{"id":8021,"date":"2014-12-17T11:34:26","date_gmt":"2014-12-17T11:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vanderbilt.edu\/magazines\/vanderbilt-business\/?p=8021"},"modified":"2015-07-16T18:38:59","modified_gmt":"2015-07-16T18:38:59","slug":"second-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/second-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

What parent doesn\u2019t wish for their children to have the best? Sometimes that means encouraging them to follow in the parent\u2019s footsteps educationally and vocationally. That was true with these sets of Owen alumni\u2014parents whose children selected business careers and chose Vanderbilt for their MBAs. The younger alumni, in turn, tell of watching their parents work hard for their degrees, seeing how Vanderbilt helped them succeed and determining that the school was right for them as well. Whether just graduated or nearly retired, these multigenerational alumni share experiences that illustrate how their Owen years made an impact on themselves and their families.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Emily<\/h2>\n

Emily Davis, MBA\u201904, and\u00a0Dr. Richard Davis, MD\u201973, Executive MBA\u201987<\/h2>\n

When Emily Davis was accepted to Vanderbilt\u2019s MBA program, her father, Dr. Richard Davis, presented her with a congratulatory gift: an HP-12C financial calculator. He knew firsthand she would put it to good use.<\/p>\n

Richard, a Vanderbilt-trained physician and practicing obstetrician, completed Vanderbilt\u2019s Executive MBA program in 1987. His time there made a lasting impression on his daughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad would have his classmates over at nights and on weekends. They\u2019d hole up in the war room\u2014my dad\u2019s office\u2014in front of computers and flip charts, working on what, I didn\u2019t know,\u201d Emily says. \u201cBut I remember thinking they seemed like a real team. They were engaged. And they looked like they were actually having fun solving problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience was significant for Richard as well. \u201cBy the time I left Owen, I realized what (Emeritus Professor of Accounting) Germain\u00a0B\u00f6er had once said: \u2018This program will change your life. It will give you a 180-degree view of the world,\u2019\u201d he recalls. \u201cAnd it did. I was able to use what I learned at Owen to pursue entirely new things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard went on to serve as a medical adviser to an entrepreneurial startup, Veran Medical Technologies, founded by\u2014coincidentally enough\u2014two members of Emily\u2019s MBA class. He served on the Veran board for nearly six years.<\/p>\n

Emily, who got her bachelor\u2019s degree in biology, was considering her options beyond the medical technology field when her dad advised her to look at business programs. At Owen, she pursued an environmental management emphasis and took classes through the Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies, which combines coursework in the law, business and engineering schools.<\/p>\n

After a stint at International Paper managing everything from forest conservation to product stewardship programs, Emily is now the sustainability program manager for DHL Supply Chain Americas. She\u2019s in charge of all the division\u2019s energy efficiency initiatives and carbon accounting for operations in the United States, Canada and Latin America. \u201cThanks to my Owen experience, I was able to jump companies and quickly learn a different field,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The latest family member to matriculate at Vanderbilt is Nathan Taylor, husband to the youngest Davis daughter, Allison. A senior sales adviser at Dell, he entered the Executive MBA program this fall.<\/p>\n

Upon admission, Richard gave his son-in-law his own HP-12C calculator. Emily gave her brother-in-law this advice: \u201cHave fun. It\u2019s two years of your life that will\u2014as my dad has said\u2014change you. You will learn so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Allie<\/h2>\n

Allie Noll,\u00a0MBA\u201914, and Eric Noll, MBA\u201990<\/h2>\n

Enrolling at Vanderbilt was a homecoming for Allie Noll. As a toddler, she had frequented the hallways, holding the hand of her dad, Eric. Two decades later, Owen was the lone contender when she thought of business school.<\/p>\n

Eric, now president and CEO of ConvergEx, a global brokerage and trading-related services company, entered Vanderbilt in 1988. He\u2019d realized during his second year of law school that he didn\u2019t want to be a lawyer and was working nights at UPS while his wife, Georgie, worked days at Ralph Lauren. The team at Owen told him if he came here, they\u2019d get him through.<\/p>\n

\"EricThe Nolls created a patchwork of Eric\u2019s classes, part-time jobs\u2014Georgie had three\u2014and caring for Allie. Not infrequently, something would fall through and Allie would accompany her dad to class. \u201cOne time, I had a job interview and no one to watch Allie. Peter Veruki (then director of planning and placement) took care of her,\u201d Eric says. \u201cI believe only in a school like Owen could that happen.\u201d When Eric crossed the stage at Commencement, 3-year-old Allie escaped from her mom and spent the rest of the ceremony in her dad\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n

Allie displays the same determination today. After earning her undergraduate degree, she applied for 25 jobs. She joined Coca-Cola in sales and marketing. A few years later, she considered going to law school. \u201cMy dad said, \u201cNo, don\u2019t do it,\u2019 \u201d Allie recalls. \u201cHe said \u2018You\u2019re working for the largest company in the world, and you\u2019re killing it. You belong in business school.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Vanderbilt allowed her to build a career in what she had loved all her life\u2014clothing and fashion. \u201cI knew I\u2019d never have another opportunity like this to hit the reset button on my career,\u201d she says. \u201cClothing and fashion companies don\u2019t typically hire MBAs, but Tami (Fassinger) and Read (McNamara) supported me.\u201d Allie is now in her \u201cperfect job,\u201d as a strategic sourcing analyst for specialty retail company Urban Outfitters Inc.<\/p>\n

Eric was the Commencement speaker for Allie\u2019s graduation. The former NASDAQ executive counseled the newly forged graduates to go ahead and take chances with their careers, saying \u201cyou\u2019ll fall down a lot, but the opportunities that come from that will be rewarding.\u201d He reinforced that sentiment with Allie. \u201cI told her that everyone is going to stumble,\u201d he says. \u201cHow you respond is the key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric gave Allie her diploma when she crossed the Owen stage\u2014again. \u201cIt was such a thrill,\u201d Eric says.<\/p>\n

Allie says that for her, Commencement was one part embarrassed, two parts emotional and one part proud. \u201cWhen they recognized my<\/p>\n

dad\u2019s achievements, it was a really proud, very special moment,\u201d Allie says. \u201cMy dad and I are very close. He\u2019s not just my dad, he\u2019s my mentor. I trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch video at\u00a0vu.edu\/owen-noll<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Todd<\/h2>\n

Todd Falk, BE\u201902, MBA\u201907; Vanessa Falk, BA\u201903, MBA\u201908; and\u00a0Robert I. Falk, EMBA\u201980<\/h2>\n

When Bob Falk entered the first Executive MBA class at Vanderbilt, he couldn\u2019t have known that one day his children would blaze their own trail at the school.<\/p>\n

Bob\u2019s son, Todd, and daughter, Vanessa, also became pioneers, joining the first and second classes, respectively, in the school\u2019s Health Care MBA program.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would have discussions around the dinner table about school, work and their projects,\u201d Bob says. \u201cI guess you could say they followed in my footsteps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those conversations resulted in all three Falks succeeding in what has been called the \u201cSilicon Valley of health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

A mechanical engineer, Bob came to Nashville from Chicago as vice president of acquisitions and development for Hospital Affiliates. After earning his EMBA, he founded Healthcare Corporation of Tennessee, a renal dialysis and nursing-home company, which he subsequently sold. That company eventually became Davita Inc., one of the largest providers of dialysis services in the United States. Bob went on to start some 30 other businesses and is currently engaged in several entrepreneurial, investment and real estate initiatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cOwen definitely helped my father in his career,\u201d Todd says, \u201cand that influenced me to attend business school there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Todd, formerly a construction engineer with a degree from Vanderbilt School of Engineering, specialized in strategy and operations at Owen. Coincidentally, he is now division vice president for Davita, overseeing 75 dialysis clinics in Tennessee and Alabama.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Vanessa, a Vanderbilt premed major and self-proclaimed \u201cnumbers person,\u201d opted for finance. Today she is a senior financial analyst with Nashville-based SpecialtyCare Inc., one of the world\u2019s leading providers of clinical services to hospitals.<\/p>\n

The Falks agree that being taught by business leaders at Vanderbilt was a real plus. \u201cOwen does a terrific job of connecting its students with Nashville business leaders,\u201d Vanessa says.<\/p>\n

In addition to working in the health care industry, the Falks also enjoy similar leisure activities like flying planes and deep sea fishing. They also discuss the possibility of going into business together someday.<\/p>\n

That scenario has given Bob second thoughts about one of his early business decisions: \u201cIf I had known Todd wanted to go into the dialysis business,\u201d he jokes, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have sold the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Lucy<\/h2>\n

Lucy Hovious, MBA\u201983, and\u00a0Hayley Hovious, MBA\u201908<\/h2>\n

Lucy Hovious is a role model not only for her daughter, Hayley, but also for many of Hayley\u2019s friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother has always inspired me,\u201d Hayley says. \u201cNow she\u2019s also a resource for my friends who are trying to balance career and family.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Lucy was studying business at Vanderbilt, first in a former mortuary and later in the \u201cnew\u201d management building, she was also caring for a family that included a son with special needs. She didn\u2019t have many peers nor time to socialize with her fellow students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to compartmentalize my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI went to school and then I went home.<\/p>\n

It was a very different experience for Hayley.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning her MBA, Lucy became an executive with SunTrust Bank. In 2004, she left banking for the private, nonprofit Housing Fund. It finances affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects throughout Middle Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cOwen opened many doors for me. I laugh about the fact that I learned more than anyone else, because I knew so little about business when I started,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Hayley graduated from her mother\u2019s alma mater, Smith College, in 2000, and worked for the E&J Gallo Winery and other companies before deciding to go business school. Although she considered Harvard, where her father earned his MBA, Vanderbilt\u2019s friendliness and emphasis on teamwork won her over.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother was very supportive of me going to Owen,\u201d she says. \u201cEven though we had very different experiences there, she often told me about her renowned professors, like Dewey Daane and Germain B\u00f6er.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucy says she was pleased with the direction the school was taking and in particular, its emphasis on working in teams. \u201cThat\u2019s so very important in business, and I don\u2019t see other schools giving it as much attention,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Hayley joined the State of Tennessee as trade director, responsible for the startup and management of the state\u2019s export program, TNTrade. She recently joined the Nashville Health Care Council as executive director of the organization\u2019s Fellows Program, an intensive program that educates and develops leaders in the city\u2019s health care industry.<\/p>\n

In yet another Vanderbilt connection, she works on the Fellows Program with former Senator Bill Frist, M.D., and Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management and executive director of health affairs for Owen. \u201cIt\u2019s a really exciting job,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Jim<\/h2>\n

Jim Stadler, Executive MBA\u201984,\u00a0and George Stadler, MBA\u201991<\/h2>\n

Jim Stadler enrolled in Vanderbilt\u2019s Executive MBA program to help him transition to the next phase in his business life. \u201cI needed to restimulate my brain,\u201d the businessman says. \u201cI thought Owen would help me find some answers.\u201d Jim completed the program in 1984, the same year he turned 50, and stepped into the second phase of his career\u2014developing and owning business properties.<\/p>\n

He also urged his son George, then in his late 20s and working at J.C. Bradford, to get an MBA. \u201cWe had a young child and another on the way, and all I could think was, \u2018how would I do that?\u2019 \u201d George remembers.<\/p>\n

But in 1989, he realized he would need that MBA to keep advancing in his career. \u201cI had the working knowledge, but I didn\u2019t have the framework to hang it on,\u201d he says. \u201cSo I dropped out of the workplace and enrolled in Owen,\u201d focusing on finance. He received his chartered financial analyst designation three years after earning his MBA. \u201cI was able to pass right through,\u201d he says of the three-level examination process that typically has a pass rate of less than half. \u201cOwen prepared me for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim keeps his hand in business; he\u2019s now developing residential lots with a partner. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty difficult for me to think about retiring, although I\u2019m 80 years old,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

After Owen, George was a portfolio manager for 18 years, including six years in the treasurer\u2019s office at Vanderbilt University.\u00a0In 2009, he founded HMS Capital Management, a registered investment adviser, with two partners. \u201cWe felt there was a niche in the market that wasn\u2019t being served as well as it should be and that we were needed,\u201d George says.\u00a0\u201cWe were right.\u201d\u00a0George credits much of his success to the school. \u201cI use my Owen experience every day in this business,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The Stadler family are longtime Vanderbilt supporters, giving to Owen, Peabody, athletics and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children\u2019s Hospital. They also support the Medical Center through the Canby Robinson Society.<\/p>\n

Thinking back, Jim remembers witnessing the start of personal computers, saying \u201cit was fascinating back then to see how people were using them.\u201d<\/p>\n

George recalls the culture clash between him, a young father, and his much younger classmates. \u201cThey would say \u2018let\u2019s get together at 10 p.m. for our group meeting,\u2019 and I would say, \u2018no we\u2019re not,\u2019\u201d he says with an infectious laugh. \u201cAnd one time a group member offered to pick me up something to eat, and brought me back black coffee and French fries.<\/p>\n

I had forgotten that people ate that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Are you part of a multigenerational Owen family?\u00a0Let us know. Send your stories to owenmagazine@vanderbilt.edu<\/a> and we\u2019ll post them online. \u00a0For more family stories, go to <\/span>vu.edu\/owen-secondgeneration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vanderbilt business degrees are all in the family for these alumni.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":399,"featured_media":8431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-homepage-highlights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8021"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8366,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8021\/revisions\/8366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.owen.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltbusiness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}