{"id":2954,"date":"2024-02-26T15:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T20:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/?p=2954"},"modified":"2024-02-26T15:35:45","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T20:35:45","slug":"qa-michigan-ross-partners-share-their-stories-and-how-they-support-each-other-at-u-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/2024\/02\/26\/qa-michigan-ross-partners-share-their-stories-and-how-they-support-each-other-at-u-m\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: Michigan Ross Partners Share Their Stories and How They Support Each Other at U-M"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The University of Michigan is one of the largest employers in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, so it should come as no surprise that many people who work at Michigan Ross have partners who are also employed by or students at the university. This month, in honor of Valentine\u2019s Day, we asked some of our faculty and staff who have partners at the university to share their love stories and how they support each other in their respective careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sanjeev Kumar<\/strong>, lecturer of technology and operations
Kaveri Misra<\/strong>, LEO intermittent lecturer of technology and operations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you and your partner meet?<\/strong>
We met as pen pals when we were both in our graduate programs in India. These were old-school letters with stamps on them. Somewhere along the way of writing three letters a week to each other, we fell in love, proposed, and accepted \u2014 all in written words \u2014 and then decided to meet (we know, right!). Shortly after, we came to Ross (then known as the Michigan Business School) for our graduate degrees together. Kaveri started in the Full-Time MBA program, and Sanjeev started in the PhD program. We bleed maize and blue. Go Blue!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you and your partner support each other in your respective careers?<\/strong>
We developed and teach a class together at Ross, so part of our support is working well together, and we have 25 years of experience doing that. We are also raising our 5-year-old twins (fondly referred to as the Twinadoes). So, when one reflects on what works, it all comes down to a very deep understanding and appreciation of one another. Over time, we have mastered the art of seamlessly shifting roles, so much so that we can now sense who is dealing with a full plate, and the other partner just steps in and picks up the slack. There is no ego between us. We are both passionate about technology, analytics, and making a positive impact. This shows well in class where, despite both having different teaching styles and different domain expertise, our common understanding helps us create an engaging learning environment; a joint product that is better than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lauren La Rosa<\/strong>, marketing and events coordinator, Full-Time MBA Program
Alexander Dawson<\/strong>, MBA Class of 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you and your partner meet?<\/strong>
We met in Honolulu, Hawaii, while Alex was in the Navy and I was working there after college. One of our first dates was a sunset cruise in Honolulu; pretty romantic! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you and your partner support each other in your respective careers?<\/strong>
Alex and I see each other as a team, and with that we consider the success in our careers as part of the team’s success. We also have great communication on what our weekly schedules entail, always making time for date night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jun Li<\/strong>, associate professor of technology and operations
Andrew Wu<\/strong>, assistant professor of technology and operations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you and your partner meet? <\/strong>
We met at a Wharton School Doctoral Council event when we were both at Wharton as doctoral students. I remember Andrew’s gaze when I arrived at the event, and it somehow felt like I knew this guy from my previous life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you and your partner support each other in your respective careers?<\/strong>
Jun helps clean Andrew’s lunch boxes while Andrew reminds Jun to exercise. Well, we collaborated on many research projects. We have complementary domain and methodology expertise as well as personalities that make these collaborations successful and enriching for both of us. I came to know one or two things about Blockchain and DeFi after listening to Andrew’s nonstop speech about FinTech in the last six years at dinner and on our drive to school. Andrew also became a supply chain expert under my influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kaci Kegler<\/strong>, managing director, One-Year Master\u2019s Programs
Brian Kegler<\/strong>, executive associate athletic director, Development for Michigan Athletics<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you and your partner meet?<\/strong>
Brian and I met while working at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. He served as the assistant athletic director and managed fundraising for athletics. I served as a major gift officer for the College of Engineering Technology. When I moved to Big Rapids, our vice president of development introduced me to Brian as a fellow young colleague who could help me acclimate to the school and area. A year later, she was at our wedding! While we enjoyed joint donor visits and attending development events, there was no separation between work life and home life, so when we started our next adventure at the University of Tulsa, I intentionally transitioned out of fundraising and into a student-facing role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you and your partner support each other in your respective careers?<\/strong>
A crazy amount of calendar invitations! No… literally. We both keep hectic work schedules, and our three children lovingly add to the chaos. We could not effectively do either job without a lot of planning, mutual respect, and support!<\/p>\n