Tauber Institute alumni bring their operations expertise to leadership roles in a wide variety of fields, all over the globe. Read about what some of our alumni are doing today, and learn about the impact their Tauber experience has had on their career paths.
Jennette Kuo, EGL BSE/MSE-IOE, Bain & Company
Stephanie Kuo, EGL BSE/MSE-IOE '12, United Airlines
Bill Muir, MSE-IOE and MBA '97, Our Next Energy (ONE)
Dan Muir, MSE-IOE and MBA '03
David Hamilton, MSE ’09, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Tom Hamilton, MSE ’12, Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company
Ricky Hamilton, IOE ’14 Chief of Staff, Galvanize, Inc.
Samer Saab, MSE ‘08, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, Wala
Hanni Saab, MSE ‘12, Principal Consultant, Clarity Insights
Ken Agacinski, MSE '15, Principal, End-to-End Analytics
Steve Agacinski, MSE '08, Supply Chain Analytics Consultant, End-to-End Analytics
It starts in early childhood with toddlers trying to wear their older sibling’s two-sizes-too-big sneakers and it continues through adolescence with “Aren’t you Smitty’s little brother?” Big brothers and their ambitious younger siblings are part of the fabric of the University of Michigan Tauber Institute for Global Operations’ family.
David, Tom and Patrick Hamilton
David Hamilton, MSE ’09, Tom Hamilton, MSE ’12, and Patrick Hamilton IOE ’14, are cut from the same cloth. The brothers grew up in the Detroit suburb of Troy and like so many Michigan kids, were avid U-M football followers. Their father and uncle are proud Wolverines and IOE alums.
“There was never any pressure to attend U-M for family reasons, but I think we gravitated to everything that it offered -- the prestige, the social aspects, athletics, and academics. For us, engineering and business were common interests and Michigan was a Top 10 school in both,” said Tom Hamilton.
The first brother on campus, Dave, became a member of the Engineering Global Leadership Honors Program, something Tom aspired to be part of even before he started college. “I set my goal to get in and follow through to Tauber. This was due to the amazing growth I witnessed in my brother and his peers through their Tauber experience at Borg Warner and other companies. In fact, Dave's education with Tauber was more than the average Tauber student I think because of the fact he served on the Student Advisory Board (SAB) as President.” Today, Tom is the President of EGL and a member of the SAB.
“Tauber was a no-brainer for me based on the networking, the professional development opportunities, the industry exposure, the community of friends, and the social aspects. Tauber includes some of the most inspiring and talented people the University has to offer, and I wanted to be a part of that,” said Tom. “My brother Dave continues to be a great influence on me. In a way you could say he paved a path for my college and professional career, but I think I just respected his decisions and saw the value of EGL and Tauber.”
Dave is a consultant with McKinsey & Co. and, no surprise, Tom is considering going into consulting. “We joke about starting a business together,” said Tom, but he adds that it is not such a far-fetched idea. “We both enjoy investing in people and producing results. With the networks we've established within Tauber and EGL, as well as those in industry, I think the future includes a powerful network of friends and colleagues…and my brothers.”
Samer and Hanni Saab
You have to look closely to differentiate between the resumes of Samer Saab, MSE ‘08, and his younger brother Hanni Saab, MSE ‘12. Not only do these brothers look alike in person, but on paper they’re virtually identical. This has resulted in some healthy competition over the years.
The elder of three sons, they grew up on Lake Fenton in Mid-Michigan and attended a small, college-prep high school in Flint. Their parents, both business majors who attended American University of Beirut, first encouraged Samer to attend U-M to pursue engineering. “They also stressed that I pursue an MBA which is why I became interested in Tauber as an undergrad,” said Samer. Today, he is working at consulting firm ZS Associates in Chicago as an Associate Consultant.
“I was supportive when Hanni decided to become an engineer and then also major in Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE). When he decided to stay for his Masters degree I told him that I'd only support him if he joined Tauber,” he said.”Unfortunately, since I've been through the exact same process, he's used me as his academic advisor,” joked Saab, adding that his little bro never misses a chance to take a jab when he gets a better grade in a specific class.
Hanni hates to admit it, but he was influenced greatly by his brother’s career track. “It was my own childhood passion and dream that drove me to Michigan, but my strengths and Samer’s experiences with Tauber assisted me choosing this career path,” he said.
Kenneth and Steven Agacinski
Attending U-M was an easy decision for Royal Oak natives Ken and Steven Agacinski as their father and older sister are each alums. Once in the IOE program here, these like-minded brothers gravitated to Tauber for the unique opportunities and impactful projects they had heard about.
“I was excited by the chance to take on internships and team projects where I could have actual impact on the companies I worked for,” said Ken, MSE ‘05. That coupled with the business emphasis at Tauber made it a must-do for the Agacinski Brothers.
“I was fairly forceful promoting Tauber to Steven. I had such good experiences and career opportunities right out of the gate, including great summer internships, that he was already interested by the time he arrived on campus,” said Ken.
Ken currently works for a non-profit organization in Detroit that connects entrepreneurs with support resources throughout the state of Michigan. Steven, MSE ’08, is living in California and is employed, not coincidentally, by the same consulting firm that Ken previously worked for called End-To-End Analytics. Their sister Gail is in process engineering at the Mayo Clinic and is planning a move back to the University of Michigan Medical Center.
Tauber Brothers. Some are blood relatives and others are joined by their shared experiences and career aspirations. All are part of a unique network of men (and women) around the world whose reciprocal support helps member professionals reach their goals.