Alumni Podcast

EPISODE 20

15 Minutes in the Owl's Nest: Matthew Marand '20

This episode is part of our 15 Minutes in the Owl's Nest series, a set of short interviews which were recorded during Alumni Reunion Week 2021. Be sure to listen to the other two 15 Minutes in the Owl's Nest episodes. Professional MBA alumnus Matthew Marand, class of 2020, joins host David Droogleever in the Owl's Nest.

EPISODE 19

Ritesh Sheth '04

Ritesh Sheth, class of 2004, joins host Christine Dobbyn to discuss his journey from management consulting, to product management and financial analyst, and finally to becoming a yoga teacher and focusing on serving others.

EPISODE 18

Scott Gale '19

Scott Gale, executive MBA class of 2019, joins host Christine Dobbyn to discuss how entrepreneurship is becoming a key part of a successful company, the future of Houston as the energy capital of the world and the influence that his Rice Business experience has had on his career trajectory.

EPISODE 17

Dr. Tom Kolditz

Dr. Tom Kolditz, founding Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, joins host David Droogleever. Tom explains why institutions of higher education don't necessarily deliver on their leadership development promises and what the Doerr Institute is doing to change that.

EPISODE 16

Pranika Sinha '04

Pranika Sinha '04, Managing Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Organizational Development at Greystone joins host David Droogleever. Pranika talks about what stops her from hitting the snooze button in the morning, how a sense of belonging factors into diversity and inclusion and what unconscious bias is and how to recognize it.

EPISODE 15

Kyle Judah and Sophie Randolph '22

Kyle Judah, Executive Director of the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) at Rice University, and Sophie Randolph, class of 2022, join host Christine Dobbyn. They discuss programming at Lilie during the pandemic, Houston's startup ecosystem and resources for alumni entrepreneurs.

EPISODE 14

Joan Dunlap '02

Joan Dunlap '02 joins host David Droogleever to discuss her experience in the Rice Business MBA program as an engineer, the role of team chemistry in entrepreneurship and how problem solving plays a role in career satisfaction.

EPISODE 13

Mark Morehouse '01

Mark Morehouse '01 joins Christine Dobbyn to explain how a chemical engineer ends up in business school, discuss the role that private-public partnerships play in public projects, and the effect that COVID has had on the sales practice.

EPISODE 12

Jonathan McAdams '01

Jonathan McAdams '01 joins Christine Dobbyn to talk about his journey from Houston to Texas A&M for his undergraduate degree, then back to Houston to attend Rice and how he ended up working in finance. Along the way, Jonathan describes his experience in high-net worth and hedge funds and comments on the stock market during the pandemic, and wraps up by giving listeners an inside look at his family life.

EPISODE 11

Will Robertson '05

Will Robertson '05, Managing Member of Quintana Infrastructure and Development LLC, joins the show to talk about investments ranging from energy and natural resources to data and infrastructure industries. Along the way, Will talks about how his Rice Business experience, philanthropy and why “if you’re not moving, you’re killing grass.”

EPISODE 10

Scott Noel '04

Scott Noel, BS '02 and MBA/MEE '04, Director of Enterprise Solutions at One Acre Fund, talks about how a single donation to a Sudanese refugee inspired him to move to Nairobi. From there, he increased his social return on investment through working with One Acre Fund, supplying smallholder farmers with the financing and training they need to grow their way out of hunger and poverty.

EPISODE 9

Rob Gaudette '01

Rob Gaudette '01, Senior Vice President of Business Solutions with NRG Energy in Houston, Texas, joins Owl Have You Know and talks about his journey from Katy, Texas to the College of William & Mary to the U.S. Army. Rob digs into what it was like transition to the corporate world from the military and what he’s learned about leadership and preserving precious family moments along the way. He ends with what he what he sees for Houston’s future as the energy capital of the world.

EPISODE 8

Devina Bhojwani '06

Devina Bhojwani '06, president and co-owner of IDEA Lab Kids International, talks about her pivot from working at an international offshore drilling contractor to entrepreneurship within the education space. Devina also digs into her reasons for deciding on Rice for her MBA and describes the hidden value of the Rice network.

EPISODE 7

Ope Amosu '14

Ope Amosu, class of 2014, talks to co-host Christine Dobbyn, about his passion for representing West African culinary cuisine and culture in Houston through ChopnBlok (chopnblok.co), his definition of work-life balance as an entrepreneur, and his experience at Rice Business.

EPISODE 6

Runsi Sen '04

Runsi Sen, Rice Business MBA class of 2004, talks about her experience at Rice Business, her transition out of the corporate world and the life circumstances that led her to found an ovarian cancer non-profit foundation, Ovarcome.

EPISODE 5

Sean Ferguson '01

Sean O. Ferguson, Rice Business MBA graduate class of 2001 and former Associate Dean of Rice Business, joins catches up with host David Droogleever. Sean covers his career path from electrical engineering to pursuing a doctorate in global education and his current work as the Associate Dean of the Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur.

EPISODE 4

Julianne Katz '21

Julianne Katz, full-time Rice Business MBA candidate, joined Owl Have You Know during the summer of 2020 to talk about her decision to switch from a career in fine arts in NYC to pursue a graduate degree in business. Julianne talks about what it was like to have to shift from in-person classes to virtual learning during a global pandemic.

EPISODE 3

Karen Crofton '10

Karen Crofton, Rice Business graduate class of 2010, talks about her journey to entrepreneurship, from engineering school to Rice Business to teaching entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado and her role as an investor in data and financial technology startups.

EPISODE 2

Aaron Knape '08

Christine Dobbyn interviews Rice Business graduate Aaron Knape, cofounder of sEATz, an in-seat delivery app for sports and entertainment live events. We spoke with Aaron during the summer of 2020 at the height of COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. when most sporting events were cancelled or fans were not being allowed back into stadiums due to public health concerns. Make sure to stick around until the end of the podcast when we catch up with Aaron to get an update on developments with sEATz as sports venues start to reopen to the public.

EPISODE 1

Bethany Andell '01

David Droogleever speaks with fellow Rice Business graduate Bethany Andell, president of Savage Brands and current president of the Rice Business Alumni Board. Bethany spoke with David back during the summer of 2020 about her passion on helping the corporate world get back to a place where people trust, respect, and love business.

A special “thank you” to Rice Business alumna and former alumni board member Karen Crofton for her work on this podcast project. Without your enthusiasm and hard work, none of this would be possible.