Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business Executive MBA (EMBA) students have an opportunity to lead and serve their fellow students through a Student Council. Students are nominated and selected by their peers and the Council acts as liaison between program management, College leadership, and the EMBA student body. During the spring semester, the 2022 EMBA Student Council was elected.
2022 Executive MBA Student Council
Executive Committee Chair: Russell Toon
Executive Committee Co-Chair/Communications Representative: Robert "RED" Daniel
Academic Chair: Deepthi Krishnan
Career Chair: Ben McCormack
Community Chair: Chris Staufer
Social/Service Chair: Robert "RED" Daniel
Each member of this year’s student council decided to run for a variety of reasons, but the most common theme among them was that they want to serve their current students and influence the direction of the program moving forward.
“I wanted to be a part of the Student Council because it is an opportunity to serve my peers and help influence the direction of the EMBA program for future generations of students,” said McCormack. “For the current EMBA class, the future value of our degree is determined in large part by Georgia Tech's ability to attract the best students to the program. Any investment into making the program better in the future is an investment in a degree earned today. I want to be part of shaping that.”
For Daniel, getting involved at Georgia Tech isn’t something new to him. Daniel, a Double Jacket, attended Tech as an undergraduate and was involved in serving his classmates through the Student Foundation and Student Government Association, and wanted to do the same as an EMBA student at Scheller.
“I wanted the opportunity to serve my class at this level,” said Daniel. “I enjoy having the opportunity to help improve the program, address concerns of my classmates, and come up with new ways to build engagement among us. We are all sharing a unique and special experience right now; the goal is trying to make it the best version that it can be.”
The EMBA Student Council not only serves their current classmates, but they will also welcome in the newest incoming EMBA class when they begin in the fall.
“I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the Student Council to serve as the go-to resource for both the class and program whenever feedback or issues arise,” said Staufer. “We also want to do the same for the new class starting in the fall so they immediately feel like they have that support from the start of the program.”
As the Executive Committee Chair, Toon’s goals are to set a solid foundation between students, faculty, and staff, to help keep Scheller a top-rated program. Toon knows how important it is to build a strong infrastructure. It’s one of the reasons he decided to go back to school.
“I decided to go back to school for my EMBA because I had reached a point in my career where I was getting exposure across the company and interacting with many departments from a senior level,” said Toon. “While everyone was wonderful about helping ensure I’m comprehending the discussion, I wanted to ensure I could walk into any meeting across the company and be able to add immediate value. This program has already proven extremely beneficial in that aspect.”
Krishnan decided to join the EMBA program to be exposed to different perspectives from various industries. Joining the EMBA Student Council also has provided her an opportunity to learn more about the program and be involved in enacting change for future students.
“I believe that for anyone to accomplish their true potential, the environment also needs to support that,” said Krishnan. “One of the great things about Scheller is that the culture is very accepting and encourages everyone to be themselves. I am excited that I am a part of a globally reputed College. I am learning from best-in-class professors, and I will be a member of a broad and prestigious alumni network.”