LOGTECH MBA Graduates Fifteen

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The LOGTECH MBA Program recognized its sixth class of graduates on December 15, 2011, at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.  VADM Mark Harnitchek, Director of the Defense Logistics Agency, and LtGen Willie Williams, Director of the Marine Corps Staff, delivered commencement addresses for the ceremony.  The graduates earned a two-year Master of Business Administration from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business with a Certificate in Global Supply Chain Leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School.   

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090316/DC84323LOGO)

The Center of Excellence in Logistics and Technology (LOGTECH), a partnership of UNC-Chapel Hill and the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB), developed the LOGTECH MBA, an online and residential MBA program with a concentration in logistics.  

The MBA program provides a select class of professional logisticians - from military services, government agencies, and the private sector - with an educational experience focused on international business knowledge and leadership skills needed in today's complex global logistics environment.

"Students in each class apply business principles and practices to real government issues saving far more than the cost of this investment in their education. These graduates will continue to lead business changes in and for their organizations," remarked Mark Cramer, President of the IDB and Executive Director of LOGTECH.

During the two-year program, approximately 80 percent of the academic work is accomplished online, punctuated by four residencies. This class attended 3 one-week residencies in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and one 10-day study tour in China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This is the final graduating LOGTECH MBA cohort with full sponsorship by the U.S. Army Materiel Command for the Department of Defense military and civilian personnel. 

One of the class members, LtCol Allen Grinalds, deployed to Afghanistan midway through the program.  The online component of the MBA has allowed LtCol Grinalds to continue to complete courses when possible and he is on schedule to graduate next year.

The graduating LOGTECH MBA class included:

• Ms. Sherrie Culbertson, Supervisory Business Process Analyst (Procurement), Defense Logistics Agency, Land & Maritime, Defense Supply Center Columbus
• Mr. Jason Duke, Logistics Management Specialist, Department of the Army, G-4 Pentagon
• Mr. Scott Edwards, General Manager, MTP Drivetrain Services
• LtCol James Brian Ellis, Director, Commandant's Staff Group, Office of the Commandant, Headquarters Marine Corps
• Mrs. Kristin Gatti, Research Fellow, LMI
• CDR Charles Kirol, Executive Officer, Defense Contract Management Agency and VP Global Supply Management, General Procurement and Transportation, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
• Capt Kazimir Kostrubala, Operations Officer, 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron
• CAPT Doug Noble, Supply Officer, Spares Programs and Policy Branch (OPNAV N412), Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
• Mr. Carmen Pillitteri, Contract Specialist, Defense Logistics Agency
• CDR Mike Ryan, Officer in Charge, Naval Supply Systems Command
• LCDR Doug Tempest, Naval Aviator & Instructor, U.S. Navy, Naval Station Norfolk
• Maj Brandy Thomas, G-3 Future Operations Planner, 3rd Marine Logistics Group
• Maj Khalilah Thomas, Economics Instructor, United States Naval Academy
• Capt Angel Toledo, Program Lead, Maintenance & Supply Integration, Performance Improvement Branch
• Mr. Dave Ward, Director of Fielding and Sustainment, 681st Armament Systems Squadron

Two students received special recognition during the graduation ceremony:

• For demonstrated leadership, LtCol James Brian Ellis, received the E.B. Leedy Award, named in honor of the late Major General Leedy, USA (Ret.), a key member of the team that founded LOGTECH.
• For demonstrated and future potential to contribute to the field of defense logistics, Capt Kazimir Kostrubala, Operations Officer, 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron, received the William T. Powell Jr. Scholarship, named in honor of the late founder and first President of the Institute for Defense and Business, for continued master-level studies resulting in an additional Masters in Global Supply Chain Management.

About the IDB:

The Institute for Defense and Business (IDB) is a non-profit research and education institute formed in 1997 by UNC-Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina. The IDB offers a series of educational programs for the military, government, non-governmental agencies, and private sector, in the areas of logistics, life cycle management, organizational change, and stabilization and economic reconstruction.

For more information:  Please contact either Theresa Esposto Raines, Director of Industry Relations at [email protected], or April McGill, Manager, Federal Accounts at [email protected] or call 919-969-8008.

SOURCE Institute for Defense and Business