Cohort One Earns DBA
Bauer College Honors Inaugural Executive DBA Graduates at Annual Symposium
The Bauer College Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program reached an important milestone recently with the hooding and graduation of its inaugural cohort.
At the second annual Executive DBA Symposium in May, the group of 25 graduating students were recognized, surrounded by friends, family members, mentors and colleagues.
“This degree represents the habit of lifelong learning,” Bauer Dean Xianjun Geng said.
Launched in Fall 2023, the Executive DBA program serves as an opportunity for c-suite executives to explore contemporary business issues through deep inquiry and scholarly research in a collaborative group setting, said Associate Dean of Research Vanessa Patrick, who helped to develop the program and serves as its executive director.
“The opportunity to be immersed in the vibrant research culture at a Tier One university holds tremendous value for students and the businesses they serve,” she said.
With the successful completion and defense of their dissertations, the inaugural cohort was celebrated as the first class to graduate from Bauer with their Executive DBA.
“This feels like the realization of a dream,” Patrick said. “You can see the impact it’s created for the students, not just intellectually. They have made lifelong friends.”
Executive DBA Academic Director Amy Horner, a DBA graduate herself from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, reflected on the intensity of the experience and the growth it requires.
“This marks a tremendous milestone for the program and the students who are graduating,” Horner said. “My advice to them is to sit and really enjoy this moment that is, for some, the achievement of a lifelong goal.”
Patrick noted that students entered the program as experienced professionals and played a direct role in shaping its foundation as the first cohort.
They honored 25 graduating students, with a special tribute to Murali Kuppuswamy, a member of the cohort who passed away in November 2025. He successfully defended his dissertation, “Indispensable Intransigents,” in September 2025. His son, Archith Kuppuswamy, accepted the posthumous degree on behalf of his family.
The event also served as a forum for students to present their research, with select graduates sharing reflections on their work and experience in the program.
Steve Jones
Coastal Mechanics Co., Inc. International Vice President of International Operations
“Houston is a place of opportunity, and this program fits right into that idea. It’s fitting that one of the top universities in Texas has one of the top executive doctoral programs.”
NG Onyejekewe
Kanflooens Founding Partner
“This is an absolute honor and a dream come true. I am the first in my family to get a doctorate.”
Matthew Wisdom
Audubon Companies Director of ROW (Right of Way)
“The DBA team and Cohort One learned together. The whole process was a collaborative effort, from when we were in class, to the semester when we were on our own writing our dissertations. It’s all been fulfilling in different ways, and the experience overall has made me a better person.”
Mahesh Joshi
Everllence President and Managing Director
“If you look at the journey we started three years ago and where it’s ending, we have grown so much. Although we are finishing this program, there is still so much more we can learn, and this whole process has taught me just how much I don’t know yet.”
Brandee Fernandez
Baker Hughes Sourcing Sustainability Director
“If you’re looking for something that takes you to the next level, and to do that with an amazing group of people, this is the program for you.”
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