WHO'S WHO?
"Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, and never dream of regretting."
The Once and Future King
To share your global business words of wisdom, e-mail: insider@thunderbird.edu
Faculty Bio
Olufemi Babarinde
Quick Facts
• Academic Director for MBA & Associate Professor, International Studies
• Member of the European Union Studies Association, the International Studies Association, the African Studies Association and the Academy of International Business.
• Leads Winterim to South Africa
Every year, Nigerian native Olufemi Babarinde spends his winter breaks globetrotting to Africa. But he doesn’t make the trip alone. An average of 15 students accompany him during the three-week transatlantic seminar he teaches in January, known as “The Big Emerging Market of South Africa.”
As students tour The Republic of South Africa, they meet with businesses and organizations, visit historic sites, learn firsthand about the nuances of doing business in South Africa, interact with alumni and experience the country’s social and political conditions.
One group of students that attended the seminar launched a new chocolate bar product, Thunderbird Chocolate, as a direct result of the experience. After meeting with a local South African chocolatier, they returned to Thunderbird and established a product, marketing and sales plan – and eventually produced the chocolate bar – working with the owners of the South African chocolate business they had previously met. Proceeds from sales of the chocolate bar benefited South African communities.
“The trip gives participants a richer understanding of the South African business environment by exposing them to the challenges faced by managers and firms,” says Babarinde, who arranges visits with high-level corporate executives of multinational companies in South Africa, including CitiBank, BMW, Deloitte, Anglo-American and AIG.
He also takes students to Robben Island, where political dissidents – most notably Nelson Mandela – were imprisoned during apartheid. “The legacy of apartheid largely accounts for the persistence of wealth disparity in South Africa,” Babarinde says.
When he’s not teaching students about South Africa, Babarinde teaches at Thunderbird’s Glendale campus, as well as at its Prague-based campus, focusing on European business. He has organized international conferences focusing on Africa’s challenges and investment opportunities, as well as on the United States and the European Union.
Staff Bio
Major Gifts Officers
Quick Facts
• New additions: Robb Johnson, Marcia Jobe, and Andrea Richardson
• Focus is on raising money for Campaign Thunderbird
Robb Johnson has worked in the development field as the major and planned gift officer for Tilton School, a 165-year-old New England boarding school. While at Tilton, Johnson concentrated on alumni relations in support of the school’s first capital campaign. Before Johnson entered the development field, he spent more than 30 years in the marketing and sales disciplines of the U.S. steel industry.
Marcia Jobe comes to Thunderbird with a rich history in fundraising and volunteering. As a fundraiser, she has planned events and raised funds for a variety of cultural and humanitarian organizations including HomeBase Youth Services, where she was senior director of development. Her volunteer service includes sitting on boards and committees of a variety of organizations, such as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Heart Association, Florence Crittenton Home, Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, Special Olympics, Junior League and National Association of Realtors.
Andrea Richardson has been a fundraiser for the past 12 years. She earned a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication from Marylhurst University in Portland, Ore. Richardson has done fundraising at Marylhurst and other academic institutions, including Willamette University and Pacific Northwest College of Art, both in Oregon.
Department Bio
Academic and International Services
Thunderbird’s Academic and International Services (AIS) are available to impart relevant information, advisement and assistance on matters related to academics, immigration, study abroad and internship registration. The group, led by associate director Felicia Welch, adviser Paula Friesen, adviser Joseph Comeau and administrative coordinator Stella Atchison is part of a larger group of services provided by the office of student services. The group reports to Kay Keck, vice president of full-time programs.
Thunderbird students are strongly encouraged to meet with an adviser throughout their program. Advisers are accessible via scheduled appointments, office walk-ins, telephone and e-mail. Students can discuss with an adviser issues related to their academic, personal and professional goals.
