With NYU Stern celebrating its 125th anniversary, we asked alumni over the past six decades and across industries about their time at Stern and their most cherished memories. Looking back, no matter the year or the political, social, or economic environment at the time, Stern students took inspiration from a particular course or professor that has guided them throughout their careers. They value deeply the bonds they formed—and frequently still maintain—with their cohort, whether in clubs, during “Doing Business In” travel, or between classes at the local greasy spoon. Their memories underscore the motto “Stern is for life.”

Alumni Look Back

Listed in order of class year. 

Dale Zand (MBA ’49, PhD ’54)

Professor Emeritus of Management
NYU Stern
New York, NY

Someone who stands out for wisdom, foresight, and leadership is Charles Ellis (PhD ’79). He is an astute, analytical thinker with an uncanny ability to combine insights from many business disciplines. He applies his knowledge and leadership skills to achieve extraordinary performance in the finance industry and finance literature. He is an inspiration and model for all Stern faculty and students. 

In my pantheon of Stern faculty, the late Professor Bill Guth was an unrivaled, master case teacher because of his ability and personality to lead students to discuss, explore, and learn from their reasoning, even if they had the most unusual perspective. He was a Socrates of case teaching.

Tom Freston (MBA ’69)

Former CEO/President, Viacom
Former Chairman/CEO, MTV Networks
New York, NY

From 1967 to 1969, I had several classes with Professor Peter Drucker, the preeminent management guru. I loved the classes, and he was easily the best professor I ever had. In a class called Innovation and Change, he whittled down the purpose of a business to its simplest goal: “to create a customer.” He felt America needed a more entrepreneurial society, where innovation was steady and continuous, and that entrepreneurs do not so much create change as exploit change that has already happened. He felt that innovation and creative marketing were the key functions of a business. It put me on a different path, and I have watched these lessons play out repeatedly ever since.

We were on Trinity Place in the Financial District in a building called Nichols Hall, a few doors up from the American Stock Exchange. What looked like the largest hole in history was being dug behind our 10-story campus. I spent my time watching the World Trade Center rise. We'd hang out in the Trinity Church cemetery, and eat at a greasy Greek place that grilled delicious hamburgers next door. That, too, is long gone.

Steven Wolitzer (BS ’73)

Vice Chairman, Investment Banking
Barclays Capital Inc.
New York, NY

The biggest impact on my career came at the outset of my Stern experience with Accounting, taught by Professor Ely Kushel, then chair of Stern's distinguished Accounting Department. Beginning accounting can be tedious, but Professor Kushel made it dynamic. He emphasized that accounting was the language of all business, all over the world. With a grasp of terms previously foreign to me, and an understanding of the nuances and specialized lingo, one could grasp how any business operated and accurately measure its success. In fact, knowing accounting and accounting theory, you could analyze how different decisions could affect a business. This was eye-opening and helped me figure out how all my Stern courses fit together, whether finance, marketing, or economics. That background proved invaluable my whole career.

The best part of my Stern experience was the people, both students and faculty. Though I grew up in New York City, I realized that high school gave me a narrow view of the world. At NYU, I was exposed to so many people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, experiences, and it made a deep impression. Though NYU was still a  significant commuter school, my exposure through the NYU Scholars program or my fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, enriched my exposure. And, of course, being on the Washington Square campus during the early 1970s was a unique experience.

Charles D. Ellis (PhD ’79)

Author; former Founder & Managing Partner
Greenwich Associates 
New Haven, CT

Professor Dale Zand had the most impact on my concept of leadership for a professional firm. I was immersed in the competition between the old guard professors like Douglas Bellemore and the younger faculty who believed in efficient markets, modern portfolio theory, and indexing. While I learned from both, I became and still am an advocate, in my articles and books, of indexing.

My favorite experiences were between classes at night. We had 10 minutes. A flock of students would dash out to a local hamburger grill where burgers were ready for us, pay up, eat fast, and dash back just in time for our second class, all dependent on perfect timing.

Sabrina Griffin (BS ’80)

Former Diversity Manager
Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
Warren, NJ

I earned my degree in both marketing and management and took several statistics and quantitative analysis courses. My favorite marketing course allowed me to combine marketing principles with statistics. I was selected by my marketing professor to work on a project to address a business issue for Gimbels department store, letting us apply what we were learning to an issue faced by a major retailer.

I was so excited to attend this elite university in Greenwich Village. It was a dream come true. In my freshman year, I mostly spent time with friends from high school who were also at Stern, but eventually, I made new friends—three of whom are still my closest friends, approximately 48 years later!

George Simeone (BS ’85, MBA ’90)

Vice Chair, Audit and Assurance
Deloitte & Touche LLP
New York, NY

Stern provided numerous opportunities to interact with partners and professionals from the largest accounting firms, inspiring me to become a CPA. I have been with Deloitte for 40 years, the last 30 as a partner. In a class of about 500 undergraduate business students, it had the feel of a smaller college within the greater University. I was able to build many lasting relationships, including some of my closest friends over the last 40 years.

Yasuto Tsuruta (MBA ’86)

Special Professor and Advisor to the President
Tokyo City University
Tokyo, Japan

The most impact on me was the International Negotiation Exercise, which was an alternative to final thesis. There were 12 students divided into three teams–General Motors, Toyota and United Auto Workers–where we imitated the negotiation between Toyota and GM for establishing a joint venture in California and UAW came in to protect laborers. I played CEO Shoichiro Toyota.

For team working, we often visited the conference room in Goldman Sachs and Bankers Trust where team members were working. It was quite immersive.

John Winter (MBA ’92)

CEO, Corporate and Institutional Banking
Lloyds Banking Group
London, UK

Going to business school in the evenings between 1986 and 1992 meant that I was enrolled when the name changed to Stern. Throughout that period I was working on the trading floor at Merrill Lynch. The challenge of trying to simultaneously succeed as a derivatives salesman and as an MBA student taught me valuable lessons. While I was taking a Fixed Income Securities class, I was a junior analyst in Merrill’s nascent Interest Rate Swap group. It was fun to learn about convexity, theta, and other concepts and apply them at work literally the next day.

Seth Dallaire (MBA ’99)

Chief Growth Officer/CRO
Walmart (West Coast)

Professor Joshua Livnat included the book The Goal in his syllabus, which I’ve read several times and recommended to my co-workers. As a student who knew nothing of accounting while taking his class and pressing him for a definitive answer on the “best” ratio for stock analysis, his answer of “There are thousands of ratios!” was frustrating, but now I see it as a great lesson in the use of narrative for investments. For me the best thing about Stern were the friendships I made. I am regularly in contact with several of my classmates today.

Rama Akkiraju (MBA ’04)

Vice President, Enterprise AI
NVIDIA
Santa Clara, California

I’m deeply grateful to all the professors who poured their hearts into imparting the best education with their thoughtfully curated curriculum, case studies, and class projects. Even 20 years after graduating, I still refer back to the foundational frameworks I learned during my MBA at Stern, along with my class notes and summaries. One experience that stands out is from the Conflict and Negotiation class taught by Professor Seth Freeman. I regularly apply his I FORESAW IT framework whenever I find myself in tough situations.

I have so many great memories—group projects, class presentations, and case study discussions were all incredibly fun. If I have to pick one, it would have to be me receiving my MBA degree as Valedictorian of the Class of 2004, with my mom traveling from India to witness the proud moment.

Gali Heichal (MBA ’07) 

Global Head of Payments Partnerships 
Klarna
New York, NY

In my second year, I represented the student body on the Dean’s Strategic Planning Committee, which was tasked with defining the School’s priorities for the next five years. I collaborated with a diverse group of faculty, board members, and administration—a priceless experience. Above all, it gave me the sense that I have a voice that matters. Carrying that conviction with me everywhere after graduating has had a huge impact on my career.

My time at Stern was full of first-time-ever experiences—such as the Doing Business in Argentina course. Five of us, who didn’t know each other well, traveled in Argentina before the course started, including kayaking and camping near Bariloche. While the scenery was breathtaking, getting to know my fellow classmates on a different level was the best!

Jamie Kelleher (MBA ’08)  

Chief Operating Officer, CFO & Treasurer
The Metropolitan Museum of Art  
 New York, NY

Professor Robert Lamb’s Strategic Management course greatly affected my career trajectory. I had been entrenched in a quantitatively focused corporate-finance career track with little sense of other areas that might interest me. This course opened my eyes to strategy’s critical role in navigating changing environments and anticipating risks, and inspired me to pursue more strategy and operations classes, which ultimately enabled me to pivot to leading operations at a cultural organization.

As a weekend MBA student, I deeply valued the focused time I spent with classmates, most of whom arrived with different professional and personal backgrounds. We spent significant time together in class and off campus for case-study work, coffee breaks at Think Coffee, and many happy hours at a local bar. I learned so much from my classmates and will forever be indebted to Stern for fostering such a diverse community of aspiring leaders.

Chung Ho Park (BS ’01)

Partner, Head of Korea
KKR
Seoul, South Korea

The courses I probably dreaded at first but ended up enjoying the most are Financial Accounting with Professor Frederick Choi and Statistics with Professor Ernest Kurnow, both of whom helped bring to life these more technical subject areas and provided a foundation for analytical thinking as well as an appreciation for the importance of the universal language in business. 

The Scholars Program and the International Studies Program were my favorite experiences. The opportunity to travel internationally for two to three weeks with classmates, at that age, and to meet with international business leaders and companies was amazing. Those friendships continue to this day. Stern was unique in offering undergraduates such experiences, which ultimately gave me the courage and aspiration to pursue a career that led me to Asia. 

Xavier James (MBA/JD ’12)

Chief Operating Officer
Major League Baseball Players Association
New York, NY

Spending two years with a diverse and eclectic mix of highly talented professionals from a variety of industries was a key part of Stern’s education. Two standout professors are Melissa Schilling (Strategy) and Alexander Ljungqvist (New Venture Finance). They personify the combination of subject matter expertise and the ability to teach in an effective, engaging way.

My favorite experiences were trips to Brazil, Chile, and India to study the local economy, businesses, and cultural environment. They reflected the globalization of the curriculum and also allowed us to bond outside the classroom. Such travel was priceless. The fact that some classmates were from these countries (e.g., India) augmented the experience for everyone.

Roberto Marinho Neto (MBA ’12)

CEO
Globo Ventures
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I had incredible professors, and two of them—Aswath Damodaran and Scott Galloway—have become lifelong references for me. I follow everything they publish to stay updated, and I’m consistently impressed by how much I learn. Their insights help me navigate the challenges of work and life. I miss being in class with these two remarkable individuals who continually inspired me to improve. Experiencing academic excellence alongside other outstanding students while living in vibrant and dynamic New York City made my time at NYU truly extraordinary.

Lorraine Spradley Wilson (MBA ’12)

Founder and Principal
Blue Horizon Economy
Washington, D.C.

The classes on strategy and systems were transformative. One professor in particular, whose exploration of money and banking was ahead of its time, profoundly shaped my career path. Stern’s rigorous curriculum gave me the confidence and skills to navigate high-stakes conversations with investors, industry groups, and regulators. It sparked my passion for advancing sustainability and data-driven insights within private markets, which is work I remain deeply committed to.

My favorite experience, hands down, was group travel, in particular my five-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. Stern’s emphasis on learning through real-world experiences had a significant impact. The trip taught me the value of teamwork, engaging in meaningful conversations, and incorporating diverse perspectives—all essential for driving impactful solutions in today’s complex business environment.

Samir Goel (BS ’16)

Co-CEO & Co-founder
Esusu Inc.
New York, NY

While at Stern, I participated in the Clinton Global Initiative university conference, a gathering for young entrepreneurs tackling the world's largest problems. At that event I met a fellow NYU student (at NYU Wagner) who would become my co-founder in 2015 of Esusu. The company has provided access to the financial system for millions, unlocking over $50 billion in capital for working families. None of that would be possible without the two of us meeting while at NYU. 

My favorite course was Organizational Communications and Its Social Context, in which I subsequently served as a TA for Professor Jeffrey Younger. No class was more fun, impactful, or relevant to my professional career. Today, I interact with many audiences daily. My ability to communicate effectively and persuasively stems from my time in Org Comm.

Sebastian Hooker (MBA ’19)

Co-founder
Nimstrata
Chicago, IL

My two courses with Professor Glenn Okun, Managing the Growing Company and Entrepreneurial Finance, both continue to pay dividends because of the practical knowledge they imparted. I frequently revisit my class notes to see just how right he was about experiences that I face as an entrepreneur, along with hidden nuggets of advice that help me see around the next corner. I attribute a lot of success in my career, finances, and relationships to wisdom from all my professors, but there is only one Professor Okun.

A favorite experience was traveling with the inaugural Tech MBA class for our West Coast immersion. We’d visit different companies, including firms where several of us are now happily employed. Afterward, the Stern Adventures club hosted a fantastic ski trip in Jackson Hole—it was a phenomenal winter break!

Beau Gresham (MBA ’20)

Director, Strategic Initiatives
Mastercard
New York, NY

The Stern Consulting Corps (SCC) facilitated my transition from a nontraditional background into a post-MBA career in consulting. Professor Sonia Marciano's battle-tested frameworks and client presentation skills were invaluable as my team developed a go-to-market plan and growth strategy for a luxury furniture brand. This real-world problem-solving, particularly establishing a unique e-commerce presence, provided hands-on experience that directly translated to my post-Stern consulting work.

My favorite Stern program was Doing Business In (DBI) South Africa, where our cohort spent two weeks researching international investment opportunities in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. The experience fostered deep bonds with my classmates, through the academic work, camaraderie, and sampling the local cuisine.

Lara Fredericks (MBA ’22)

Senior Manager, Digital Performance & Content
Gucci
New York, NY

The Stern network had the greatest impact on my career. When I was interviewing for my role, my manager was a Stern ’18 alum, and our VP was a Stern ’08 alum. That initial connection was crucial to getting my foot in the door at Gucci. Being in the luxury fashion industry and living in New York, I can’t imagine a better network—there’s always someone to reach out to in any company. It’s incredible to see this network continue growing through initiatives like the Alumni-in-Residence program, which I’m honored to be a part of.

The most special times at Stern were spent with my classmates—when we all lived in the city, shared the same schedules, and truly immersed ourselves in the experience. From traveling to Vermont and the Finger Lakes to celebrating 30th birthdays and weddings, those experiences outside the classroom built lifelong friendships. It was an unforgettable chapter in my life.
 

Gloria Bañuelos de Castro Ruiz (BS ’20)

Vice Chairman
Bendinat Group
Spain

My favorite class was Professor Matt Statler’s Economic Inequality: Perspectives, Policies and Practices. It focused on the causes and consequences of economic inequality from several analytical perspectives, including economics, political science, and philosophy, to conceptualize concrete actions to address various situations. The class was very collaborative, and the professor allowed students to pursue areas of interest. I learned more about my own country, Spain, as well as other regions. I apply what I learned directly in my work.

The club system afforded me the chance to be on the board of SPEX (Stern Political Economy Exchange) for two years and to serve as president my senior year. I enjoyed interacting with students, collaborating with other clubs to organize events, and working with faculty and guest speakers.