Matt Sumner

I’m a Senior Program Manager with Avaya in Global Emerging Technologies. Prior to Avaya I worked at ESPN/Atlantic Video in Washington, DC and New York City on their shows Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn and First & 10. While there, I led a small team and quickly realized through feedback from my managers that I had a talent in effective, dynamic leadership. I ultimately moved out of my PR/marketing focus to pursue management positions and have since led multiple teams to higher productivity levels and greater internal operational efficiency.

Despite working in unified communications and information technology, I actually lead a simple and relaxing home life. I own a small hobby farm in north Raleigh complete with bees, chickens, dogs, and the occasional goat (which by the way make terrible pets). I also enjoy escaping to the mountains on a regular basis to pursue exciting outdoor excursions and to take in the inherent beauty of this great planet.

I graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill with a communications degree and concentration in media productions. As I have grown in my career towards general management, it has become clear that to further develop this path I should pursue a Duke MBA. I’m excited to attend Fuqua and learn new and innovative ways to energize people and teams to achieve greater results. I look forward to the journey.

Anir Bhattacharyya

Passion has been the fuel for my journey in life. When I was growing up in the Far East, I used to think that passion is intangible and not measurable. When I landed in the States, for the first time, I thought passion is tangible but not measurable. My quest to see if passion is measurable led me to Fuqua.

I am pursuing my MBA to strengthen my finance, marketing and accounting skills which will help me advance in my career. While growing professionally, I would also like to create a positive impact on every human being I come across by utilizing my improved functional skills and a core value called passion. I have plans to pursue my career in corporate social impact, in the long term, and this is one of the reasons I chose Duke’s MBA program. Duke’s brand value, focus on entrepreneurship, and strong global reach propels me to travel to Raleigh every other week, come shine or snow.

I live in New Jersey, and work at a Japanese firm named Fujitsu, where I am the competency lead for consumer goods, and retail and distribution product lines and services. I have a deep understanding of business processes in certain industry verticals, and have the ability to leverage enabling technologies to improve and enhance their supply chain.

Other than work and school, I spend time in volunteer work with Apne Aap (self-help), a grassroots organization in India working to end sex trafficking by increasing choices for at-risk girls and women, listening to music, watching sports, and yes, watching 60 Minutes.

Emmanuel Kisamo

I was born and raised in Tanzania, East Africa, and have lived in the US since 1994. My wife and I have been married for 5 years and we have a son, Adrian, who is 2 years old. For fun, I enjoy sports, outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. I am excited to be part of The Fuqua School of Business, and a part of the Blue Devil pride and spirit! I’m a huge Duke basketball fan. I enjoy other sports including football and soccer. I also run regularly, and I have challenged myself in several marathons.

I’ve lived in the Research Triangle Park area for the last 12 years, and prior to that, I was in Houston, Texas, where I attended the University of Houston — Cullen College of Engineering. My undergraduate degree was in electrical and computer engineering.

I am a WorkStation Technical Solutions Expert, managing the Medical Imaging vertical, for the Lenovo WorkStation Business Unit. Our WorkStations are branded as “ThinkStation.” I started my career at IBM back in January 2001 as a Storage Engineer within the Storage Procurement Engineering Team.

Before my current position at Lenovo, I was part of the ThinkStation Development Team that launches WorkStation products for Lenovo. I worked as Platform Engineer, responsible for both single and double socket workstation platforms. I spent four years in the Development Team, where I had excellent experience in trouble shooting problems, and driving issues to closure. This experience has been crucial to my current job, where I get to work with customers and advise them on the best solutions to solve their problems.

Jay Patel

I am currently an Advisory Software Engineer at IBM, located in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. I have a deep understanding of technology, a strong interest in patent development, and a belief in continuous learning. I am pursuing my MBA to cultivate both my leadership skills and entrepreneurial spirit. I chose Duke because of its exceptional executive program — defined by its diverse student body, world class faculty, and reputation for excellence — which I believe is the framework to develop strong, passionate leaders.

Outside of work and school, I spend time with my family and friends by traveling, enjoying each other’s company, and attending various events. I am also an avid sports fanatic and I officially became a “Cameron Crazy” by attending my first Duke basketball game in Cameron. If you have not had the opportunity, I strongly recommend it!!

I take pride in being affiliated with Fuqua and am continuously impressed by the passion with which both Fuqua students and alumni speak of the program. I look forward to sharing my journey with you!

Meghann Wing

I live in Richmond, Virginia, where I work as a senior manager of financial analysis at Capital One. Capital One was my first job upon graduating from Virginia Tech 6 years ago … yes, I’m the youngin’ in the Weekend Executive MBA program at 28 (and a half!) years old. While my time in the business world has been brief relative to my classmates, I have had a fantastic set of opportunities at Capital One within the last 6 years. I was a member of a newly launched finance rotation program for recent college graduates, where I completed rotations in 3 different areas of the company before settling into the credit card division. I also was able to head back to my native Canada for two years, working to evaluate potential credit card retail partnerships for the company’s Canadian division. I have been back in Richmond for just over two years, and my current role at Capital One is focused largely on preparing our leadership team for external earnings presentations.

I am pursuing my MBA to focus on improving my leadership and soft skills, to help me continue to advance within finance at Capital One. Unlike many of my classmates, I do not have a career change in mind. It’s just a great time in my life to head back to school before kids work their way into the mix! I chose Duke because of its brand reputation, focus on leadership, and strong recommendations from peers at Capital One. It also doesn’t hurt that unlike many of the other top tier schools, Duke is within driving distance from Richmond, making the bi-weekly commute less stressful. Outside of work and school, I like to spend time with friends, and redecorate and renovate the historic home that I purchased last summer (I watch a lot of HGTV!), and read.

Nancy Zimmerman

I’m a North Carolina girl, born and raised. I grew up in Lexington, where barbecue is king and grits are a food group. I’m now in Winston-Salem, and work in marketing for Hanesbrands. I’ve spent the last 3 years working to grow our shapewear business (that’s like Spanx, for those who aren’t familiar). I’ve focused specific effort on gaining presence and distribution in the mass channel –repositioning our product portfolio at Target and growing our Walmart business 1361%.

Working at Hanes has allowed me to develop a passion for the retail environment and an understanding of what makes consumers tick. I’m fascinated by the organization and layout of a store, the graphics, and the reasons why shoppers touch, pick up, study and finally purchase an item. I am intrigued by how a store environment can enhance or diminish a shopper’s mood.

I’m here at Fuqua to hone my leadership and soft skills and acquire critical quantitative skills. When not studying, I enjoy running, cross-fit, and catching up with friends. I’m a local foodie, an advocate of the slow food movement, and am excited about checking out some of the wonderful restaurants in Durham. Watts Grocery, anyone?

Robert Borham

I live right down “Tobacco Road” in Chapel Hill, with my wife of 14 years and 3 children (ages 4, 7, and 9). I have likely given away my age already, but just in case, I’m 38.

I’m a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch where I have worked since 2005 when my family sold our wine distribution company. I am pursuing my MBA in order to transition out of the world of finance and into general management or product/brand management. I chose Duke because of its reputation for excellence, brand image, and of course, because they accepted me! I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of our class representatives. This position helps to facilitate communication between the faculty, administration, and students, and I provide feedback on a broad range of issues related to our program.

Outside of work and school, I like to spend time with my family and friends. We like to travel, try new things, and spend time outdoors. I’m also an avid sports enthusiast, and I plan to run my third Boston Marathon in April 2012. I am a social person with a quick and great sense of humor (unfortunately, this is only my opinion!).

Arturo Fagundo

As I was born in Cuba, I like to think that I am originally from the “deep south.” My family moved to Boston when I was very young, and I grew up in and around the city of Boston. I eventually moved across the river to M.I.T. where I collected a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science. Soon after graduation I moved to San Diego to take a job with Qualcomm. After spending 5 years soaking up the sun in southern California, I moved back to Boston where I have worked for a variety of technology companies.

I am currently a development manager at VMware where I had the opportunity to build out a new product and grow it to be a very successful part of the business. I recently moved within VMware to another new product, which I hope will be even more successful. It has been a great opportunity to learn about the business-side of technology and inspired me to go back to school and get an MBA at Fuqua.

Business school has pulled the curtain away and allowed me to peek into a new world, one which my prior work experience only hinted at.

Haley Gray

I’m currently a senior software quality engineer at EMC in Research Triangle Park (RTP). I manage a large lab with more than $10 million in equipment, as well as a team of interns and lab techs.

I’m also a proud mother to four young children, ages 13, 11, 8, and 5. I stay active in the community, serving as a Girl Scout Leader and Cookie Manager for two troops. I’m also a Brownie Troop Consultant, and a former area Cookie Manager for 65 troops and 750 girls. I’ve also mentored many girls through the Bronze and Silver Award process in Girl Scouts. Bronze is the highest award a girl can earn at the Junior level (for 4th – 5th graders). Silver is the highest award a girl can earn at the Cadette level (for grades 6 – 8), and involves many pre-requisites as well as a community service project of at least 45 hours.

Over the past few years, I’ve also been the primary organizer of my father’s care. He is in the late stages of dementia, and requires constant, around-the-clock care. He requires the assistance of aides, therapists, doctors, trainers, and geriatric care managers. I face the challenges of the sandwich generation, while focusing on education and career progression to move forward. Balance is a constant challenge in my life, and is something that I’m passionate about.

Greg Ryan

I am a finance professional, reserve military officer, and entrepreneur. I currently work for a boutique consulting firm in Washington, D.C., that provides finance, accounting, and business solutions to the public sector. I also serve as a U.S. Marine Corps reserve officer, and have more than 18 years of combined reserve and active experience.Earlier in my career, I founded and operated a successful small business in downtown Durham, NC. The experience of starting a business was simultaneously energizing and daunting. The understanding of business I gained as an entrepreneur provided insight into many business challenges, and ultimately drove me toward the consulting profession.

Outside of work and school, I am an avid runner and fitness junkie. Over the last few years I completed several ultra-distance races including an adventure race in the Sahara Desert. Constant exercise requires rest and recovery. To accomplish this I read books by many authors, from George Elliot to Jonathan Franzen. Of course, my enjoyment of fiction has recently been replaced with the purely academic.

I am thrilled to be affiliated with Fuqua, and prior to matriculating, I enjoyed meeting several Duke students, staff, and alumni. I’ve always been impressed by their pride and passion.