Mike Salvador
Chairman, Department of Leadership and Professional Development
Coles Executive Education Programs
Mike_Salvador@coles2.kennesaw.edu
Phone: 770.499.3685
Fax: 770.420.4444
Ask Dr. Salvador: Questions from Executive MBA applicants
Degrees and Education:
Ph.D., Case Institute of Technology
M.S., Case Western Reserve University
B.S., Loyola University (New Orleans, LA)
Research & Teaching Interests:
Dr. Salvador has an extensive consulting career prior to engaging in teaching and research in an academic setting. He has advised companies and individuals on a broad range of issues, with particular emphasis on human capital and career management, business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, development of business-to-business strategic alliances, operations improvement, and business process change. Throughout his career, he has conducted research, designed and delivered management development programs, and engaged in publishing and public speaking in most of these areas of interest and expertise.
Awards:
Dr. Salvador has received several forms of special recognition during his extensive career in the private sector, as well as several associated with many years of volunteerism on the Boards of not-for-profit organizations.
Select Papers:
Dr. Salvador has published research-related papers in academic journals, principally on the subject of operations management, and has been involved in numerous other private sector research endeavors leading to public presentations, speeches, and publications in business media outlets. Examples of the latter include co-authoring a white paper on the subject of cultural renewal in business organizations; and serving on a task force which conducted a major study of over 180 Fortune 500 companies into post-merger human capital integration, which led to the publication of study findings. Dr. Salvador has given presentations at numerous professional trade association meetings during his 35 year career in business and academe.
Executive Experience and Select Consulting Clients:
Prior to his appointment, Dr. Salvador was a member of the adjunct faculty of Coles College, teaching operations and strategy management classes to both undergraduate and graduate school students of Coles. His distinguished corporate and professional services career prior to Coles includes:
- Global Product Manager for The International Center for Executive Options, a unit of Drake Beam Morin, Inc. (DBM), a leading provider of personal transition consulting services to senior executives.
- Founder and President of MSCounselors, a consultancy focused primarily on business strategy advisory services.
- Partner with Tatum Partners LLP, where he served as Co-Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of the Tatum CIO Partners firm at its inception. Tatum CIO Partners was modeled after the Tatum CFO Partners firm founded in 1993, and the two were eventually combined to form Tatum Partners. The firm’s partners provide full-time, part-time, interim, and project-based executive financial and technology leadership solutions to a broad client base.
- Practice Leader of Human Capital Management Services at Thomas Group, Inc., an international consulting firm.
- Managing Vice-President – Organizational Consulting for the Southeast Group of Right Management Consultant’s North American operations, responsible for the firm’s human capital management consulting practice in an eight-state area.
- President and CEO of The Atlanta Consulting Group, a premier organizational consulting firm founded in 1972 which combined with Right in 1998.
- Regional Director of Professional Services for a unit of Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, where he was subsequently appointed International Director of Strategic Alliances
- Partner with Ernst & Young, including a span of 19 years with the firm where he directed consulting practices in four major U.S. cities; organized and led a regional M&A consulting practice; and served three years as a National Partner and member of the firm’s Management Committee, overseeing the strategic, organizational, and operations management practices of the entire U.S. firm.
The clients with whom Dr. Salvador has worked with directly as a consultant spans numerous large international Fortune 500 companies, mid size and entrepreneurial companies, governmental entities, and not-for-profit organizations.
Why do experienced professionals choose the Coles Executive MBA at Kennesaw State University over other programs?
The Coles College of Business has a legacy of innovation in addressing the specialized needs of experienced professionals seeking an MBA degree. The value of the degree, and the process by which it is earned, must address the unique needs of these associates and offer to them a unique value proposition. Some of the more significant responses from Coles to this environment include 1) dedication of a faculty to the program who have significant business as well as academic experience, and who, because they work exclusively with Executive MBA associates, build strong relationships with them outside the classroom and even after the program ends; 2) a curriculum which is responsive to the learning requirements of experienced professionals, such as the integration of functional topics (rather than teaching them independently), a focus on skill building that matters to a practicing professional (e.g., teaming, leadership, coaching, and career management), and the relentless linkage of theory and practice; and 3) an international experience which is an integral part of the learning process, rather than just on-site visitation of non-U.S.-based enterprises.
Please comment on the caliber of the Coles Executive MBA students.
Coles Executive MBA associates are typically successful individuals who are doing more than fulfilling an academic goal on a delayed basis. They recognize that the right degree program is one that offers, beyond the degree, an experience which provides them with the tools to accelerate their careers and advance personal goals. They are a very diverse group, representing a wide range of industries and business sectors.
What books and websites do you recommend that executives read?
There are numerous books which I believe can build a solid foundation for a successful career, and it is difficult to single out just a few. However, a sampling of my favorites would be; Good to Great, by Jim Collins; The Heart of Networking by Ricky Steele; Managing from the Heart by Hyler Bracey; and anything by Peter Drucker. I also believe that it is critical that an executive develop a routine that keeps them current with the ever-changing world of business. I recommend a regular diet of The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and/or Fortune Magazine.
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