EMBA alumni return, reconnect, grow

Key points:

• Ascend: The Notre Dame Executive MBA Summit brought more than 125 graduates from classes spanning decades back to campus.
• Brian Mills (EMBA ’04), director of Enterprise AI at Google Cloud, gave the keynote on AI that set the tone for sessions on strategy, leadership and workplace culture.
• Registration more than doubled early expectations and planning for the 2027 summit is already underway.

 

There were hearty handshakes and warm hugs. There was reminiscing, easy laughter and candid conversation about the challenges they face as business leaders and how they’re meeting those challenges. A fresh sense of community developed, with alumni sharing ideas and advice.

That was Ascend, the inaugural Notre Dame Executive MBA Summit hosted by the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, which drew more than 125 Notre Dame Executive MBA alumni back to South Bend this fall.

Some live a short drive from campus. Others, like Christopher Bisson (EMBA ’15) of Guelph, Ontario, traveled many miles to be there. The summit offered sessions on AI, strategy, negotiation and workplace culture under the theme “Advancing Leadership. Amplifying Impact.” It also gave graduates from classes dating back to the 1980s a chance to reconnect.

“Learning is a lifelong endeavor,” said Bisson, who is committed to setting aside 10% of his time each year to keep building his skills. He leads Value Connect, an appraisal management technology company he conceived as part of his EMBA research project.

Now, more than a decade later, Bisson arrived with a new set of questions, many of them about AI. He wanted ideas for keeping his staff engaged in the conversation, helping them approach the technology without fear and charting a path forward for the company. He also hoped for quality time with movers and thinkers eager to grow and make connections.

“Ascend delivered on all of these,” he said.

Built With Alumni

When Brandon Erlacher (EMBA ’05) became academic director of the Notre Dame EMBA program, he took a hard look at Electives Week, which invited graduates back each summer to join current students in class. Few took part, so he rethought the approach from the ground up. 

He landed on three reasons alumni return to campus: Notre Dame itself, faculty and classmates, and learning something new.

“It’s a very special place. People want to come back here, to find those sacred spots, to be here on campus, especially in the fall,” Erlacher said. “The network and family EMBAs built during their time here shouldn’t end at graduation.”

Erlacher formed a steering committee of EMBA graduates, and together they designed a summit that blends academic rigor with real-world relevance and carries Mendoza’s mission, Grow the Good in Business, beyond graduation. Workshops on negotiation and reflection gave attendees tools to use right away, while dinner with Tom Mendoza, the College’s namesake, and a visit to Father Theodore Hesburgh’s office rounded out the days.

Registration more than doubled early expectations. Graduates from all but one class since the 1980s attended. For Erlacher, the real reward came from those who had lost touch with the College and told him they felt ready to engage again. “Ascend is our way of reaching out and saying, ‘We want you. We need you. You are this program, and we’re grateful you’re here,’” he said.

AI From Every Angle

Brian Mills (EMBA ’04), director of Enterprise AI at Google Cloud, delivered the keynote on putting AI to work at scale. A survey he conducted before the summit found that most attendees’ organizations were still testing AI rather than using it widely. He urged leaders to stop funding isolated pilots and rethink a few big problems from start to finish.

He also reminded the room that AI stirs real emotion. “You haven’t lived until you’re sitting in a room and someone breaks down crying because they’re concerned about AI and how it’s going to affect their grandchildren,” he said.

From the audience, Bisson, who wants to help his own staff approach AI without fear, asked how Mills turned that moment around. Mills said he stopped the meeting, learned about the woman’s background and sketched out on a whiteboard how the technology works.

“It’s the fear of the unknown at the end of the day,” Mills said. “The irony is now she is the AI champion in her company.”

Mills also described a toy retailer in England where AI now answers customer emails. Customers noticed, and satisfaction climbed. The company kept its full-time customer service team and moved them into new roles focused on identifying the next tasks for AI, with matching raises.

“They’re not firing them,” Mills said. “They’re prompt engineers now.”

Bisson saw that same idea in a breakout session on AI agents — software that can carry out tasks on its own. The presenter compared an agent to a new hire, and the analogy clicked. “You wouldn’t hire someone and then just let them loose,” Bisson said. “You show them how things are done, then watch them do it a few times, then set them loose.”

Value Connect is putting that approach in place now. “They graduate to the next level, and every time an agent ‘gets a promotion,’ so does the human working with it,” he said.

Next in Line

Colleen Wold, CPA (EMBA ’25), returned as one of the newest graduates in the room. The senior vice president and chief accounting officer at Sound Physicians came to Ascend to meet leaders from other industries and cohorts.

“The EMBA program brought together people with very different experiences, and learning from those perspectives was one of its most valuable aspects,” she said. Ascend offered the same, with accomplished leaders “genuinely willing to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another.”

Wold took note of a concern Micki Kidder (MBA ’19), vice president for undergraduate enrollment at Notre Dame, raised in a session on developing judgment in emerging leaders. As organizations automate more work, Kidder cautioned that junior employees may lose opportunities to practice decision making, so leaders need to intentionally bring them into important discussions.

“Successful transformation isn’t just about technology or strategy,” said Wold, who sees the challenge firsthand in healthcare, where business decisions ultimately affect people and communities. “It’s also about developing the people who will lead the organization forward.”

The EMBA gave Wold that kind of practice. Trained as an accountant to gather every piece of information before making a call, she learned in the program to move forward without all the answers. “Today, rather than simply asking what else we need to know, I ask what information could actually change the decision, what assumptions we’re making, what happens if we’re wrong, and what the cost of waiting might be,” she said.

Looking Ahead

Bridges across cohorts formed faster than Erlacher expected.

“While people naturally gravitate toward their own classmates, the room immediately connected across graduation years and industries,” he said. “In breakout sessions and hallway conversations, alumni from 15 years ago were trading insights and mentorship with our newest graduates.”

One attendee wrote that the topics and speakers made Ascend “a step above other professional conferences.” Graduates who followed along remotely have already asked for next year’s dates. Erlacher plans to retain the format while adding more speakers and panels, and he’s crossing his fingers for a home football game to anchor the 2027 summit.

“Our alumni don’t just view their EMBA as a milestone that concluded on graduation day,” he said. “They possess a genuine desire to remain actively engaged with Notre Dame and with each other.”

Jim Miller (EMBA ’15) is one of them. He made one of the shorter trips to Ascend to support a program that has shaped his career. “The relationships are invaluable,” said the general manager of Tecomet’s medical device manufacturing facilities in Warsaw and Claypool, Indiana.

Once an AI skeptic, Miller left with ideas on how to use the technology in manufacturing operations and has already shared them with his team. “This was always something I valued during the EMBA program,” he said. “What I learned on Friday could be used on Monday.”

Relationships brought Kimberly Green Reeves (EMBA ’25) back, too. “As an executive alumna, I value remaining connected to a community that challenges us to grow both personally and professionally,” said the vice president of community impact at Beacon Health System.

Kidder’s presentation, she said, reinforced the importance of fostering an environment built on trust, belonging, accountability and shared purpose.

More than a year out of the EMBA program, Green Reeves continues to find her fellow alumni inspiring. “Ascend delivered on the promise of our alumni community, underscoring the importance of leading with purpose, staying grounded in our values and using what we learn to make a meaningful difference in the organizations and communities we serve,” she said.

Read a Q&A with Brian Mills (EMBA ’04).

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Ascend guest speaker Christina Glorioso (MBA ’99), senior vice president of sales effectiveness and head of the Center of Excellence at NBCUniversal Media, challenged alumni to write a personal vision statement describing where they see themselves one year from now. Kimberly Green Reeves (EMBA ’25), vice president of community impact at Beacon Health System, shares hers:

“One year later, I have continued to grow as a courageous, intentional, and purpose-driven leader who inspires others to recognize their potential and thrive. I have led with integrity, compassion, and authenticity, creating meaningful opportunities to advance health, strengthen communities, and develop future leaders. Grounded in faith, family, and a commitment to lifelong learning, I have embraced new challenges, led with confidence, and remained intentional about the legacy I am building. 

“Above all, I have been a force for good, ensuring that my leadership is measured not only by what I have accomplished, but by the lives I have touched and the opportunities I have created for others.”

Kimberly Green Reeves (EMBA ’25), vice president of community impact at Beacon Health System