Overview

There is no cookie cutter version of what makes a successful leader—but there are ingredients that we know are absolutely critical. Ambition. The ability to collaborate. Ethics. Intellectual curiosity. Integrity. Social responsibility. An awareness of the global marketplace. The desire to stay current. A deep concern for the development of others. An open mind. A personal need to give back to the community. A creative spirit. Vision.

These ingredients run through the existing community at the Villanova School of Business—and they are indicators of the type of students who are the best fit at VSB. We hope you will take the time to meet our students, faculty, and alumni and begin to get familiar with what they all have in common—the Type V Personality.

Our Students

It may not be obvious at first, but they all have one thing in common—the Type V Personality.

“Leveraging my MBA, I recently accepted a position at LiquidHub, a systems integrator and technology consultancy company.  Previously, I was a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Consulting where I worked with a wide variety of clients including major retailers, and government agencies. Through the combination of my experiences at LiquidHub, Deloitte and as an MBA student at VSB, I have been able to develop both professionally and personally. Giving back to the community is a priority to me, and I have had the opportunity to participate in various improvement outings throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey. I earned my BS in Computer Science  and it might surprise you, but in my spare time, I love to DJ.”

—Ankit Sheth
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

“I looked at multiple schools, but it was apparent early on that The Villanova MBA would give me the tools and business acumen needed to create opportunities in a nonprofit environment. Currently, I'm the Director of Annual Giving at The Episcopal Academy where I have established four new program areas for the Alumni & Development Office including an annual "Women of Episcopal" networking event. As an undergraduate at Villanova, I served as the Ceremonies Chairperson of the student-run committee for the annual PA State Special Olympics Fall Festival.”

—Jennifer Slike
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

“I am currently an operational auditor with Air Products and Chemicals, with overall audit management responsibilities for our Latin America and South Africa businesses as well as our Global Helium organization. I chose to pursue my MBA at Villanova because I felt the values of the business school and the curriculum would prepare me for a global career, and allow me to feel confident given the continually changing dynamics of the business world. In the short time I have been here, I have quickly realized the caliber of my fellow students and the tremendous knowledge that I will be able to leverage as I continue along my career path.”

—Lidia DaSilva
Villanova MBA
Fast Track

“My job as entrepreneur and co-owner of Aurora Imaging Company requires me to wear many hats. I am the Chief Marketing Strategist, but I also function as COO, project manager, and CFO. The combination of my multiple roles and undergraduate degree in engineering means that I often find myself as a problem solver within the firm. When it came time to look at graduate schools, the opportunity to complete a top-notch MBA program in the evenings in only two years made the Fast Track of the MBA at VSB a clear choice for me. Nearing a full year into the program, I am already witnessing changes in how I think about my business and how it operates. I am even more impressed with my classmates: their breadth of experiences is incredible, and they understand the benefits of sharing knowledge and insights. They also truly value networking, as evidenced by the golf tournament, happy hours, and philanthropic events that have already been planned and executed by the students themselves.”

—Sean Quinn
Villanova MBA
Fast Track

“As the Director of Financial Reporting & Strategic Analysis for Delaware Investments, I help my firm remain competitive by providing strategic analysis to the executive management team. With over 15 years of progressive Financial Accounting Management experience and a Wharton undergraduate degree under my belt, deciding on my graduate school was no minor task- and it became a family debate as my husband and I decided we both wanted to pursue an MBA.  The Villanova MBA quickly rose to the top of my list, as it fit the bill in four key ways—the curriculum, the reputation, the caliber of the students, the flexible program schedule.  Now our dinner conversation has expanded to include debate around business issues-- and who did better on the last exam!"

—Felicia Brownell
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

“I’m an IT Project Manager for the accounting systems at Towers Perrin in Philadelphia. I’ve always been ambitious and taken my career seriously, keeping the long term in mind when making decisions. It’s my eventual goal to become a CIO in a major firm, so an MBA is essential for achieving my career plan. Even with such a wealth of higher-education options in the greater Philadelphia area, Villanova was for me an easy choice. VSB offers a wide range of options for pursuing an MBA, which made it easier for me to find a balance between continuing my education, working full-time, and still having a personal life.”

—Jason Payne
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

“As a Project Engineer at Sunoco I am responsible for everything from the design to the implementation of multiple projects, as well as technical support and overall project management during project construction. The best thing about my experience so far is everything I have been able to gain from my classmates. The tight knit network and the collaborative environment here made it easier for me to transition as I did not have an undergraduate degree in business. I earned a BS in Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering; MS in Mechanical Engineering, all from Lehigh University where I was also a Division I wrestler.”

—Ted Dufresne
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

“I joined the program as a fellow in the fall of 2008, which allowed me to actually be a ‘full time’ student in the Flex Track of The Villanova MBA. I was formerly employed at Deloitte as a Project Controller, and I was responsible for developing and implementing financial models, forecasting, preparing budgets for projects and performing reconciliations. I’m bilingual—fluent in both Spanish and English, and I was an active member in Deloitte’s International Buddy Program which helps facilitate employees moving from foreign countries. It was important to me to choose a school that would allow me to continue to explore my interest in international business, and that was one of the key reasons I came to VSB. I earned a BS in Business Administration from Florida State University and I am member of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA).”

—Roxanna Brandao
Villanova MBA
Flex Track

Our Faculty

Educators. Researchers. Consultants. Leaders. Type V’s.

Read their thoughts on their role in the learning experience, what they feel is important in the MBA curriculum, and what makes students successful both in the classroom and in the workplace.

“The business environment is dynamic. Yesterday’s thinking cannot solve tomorrow’s problems. At the Villanova School of Business, it is our responsibility to continually update the curriculum to remain relevant, to empower students as decision makers and leaders, and to enable them to think in new and creative ways. We do this by drawing on the best in business research and thinking as we engage students to expand their capabilities and horizons.”

—Walter Tymon
Associate Professor, Management & Operations

“The optimal MBA student in my classroom is one who has a sincere interest in learning, and one who has the passion and commitment to engage in provocative discussions that really move the class beyond concepts and theories. I’m passionate about both research and teaching, and I value the opportunity to explore topics and issues in the classroom with our MBA students that will enhance their competitiveness in the business arena.”

—Quinetta Roberson
Professor, Management

“With the global economy shrinking in the short-term and with global competition increasing in the long-term, building a skill set that differentiates an individual among his or her peers is more important now than ever. Students who excel at VSB recognize this reality, and access all of the opportunities provided within the MBA program both inside and outside the classroom to build their own personal portfolio and maximize the potential for success in their career.”

—Scott L. Newbert
Associate Professor, Management & Operations

“The most successful MBA students are those who actively engage in the atmosphere of collaborative learning. I see the MBA faculty role as that of a coach or a guide—we provide the framework, but the richness of a class comes from the contributions of the students who share their own professional experiences.”

—Lynn Brooks
Assistant Professor, Management & Operations

“In today’s turbulent business environment managers are awash in data and uncertainty. The Villanova MBA curriculum has been thoughtfully constructed to provide you with the knowledge and analytic skills necessary to make critical business decisions—decisions that can impact the health of your organization and the value you can provide to your stakeholders, customers, and society.”

—Matthew J. Liberatore
John F. Connelly Chair in Management,
Professor, Management & Operations

“The MBA experience at Villanova is highly interactive—interaction exists among students, between students and faculty, and between students, faculty, and the business world. At VSB we are committed to partnering in an educational experience that will help students not only to succeed as business people but to promote a strong, positive business environment benefiting local, national, and global economies”

—Shelley Rhoades
Associate Professor, Accounting & Information Systems

Our Alumni

The commitment to each other, VSB and Villanova University doesn’t end at graduation.
A Type V Personality is the type to stay connected. Get to know our alumni—and preview
the network you could join.

“Villanova was the best choice for my MBA. Not only did I receive an excellent education and meet lifelong friends, but I also had a well-rounded educational experience which is critical for great leadership. There was an emphasis on much more than ‘just’ the bottom line. Incorporated in the program was a full circle emphasis on learning about achieving results in the short term as well as the long term and consideration of all of the components necessary to build a thriving organization: quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, growth, business integrity AND the bottom line.”

—Maria Fanelli
Flex-Track MBA (Class of 2002)
President, Work and Life Management, Inc.

“The attributes that drew me to the MBA program at VSB also attracted me to a career at GE. I was interested in a culture that promoted proactive, ambitious people who placed equal emphasis on integrity and compliance—and that is exactly what I found. Throughout undergraduate and graduate school at VSB, I marveled at the caliber of my classmates, both at their determination and at their continued refusal to take short-cuts. The continued commitment the students, alumni and faculty have to doing the right thing makes me proud to be a member of the VSB alumni community.”

—Steven J. Zelechoski
JD/MBA (Class of 2005)
Vice President & Account Manager
GE Capital

“Villanova MBA classes are structured to integrate real world problems and enables you to work with top-notch classmates to discuss and solve actual problems. This allows you to challenge yourself and gives you the courage to do things that others say cannot be done. Taking advantage of opportunities both in and out of the classroom helped set me up to successfully launch my current company.”

—Kendall Schoenrock
Flex Track MBA (Class of 2006)
President and Co-Founder
LTLprints.com

“As an Executive MBA student, the opportunity to explore and address current business challenges with a highly motivated group of executives from different industries was invaluable. In the long term, the relationships developed with your classmates provide you with a personal board of directors that will last a lifetime.”

—Jim Tates
Executive MBA (Class of 2003)
Home Depot Business Development Team
The Scotts Company