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Career
Industry Weeks: How Rice MBAs are Exploring New Careers
This fall, our Career Development Office rolled out four Industry Weeks throughout the semester, each one week long. In addition to the recruiting activities that already take place, this new series adds focus and structure to recruiting, especially in industries where the process may be less structured.
The first Industry Week Series offered immersive events helping Rice MBA students explore major sectors, make meaningful connections and gain career insights.
The series drew 34 companies and more than 250 student attendees, with especially strong engagement from our Full-Time MBA program. Across four themed weeks — energy, healthcare, tech and real estate — students connected with alumni, executives and recruiters through dynamic, informative events.
Week One: Energy
Inside Houston’s Energy Hub
Houston’s position as a global energy hub made Energy Week central to the series. Students participated in alumni-led recruiting panels, fireside chats with senior leaders and networking sessions exploring diverse energy careers.
Rice MBA students heard recruiting tips from Nikki Beittenmiller ’24 of Quanta Services, Juno Lee ’23 of Grid United, Diana Martinez-Prieto ’23 of Urban Grid and Christian Okolski ’19 of Engie. Later that week, Nancy Fischer ’09 (Constellation Energy) and Tatiana Chavanelle ’09 (Phillips 66) also discussed leadership and industry evolution in a fireside chat.
A career trek to Phillips 66 and NRG gave students firsthand insights on how energy companies balance current operations with innovation in refining, midstream, renewables and emerging technologies.
Week Two: Healthcare
Exploring the Texas Medical Center
Healthcare Week immersed students in Houston’s fast-paced healthcare sector. With the Texas Medical Center just minutes from Rice campus, students gained premier access to industry leaders and innovations. Programming opened with a conversation hosted by the Healthcare Association featuring Kyle Stanzel, COO of Houston Methodist West.
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The week continued with a thoughtful examination of career pathways, challenges facing the industry and the role of innovation in healthcare by panelists Bill Atkinson of MD Anderson, Sarah Gelb ’17 of Johnson & Johnson and Kathleen Reiter ’25 of McKesson.
Students visited MD Anderson for a strategy case study, presenting recommendations directly to healthcare executives.
Interested in Rice Business?
Week Three: Tech
Tech Innovation and Transformation in Texas
Tech Week brought alumni and recruiters to McNair Hall for two days of panels on recruiting strategies and tech sector transformation.
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Students were joined by panelists Will Coblentz of Salesforce, Eileen Ramirez of Infosys, Thiago Silva ’21 of C3AI, Alice Wen ’23 of Dell and Marcus Wade ’23 of HP, who shared insights on breaking into tech roles and navigating fast-moving careers. A fireside chat with Boyd Skelton ’09 of Westwood Global Energy Group, Aaron J. Knape ’08 of sEATz and Alex Saab ’18 of Microsoft explored leadership, product strategy and the evolving landscape of AI and cloud technologies.
Rice MBAs visited HP and HPE during the Houston Tech Trek to explore digital transformation and learn how Houston’s tech community drives innovation and career opportunities.
Week Four: Real Estate
Career Connections Across Houston and Beyond
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The final week highlighted Houston’s strong real estate market and growing student interest. Rice Business hosted the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial Real Estate Finance (CREF) Program, bringing executives from CBRE, PNC, Greyston and Berkadia to campus. The forum and career fair, open to students from neighboring schools like the University of Houston, Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, covered industry entry, trends and career success.
Students heard from alumni Zach Dobin ’20, Lauren Gagetta ’21 and Carter Dowd ’23 during a panel on transitioning into post-MBA careers and visited Hines for an inside look at the global real estate firm.
“Hines is a staple of Houston,” says Hector Ibarzabal '27. “Being able to get close to a group that shapes the land with concrete impact across geographies is a worthy experience.”
What’s Ahead From the CDO?
Beyond Industry Weeks, the CDO hosts year-round programs connecting Rice MBAs with professionals across industries, including:
Through Industry Weeks and ongoing programming, the CDO connects students with Houston’s business community while empowering them to discover and achieve their professional goals.
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