Leticia Hutchins’ four-year-old coffee business has been 500 years in the making. “My family has been coffee farming in Honduras for five generations,” explains Hutchins (BUS ’16), cofounder of Alma Coffee, a Georgia-based coffee roaster and importer. “For generations that was all my family knew, the farming side of coffee. They never roasted their own…
Category: Alumni Profiles
Alumnus Leads Data Tech Firm That Helps Hospitals Curb Costs
“I never even considered running a company until I interviewed for this job,” says Dan Michelson (MBA ’94), who celebrates his ninth year as CEO of Chicago-based Strata Decision Technology this June. Growing up in the Chicago area, Michelson “was an introverted kid, very insecure,” he explains, “and when I got to DePaul, I was…
Political Pioneer Bushra Amiwala Reclaims Her Voice
I think a lot of us just didn’t think that this kind of change would be possible for someone who had a particular background.” — Bushra Amiwala (BUS ’20) Two years ago, Bushra Amiwala’s (BUS ’20) candidacy for the Cook County Board of Commissioners captured the attention of national media outlets and won her a…
Alumna Alex White Bridges the Music-Business Gap
As industry leaders, it’s our responsibility to learn all of the Vincentian, ethical lessons that I feel DePaul does a really good job at emphasizing in the MBA program—that people in money decisions aren’t just data.” — Miss Alex White (BUS ’07) In 2008, Miss Alex White (BUS ’07) made a pact with her…
DePaul MBA Alumnus and Professor Collaborate to Release Jazz CD
Nov. 18 marks the U.S. release date for “Bella Vita,” a gypsy jazz CD that is the culmination of a unique musical collaboration between Dario Napoli, an Italian musician and DePaul MBA alumnus, and Steven Briggs, DePaul business professor emeritus and founder of Blue Night Records, a jazz/Americana music label. In this Q&A, Napoli and…
Alumna Leads Launch of Innovative New Bank
When I think about the impact DePaul had on my life and career, I also go back to networks. DePaul expanded my perspective, my skill set, but perhaps most importantly, my network— a network I continue to leverage and grow today. Marianne Markowitz (MBA ’92) is leading the launch of Illinois’ first new commercial bank…
Walgreens Exec Turns Real Estate Experience into Real-world Lessons
Nestor Eliadis MBA ’10 I chose DePaul because it best combined a world-class education, alumni network and location that provides a gateway to the marketplace. Residence: Orland Park, Ill. Occupation: As senior director of real estate for Walgreens, I lead the real estate program in the Southern United States, which includes asset development and portfolio…
DePaul Provided Foundation for CEO’s Success
Frank S. Ptak (BUS ’65, DHL ’13) My love for the city where I grew up and for DePaul, which came to my financial aid when my father died, will never end.” RESIDENCE: Boca Raton, Fla. OCCUPATION: I recently retired as chairman and CEO of Marmon Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. My…
Raising the Bar
Jared Smith and the Startup that Became a $600M Game-Changer When Jared Smith (BUS ’08) began attending DePaul University, he thought he wanted to be a math teacher. His passion for business quickly led him to transfer to the Driehaus College of Business, where he double majored in economics and finance before graduating. Now, Smith…
Double Demon Leads Business Simulation Company
Reda Chafai BUS ’05, MBA ’10 Residence: Palatine, Ill. Occupation: President, Capsim Management Solutions Inc., a Chicago-based company that delivers online business simulations and rich learning environments for both academic and corporate clients. I began working there as a business training analyst in 2007 and have since held a number of positions that have helped…
