The One-Year MBA program at the Chaifetz School of Business brings together students from across the country and the world to develop the practical, in-demand skills needed to achieve business results.
Olumayowa (Mayowa) Adekunle
Hometown: St. Louis
Mayowa Adekunle, a first-generation Nigerian American, majored in Finance and Banking at the University of Missouri. Her leadership involvements included the African Student Association, Business Week and Mystical 7, one of Mizzou’s oldest honor societies. While in school, she also operated two businesses: a beauty services and Nigerian catering business. Mayowa interned for Dillard’s, Altria, and Veterans United, in efforts to discover her niche in the business industry. After graduation, Mayowa moved back to the St. Louis area, where she decided to pursue her MBA and applied to Saint Louis University. Mayowa plans to begin a career in the professional services industry after receiving her MBA and is particularly interested in the areas of consulting and business development.
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Haley Baker
Hometown: St. Louis
Haley Baker and graduated in May 2022 from Saint Louis University with a double major in Finance and Economics. She has professional experience in investment banking, serving the Investment Portfolio Analyst Intern at CIBC Bank during her undergraduate career. Currently, Haley is working on a consulting project for Equifax Inc. that heavily involves data analytics and machine learning. Haley says she chose the One-Year MBA program to help improve my data analytics and technological skillset. Her goals after graduation include working in corporate finance in the St. Louis area.
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Corey Brenner
Hometown: Ellisville, Missouri
A native of Greater St. Louis, Corey Brenner attended the University of Missouri for his undergraduate studies, where he completed a Bachelor of General Studies. After spending two years as a recruiter, he began a union apprenticeship in the Ironworkers Local #396, moving from Apprentice to Journeyman to Foreman on numerous projects in the St. Louis area. Corey hopes to combine his formal business education from the One-Year MBA program with his real-world experience and practical skills to make an immediate impact in the business world. Outside of the classroom, Corey enjoys staying physically active, has backpacked all over the country, and enjoys road cycling and fly fishing.
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Ellie Cobb
Hometown: Salina, Kansas
Ellie Cobb is a dual-degree MHA/MBA candidate at Saint Louis University. Prior to joining SLU, she graduated from Drury University with a BBA in Management and a minor in Community Health. Ellie has previously worked as a Marketing Coordinator for Salina Country Club as well as an internship with the Salina Family Health Center. These experiences, among others, inspired Ellie to pursue my Master's in both Health and Business Administration. Using skills from both programs, Ellie hopes to work in and around the healthcare field to increase access to quality healthcare by developing and implementing initiatives to build a more equitable system.
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Sereen Daoud
Hometown: St. Louis
Sereen Daoud studied International Business with an emphasis in Marketing at the University of Missouri. During this time, she gained experience in the business field through an internship with a leading wholesale company in St. Louis and a position as a sales and leasing supervisor. She also worked as a marketer for various nonprofit organizations. After completing her undergraduate degree, she decided to further her education by pursuing her MBA at Saint Louis University. As she works to receive this degree, she is completing a marketing internship for Nestle Purina and works as a graduate assistant. Upon graduation, Sereen is interested in continuing her career in the areas of marketing and management.
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Reed Hawkins
Hometown: Granite City, Illinois
As an undergraduate student, Reed Hawkins majored in Finance and minored in Economics at Saint Louis University. Upon his graduation in May of 2021, Reed accepted an Analyst position with Integra Realty Resources, a real estate appraisal firm. Looking to advance his professional career, Reed applied for the One-Year MBA program at Saint Louis University because it would allow him to sharpen his business skills and enhance his leadership capabilities. After being accepted to the One-Year MBA program, Reed was elected a class representative by his cohort and hired as a graduate assistant to the Chair of the Department of Finance. Reed hopes to leverage his competitive nature, leadership abilities, and problem-solving skills to obtain a job in consulting, finance, or technology.
Anna Hill
Hometown: St. Louis
Anna Hill graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Louis University in 2022 with undergraduate degrees in Finance (Real Estate Concentration) and Information Technology Management. Previously, she was an Accounts Payable Assistant at Compi Distributors Inc., a building materials distributor for the fixture and cabinet industry. Anna currently serves as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Service Leadership at SLU assisting in the planning of Mission Meets the Market Week, a week long celebration of ethical and sustainable business practices for the entire business school. She also serves as an MBA Consultant at Equifax, where her team has been working to create a more robust machine learning model to predict revenue for their WOTC product offering. Upon graduation, Anna hopes to work as a consultant implementing ERP systems or performing data analysis to solve complex business problems.
Gauri Kaushal
Hometown: Mount Vernon, Illinois
Gauri Kaushal earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Management and Policy with a Minor in Biology at Saint Louis University in 2020. During this time and following her graduation, Gauri worked as a practice manager for her family’s pediatric private practice, Kaushal Pediatric Services in Mount Vernon, Illinois and fell in love with serving underserved rural communities. In 2022, Gauri decided to pursue Saint Louis University’s M.B.A and M.H.A. Dual Degree Program to refine her data analytic, finance, and healthcare administration skills in order to better serve the healthcare sector. Ultimately, Gauri hopes to be a leader in a healthcare organization that provides greater resources to pediatric patients in the Southern Illinois and St. Louis areas.
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Chayanis Kerdsook
Hometown: Bankgkok
Chayanis Kerdsook graduated in International Business Management from Assumption University in Thailand. With her major in IBM and marketing as her business concentration, she had worked with Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) as international business development specialized in Smart City industry. She has a strong belief in the future is technology, which is why she decided to pursue her MBA at Saint Louis University. Chayanis hopes to continue her career in business consulting services in importing & exporting and logistics industry.
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Babatope Kolawole
Hometown: Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Babatope completed his undergraduate education at Saint Louis University in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and Minor in Math. After graduation, he worked as a Project Engineer at McCarthy Building Companies for three years, working on health care and renewable energy projects in cities like Omaha, Phoenix and St. Louis. Upon graduation, Babatope hopes that his project management experience and nurtured problem solving skills combined with his MBA will help him into transition into a career in business management.
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Theresa McInnis
Hometown: St. Louis
Theresa McInnis graduated from Saint Louis University in 2022 with a degree in Communications and Concentration in Journalism and Media Studies as well as a minor in Public Health. During her undergraduate career, she interned at Express Scripts in their Consultant Relations & New Sales department. This experience is what drove Theresa to pursue her MBA, because she was able to see how her combination of knowledge in communications and public health looked in a business setting. Upon graduation, Theresa hopes to pursue a career in marketing or organizational development/human resources.
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Aidan Morley
Hometown: Ladue, Missouri
Aidan Morley attended the University of Alabama and graduated in May 2022 with a degree in Marketing. Upon graduation, he decided to pursue an MBA at Saint Louis University to increase his professional effectiveness in an increasingly competitive business environment. In addition, the industry consulting project that the One-Year MBA program offered was a substantial pull for Aidan, who saw it as an opportunity that would provide invaluable experience. Aidan grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Ladue Horton Watkins High School, graduating in 2018. Aidan is working to begin a career in the marketing/sales industry after graduation, and is particularly interested in market acquisition and expansion as well as market research analysis.
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Bilqees Odewale
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Born and raised in Nigeria, Bilqees majored in International Business Administration with a concentration in Finance at the United States International University-Africa (USIU-A), Kenya, and interned at Deloitte Kenya. In 2012, she joined the Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP) in Nigeria. Her career experience with Unilever spanned Supply Chain, Customer Development, Consumer Marketing (Brand Management), and a stint with Unilever South Africa. Nine years into her exceptional career with Unilever, she wanted to pivot into another industry, and hone her data analytical skills. She decided Saint Louis University's one-year MBA was a good fit for her because of the duration program, its data analytics focus, and the consulting project which she is currently doing with Nestle Purina. Upon graduation, Bilqees is looking to join a non-CPG industry and is keenly interested in product and program management roles.
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Chidi Okafor
Hometown: Nigeria
Chidi Okafor majored in Marketing from the University of Nigeria. Upon graduation, Chidi worked as a security officer in Halogen Group before into the manufacturing sector, where he was a key player in the sales and logistics department of Tummy-Tummy foods Industries. In other to alleviate poverty and help startups within his immediate community, Chidi decided to pursue his MBA at Saint Louis University, citing its data analytics-focused curriculum. Upon graduation, Chidi hopes to go into full-time business consulting and believes that the One-Year MBA program will help him gain a better overall understanding of the entire business world.
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Mackenzie Poole
Hometown: Marion, Illinois
Mackenzie Poole graduated from Saint Louis University in 2019 with a B.S. in Biology, emphasis in Cellular Biology and Physiology. Upon graduation, she began medical school at the SLU School of Medicine, where she completed 3.25 years of medical education before joining the One-Year MBA program. She realized during her pre-medical years that in order to provide an optimal experience for patients and staff, she needed a basic understanding of how companies outside of the healthcare sector manage costs, operate with efficiency, and implement sound strategy. Upon graduation of the MD/MBA program, she will pursue a residency in dermatology, where she hopes to apply the data analytics component of the MBA curriculum to help her further her interests in clinical research. Furthermore, she aims to use skills obtained from the MBA to become a physician leader by serving in administrative roles and acting as a mentor that helps colleagues navigate the complex business of medicine.
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Cameron Redding
Hometown: Chicago
Cameron Redding graduated from Saint Louis University in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Marketing. While studying entrepreneurship as an undergraduate student, Cameron learned about aspects of business through the creation of business plans and financial statements for his classes. Cameron chose to come back to SLU in the One-Year MBA in order to broaden his education in business as well as to learn more about data analytics. After graduation, he hopes to begin a career in management consulting.
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Sara Rutherford
Hometown: Eolia, Missouri
Sara Rutherford was born in St. Louis and raised in rural, northeastern Missouri. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in International Business and a minor in Leadership & Change Management from Saint Louis University in 2021. She is currently pursuing a dual degree JD, MBA at SLU Law and the Chaifetz School of Business. Her portfolio of professional experience includes interning with three Fortune 500 companies and a prominent nonprofit, where her research on education policy has been twice published. Sara is pursuing her One-Year MBA to further advance her business knowledge and compliment her legal studies to bring both skillsets to a career in corporate transactional law one day.
Mike Scaplehorn
Hometown: Mechanicsville, Virginia
Mike Scaplehorn completed his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the Virginia Military Institute. Upon graduation, he commissioned as an officer into the United States Navy. He has served as a Civil Engineer Corps Officer in Mississippi, Guam, and Washington, D.C. for the past nine years. Mike is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Illinois and was recently selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander. In June 2022, Mike, his wife and two sons received orders to St. Louis to pursue a prestigious MBA closer to extended family. Mike plans to utilize this educational experience to continue his service to our nation and after retirement starting a second career in the civilian business sector.
Ashley N. Williams
Hometown: St. Louis
Ashley Williams graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2009 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. Following graduation, she worked as a Production Engineer at ADM's plant in Columbus, Nebraska for about two years before returning to St. Louis to work as a Project Engineer for her family's business, Williams Patent Crusher & Pulverizer Co. Ashley spent eight years as a Project Engineer before being promoted to Customer Service Department Manager in 2019. After managing the department for about two years, Ashley decided to pursue an MBA in order to further develop her management and leadership skills, which led her to apply to the One-Year MBA program at Saint Louis University.
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The following students are also in the One-Year MBA Class of 2023, but elected not to be featured on this page:
- Curtis Andrzejewski
- Garret Domash
- Niema Foroughi
- Parker Green
- Jacob Muth
- Ryan Patel
- Adam Ryan