David Decker attributes his recent promotion to his Thunderbird EMBA education. Decker was promoted to vice president of business planning and analysis for Wells Fargo Phone Bank Operations in June.

Executive Profile
David Decker
V.P. of Business Planning and Analysis, Wells Fargo Bank
EMBA XV

“I feel like I’m sitting in the classroom with many one-day famous global corporate leaders,” says David Decker of his classmates in Thunderbird’s EMBA program.

“I still can’t believe we’re lucky enough to have this program right here in Arizona,” continues Decker. “The world comes to Thunderbird, and being here and talking with classmates from around the world makes you feel like you’re part of the international community.”

Decker is part of an international community, surrounded by 37 classmates in his cohort, class XV, who represent eight countries. And, through his EMBA class work, he’s also been able to connect with another diverse population in his current residence of Phoenix, Ariz.: the Spanish-speaking community.

“I wanted to make myself more globally focused,” says Decker, who speaks casual German. “And I wanted to learn another foreign language, as well as be able to use it comprehensively.” Five months into the program, he achieved that goal. After completing eight credits of Spanish, including the EMBA Language Immersion Week, Decker says he was speaking conversational Spanish with friends and co-workers.

He also credits his T-bird studies for a recent promotion from an assistant vice presidential position to vice president of business planning and analysis for Wells Fargo Phone Bank Operations. Today he is responsible for staffing 10 call centers throughout the United States and assuring that the service needs of banking customers are met.

“Our classes in organizational behavior, communications and negotiations are helping with this endeavor,” says Decker, who holds a B.S. in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech.

“As an industrial engineer, I knew that I wanted to follow the new tide into the service sector, where process engineering has become extremely important in the last decade,” explains Decker. “I took my first job with American Express right after I graduated from Virginia Tech, and I have been in the financial services industry ever since.”

Even though he’s worked in this industry for more than a decade – including a management position with Household International (now HSBC) Credit Card Ops, Decker says his engineering foundation did not prepare him for increasing budgetary and project control responsibilities.

“I felt it was time to close this gap so that I could be more knowledgeable as I gained more responsibility,” says Decker of his decision to earn an MBA. “I feel fortunate to be where I am with Wells Fargo, and some day I’d love to work abroad and become part of the international management community for a multinational corporation.”

Given his adventuresome and determined spirit, it’s likely that Decker may join those one-day famous corporate leaders he envisions in his classmates. The sports enthusiast has taken on the Colorado River and the Pacific Ocean along the Na Pali Coast in Hawaii, with only a kayak between him and the often rugged waters.

And while golfing, hiking and snowboarding in Utah top his list of favorite sporting activities, he also enjoys sketching and dancing.

Hobbies aside, though, Decker says his main goal is to keep an open mind toward the future. “I have several different paths in mind, and Thunderbird is helping me to contemplate the possibilities.”