-11-11 events. Two runner up teams will be recognized in summary form.

This week’s statistics:

Africa & Middle East               10.1%

South Korea                  9.3%

China & Hong Kong                 17.7%

Inda, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh                      11.3%

Southeast Asia                 14.0%

Taiwan               12.5%

Oceana, Indonesia, Malaysia                      7.1%

Thailand                      6.4%

U.K. group                   15.9%

Spain                     12.3%

France                   13.4%

Germany                        12.7%

Northern Europe                       14.1%

Central Europe                   14.1%

Brazil                    12.5%

Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador                      13.1%

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay                      13.7%

Peru, Bolivia, Suriname                   14.0%

Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming             9.4%

Washington State                      12.3%

Nevada, Utah, Mexico                       9.9%

Colorado                       9.9%

North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas                  10.5%

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri                 9.3%

Indiana, Michigan                        11.6%

Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia                    10.3%

New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Pennsylvania           12.1%

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine           12.3%

Washington D.C, Virginia & Maryland         11.6%

North Carolina and South Carolina              10.2%

California                     9.6%

Arizona                 9.2%

Texas                     10.5%

Illinois                   10.2%

New York                             10.8%

Florida               9.3%

Canada              11.7%

Central America                     10.5%

Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Alaska                10.9%

Eastern Europe, Russia & Mongolia                   13.4%

Please note: Three teams in the Washington D.C. and New England area have been reconfigured due to the fact that many Washington D.C. participants live in surrounding states.

Rod Taylor ’75 recently published an article in American Banker entitled “Requirements for Bank Directors Are Shifting.” In the article, Taylor said that banks must redefine their qualifying criteria for board membership as they ready themselves for future leadership requirements. Taylor is the founder and senior partner of Taylor & Co.

F. Francis Najafi ’77 was featured in the Phoenix Business Journal for receiving an Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The awards, sponsored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, recognize outstanding citizenship, individual achievement and encouragement of cultural unity. Najafi also recently published a column in The Arizona Republic called “Arizona needs to undo its anti-immigrant image.”

John Allen ’81 was recently profiled in the Redlands Daily Facts. The article begins by saying that “At any given time, John Allen could be in Redlands, China or India.” It then talks about Allen’s pump business called JDA Global LLC and how he has done business in 60 countries during the last 25 years.

Saad Abdul-Latif ’81 was recently profiled in The National. The article duscusses everything from his upbringing to his favorite films and books. In the piece, Abdul-Latif said that the “key to success is hard work, taking risks and surrounding oneself with very good people.” Abdul-Latif is PepsiCo’s Regional Chief Executive and has been with the company for 29 years.

Sharisse Johnson ’86 was recently featured in The Arizona Republic for her business, which landed in one of the top 10 Arizona-based restaurant groups. The article discusses how she became president and CEO of Macayo’s Restaurants LLC, a chain of 14 Arizona restaurants and related businesses. The article also discusses Johnson’s love of travel and how she has visited Mexico, Africa and Asia with her twin 16-year-old boys.

Cindy Cooper ’00 was recently interviewed by Dowser about her company Speak Shop, which seeks to create intercultural dialogue and understanding through language lessons. People use the service to take Spanish lessons with tutors in Guatemala one-on-one by webcam and the founders hope to expand to other languages. In the article, Cooper discusses lessons learned while forming her business and how to create and run a social enterprise.

Bill Decker ’02 was recently featured in the Philadelphia Business Journal as a top “40 Under 40.” The 38-year-old alumnus is President of The Hub, which is based in Philadelphia and operates meeting and event centers. In addition to operating three locations and 45,000 square feet of meeting space, the company also has a meeting software solution coming out this year.

Alumni invited at discounted rates, including $200 off before Aug. 15

On Nov. 10-11, Thunderbird will convene its inaugural Global Business Dialogue, a high-level forum that will draw hundreds of top global leaders and executives from around the world for two days of leading-edge dialogue, collaboration, and networking.

The Dialogue will focus on “Redefining Global Leadership,” and discussion will center on effective leadership in the new world economy. “Leadership matters. And, in a flat world where technology and globalization have leveled the playing field, you don’t need to be a CEO to be a leader,” said Thunderbird President Ángel Cabrera, Ph.D.  “Global leadership is not about position or status; it’s about effecting real change.”

Individual sessions will cover a range of global business topics including, navigating business across cultures; financial solutions for global growth and prosperity; entering and succeeding in emerging markets; technology and its impact in an interconnected world; and the roles of business in creating social and economic prosperity worldwide.

Among the keynote speakers already lined up to share ideas and experiences is class of ’79 alumnus Robert W. Dudley, CEO of BP Group, and Craig R. Barrett, retired CEO and chairman of the board for Intel Corporation. Invited speakers include Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto and former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton. Please visit www.thunderbird.edu/dialogue for an up-to-the-minute agenda and list of global speakers.

Thunderbird alumni are invited to attend at a discounted rate of $395 until Aug. 15. After Aug. 15, prices go up to $595 for alumni and $795 for the general public.

The Dialogue is being held in conjunction with Thunderbird’s annual homecoming festivities Nov. 11-13, the Grand Opening of the renovated Tower and the 70th birthday of class of ’65 alumnus, donor and Trustee Merle A. Hinrichs on Nov. 11.

A new mobile application now  puts the power of the world’s No. 1 alumni network in the palm of the user’s hand. Featuring a real-time GPS tracking service, the app allows the entire Thunderbird global community to locate and contact one another instantly no matter where they are in the world.

Thunderbird Mobile, available now for iPhone and iPad, can be downloaded for free from the Apple Store now and will be followed in the coming months with Android and mobile Web versions that will allow access to all smartphone users.

“This application was created and designed primarily as a tool that would allow T-birdsto stay connected to each other and the school from the convenience of their phones,” said Carol Sunnucks, Thunderbird senior director of corporate communications. “With an alumni network of more than 40,000 business men and women living and working in more than 140 countries, this tool will play a pivotal role in helping to keep our global community connected.”

The star of Thunderbird Mobile is the opt-in GPS tracking service. Developed by MobiLaurus, a Boston-based mobile marketing and engagement company, the app allows members of the Thunderbird community to connect with the school and each other, in real-time no matter where they are in the world. “Map T-Birds by GPS” displays a world map that pin points “live” T-birds near the user’s current location. The map can then be manipulated to zoom out showing individuals in their current locations around the world.

In addition to being able to map and find “T-birds” in real time near their current location, other functions allow users the ability to search for fellow T-birds by name, class year, address or industry; locate Thunderbird businesses by industry, job function, geographic location, product or service; find and contact  alumni chapters and chapter leaders in more than 74 countries worldwide; review and update personal profiles; donate to Thunderbird securely and conveniently; and refer potential T-birds to the school. Also available through the application are Thunderbird news and events, columns by thought leaders on current global issues and trends, regular posts from Thunderbird’s Alumni Impact blog and more.

Thunderbird’s mobile technology securely draws data and information from internal and external Web platforms and databases that allow the School to provide open access to some features while keeping the global network access limited to members of the Thunderbird community.

While the Thunderbird Mobile application is available for iPhone and iPad now, Android and mobile Web options will be launched later this year.

By Paul Rachmanides ‘79

T-bird Paul Rachmanides ’79 recently published his book The Potato Peeler, which tells the story of a man from Greece and the journey that would eventually take him to the USA – the country of his dreams.

The book makes two fundamental points:

-The individual determines his or her success, if willing to pay the price.

-America allows you to become what you dared to think, imagine and believe. Your development is limited only by your imagination, persistence and passion.

The essence of The Potato Peeler is the idea that what you have at this very moment has absolutely nothing to do with what you could become.

Success in life does not depend on tangibles, like money, grants, scholarships, state-of-the-art facilities and so on. What determines success are intangibles, like thinking big, show tenacity, perseverance and dedication, display stamina and being willing to suffer and to sacrifice. There are no shortcuts to success.

To succeed in life you need to discover the purpose in your life, then fall madly in love with it and relentlessly pursue it, regardless of the resources on hand.

Rachmanides has been the owner of State Inspection of Kingwood, Texas, since 2001.  He grew up on a farm in Greece and later immigrated to the United States

Purchase his book here

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution will present the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship to CH2M HILL’s Lee McIntire, at a dinner to be held on June 21, 2011 at The Grand Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The event is being co-chaired by Steven Farber and David McReynolds who will be joined by Special Guest, Sam Donaldson, ABC News veteran and president of the Wilson Council.

Lee McIntire is the Chairman and CEO of CH2M HILL, which with 23,000 employees is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations and program management for private and public clients. Mr. McIntire has more than 35 years of industry experience and has overseen projects including the 2012 London Olympics, Panama Canal Expansion, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and West Coast Line in the United Kingdom, the Croatian Motorway, Mumbai airport and Emirates Nuclear Energy Program.

Mr. McIntire’s priorities for the firm are the highest standards of ethical behavior, safety, quality, and a positive client experience. The firm is frequently recognized for its focus on sustainability and its employees. CH2M HILL actively supports organizations such as Water for People, Engineers without Borders, and the Catalyst Award for the Development of Women. CH2M HILL’s commitment to sound corporate practices has been recognized by industry leaders, such as Ethisphere Institute, who in 2009, 2010, and 2011 named CH2M HILL among the “World’s Most Ethical Companies”. Fortune Magazine named CH2M HILL one of the “Best Places to work” for 2011.

Mr. McIntire lends his leadership to a number of organizations around the world: the Business Roundtable; World Economic Forum and the Engineering Construction Partnership of the World Economic Forum; World Business Council on Sustainable Development; U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum; National Petroleum Council; Council on Competitiveness; Aspen Institute’s Commission on the Arctic, and the National Academy of Construction. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Thunderbird School for Global Management.

The Woodrow Wilson Awards recognize leaders in government, business, science, the arts, and beyond who have embraced openness, dialogue, and service in confronting the issues of their day on the local, national, and international levels. Since their inception more than ten years ago, the Awards have been presented in major cities across the United States and around the world. Individuals who have received the Woodrow Wilson Awards include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Bernard Arnault, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Sherry Lansing, Anne Mulcahy, and the Honorable Pete Peterson, among others.

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, established in 1968 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the living, national memorial to the United States’ 28th president.

Phil Ouellette ’84 has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer for Lindsay, Stone & Briggs. Ouellette joined the company in 2000 and became a partner and Senior Vice President in 2006. Ouellette has worked as a business strategist at multiple companies, including Honeywell. While at Lindsay, Stone & Briggs, he co-founded and launched a digital gaming company called Egencie, which develops social games, applications and web-enabled games in Europe, the U.S., Canada and Australia for brands such as Sony, Mr. Bean, Mattel and Fiskars.

John Burwell ’90 has been named to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Adayana. Burwell joined Adayana in April 2010 as Senior Vice President, Business Development for the Adayana government group. He has more than 25 years of experience developing business for a variety of organizations that create training and learning solutions as well as for innovative companies that develop related enabling technologies. Before joining Adayana, he drove sales and marketing activities for Forterra Systems (acquired by SAIC in 2010), a Silicon Valley-based software company that produced online virtual world solutions for enterprise and government. Prior to Forterra, Burwell worked in several business development and marketing roles related to computer graphics, virtual worlds, video games and geospatial imaging – including 10 years at Silicon Graphics Computer Systems (SGI).

Russell Wood ’90 has recently been appointed Vice President of Canadian Sales & Operations to lead the way for ViSalus Sciences. Wood has more than 18 years in the direct-selling industry and has held management positions at companies such as NuSkin, Tahitian Noni Inc, Xango and the Limu Company. He was selected to the role because of his extensive expertise in international business, distributor relations, the development and launch of new products, supply chain management, regulatory approval and distribution, IT and strategic planning. Wood is also fluent in Mandarin.

Juan Maria Gallego-Toledo ’93 was recently appointed Chief Commercial Officer for Celistics, a global company specializing in distribution logistics of mobile headsets and electronics. The designation of Gallego-Toledo will spearhead the growth strategy for Celistics’ development of retail channels, physical and virtual, across Latin American markets. Gallego-Toledo brings to Celistics more than 17 years of experience from Finland’s Nokia Inc. Prior to his new position with Celistics, Gallego-Toledo was General Director of Telefonica for Nokia Spain.

Mike Speetzen ’05 is expected to serve as the new Chief Financial Officer in one of three new companies that will be formed upon completion of ITT Corporation’s previously announced plan to spin off its defense and water businesses later this year. Speetzen is currently Vice President of Finance for Fluid and Motion Control. He joined ITT in 2009 as Vice President of Finance for Fluid Technology and his role was expanded to his current position later that year. Prior to joining ITT, Speetzen served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the StandardAero division of private equity firm Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.

The Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador team had the greatest percentage increase in new gifts this week in Thunderbird’s first annual Global Giving Competition. Way to go South America!

The team moved from 12.6 percent to 13.1 percent participation since last week, but it wasn’t enough to leap ahead of the China & Hong Kong team, which is leading the way with 17 percent participation. U.K. did not bring in any new gifts last week, but still held its ground in second place. The Southeast Asia team is still in third place.

Thunderbird’s current participation figure stands at 11.8 percent. One week ago, our figure was 11.6 percent. The goal for the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011, is 17 percent. We can get there, but we need your help!
Please Tweet this message, e-mail it, post it on your Facebook pages and encourage T-birds on your team to support Thunderbird.

Some interesting developments in the competition this week:

-          The Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador team sneaked slightly ahead of France

-          Washington State is now tied with New Jersey as the top U.S. team

-          Canada moved up from 10.9 to 11.3 percent participation.

Many teams did not move up at all this week. Lets show our support for Thunderbird this week, and lets see the numbers rise by making a gift here! Thank you to all T-birds who made a gift to Thunderbird this week and this fiscal year.

The winning team will be featured in the Fall edition of Thunderbird Magazine and will see their names published. They will also receive a personal thank you letter from President Dr. Cabrera and will be recognized during the 11-11-11 Global Celebration. Two runner up teams will be recognized in summary form.

This week’s statistics:

Africa & Middle East  11.4%
South Korea  9.5%
China & Hong Kong  17.0%
Inda, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh  11.3%
Southeast Asia 14.0%
Taiwan 12.5%
Oceana, Indonesia, Malaysia 7.1%
Thailand  6.4%
U.K. 15.3%
Spain 12.3%
France 13.0%
Germany 12.7%
Northern Europe 13.8%
Central Europe 13.7%
Eastern Europe, Russia & Mongolia 10.1%
Brazil 12.5%
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador 13.1%
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay  13.7%
Peru, Bolivia, Suriname  13.5%
Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming  9.4%
Washington State  12.2%
Nevada, Utah,  New Mexico  9.7%
Colorado  9.9%
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas 10.5%
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri 9.0%
Indiana, Michigan  11.4%
Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia  9.9%
Virginia  11.8%
Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut 11.1%
New Jersey  12.2%
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine  11.6%
Washington D.C. 8.3%
North Carolina and South Carolina  9.8%
California  9.3%
Arizona 9.1%
Texas 10.4%
Illinois 10.1%
New York 10.6%
Florida  9.1%
Canada 11.3%
Mexico 9.6%
Central America 10.7%
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Alaska 10.4%

“The Good, The Bad and the Scary: How your Digital Profile Impacts Your Job Search” was recently published on Forbes.com and provides an overview on strengthening your digital presence for your career.

“Your digital profile is a lasting legacy,” says author Meryl Weinsaft Cooper. “Pay attention to your posts, your posse and your privacy settings to stay on the right track.”

Elaina Verhoff (Hughes) ‘00 recently launched a free iPhone app called Kidlee Baby Book & Family Journal to help busy parents save and share their kid’s quotes, milestones and stories. The mobile app complements Kidlee.com, which was launched a year ago and lets parents tap in their precious memories while on the go.