By Grace Flannery
Our Executive MBA (EMBA) is an integrated program aimed at developing the executive capabilities of experienced leaders drawn to NIU from a diverse mix of sectors and industries. As part of this two-year program, participants take classes on late Friday afternoons and Saturdays every other weekend at NIU’s Naperville campus, receive coaching and are immersed in international experiences.
A unique aspect of our EMBA program is the inclusion of two experienced professors in program design, innovation and implementation. Professor Sarah Marsh and Professor Mahesh Subramony — both of whom have played an integral role, for a combined 40 years, to the success of the College of Business — are our EMBA fellows.
Sarah Marsh (Ph.D. in strategic management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) has an applied background in the software and financial services sectors, has served as department chair and is currently associate dean in our College of Business. As a scholar, she has contributed to esteemed research publications like the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Product Innovation Management, and the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, among others.
Marsh began teaching strategic management in our MBA and EMBA programs in 1999. While strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of strategies to achieve the goals and objectives of an organization, it also encompasses analyzing the internal and external environment, setting objectives, formulating strategies, implementing strategic plans and evaluating performance.
“Strategic management brings together everything that is happening in the company, so it’s really fun to help students see all the connections and interdependencies in business,” Marsh said.
Because “strategic management is about competitiveness and how firms create and sustain competitive advantage, or alternatively, how they can’t,” Marsh explained, “when [a student] figures out how it all fits together, it is just awesome.”
Marsh describes her personal teaching philosophy as both a “coach and facilitator.”
“I curate the issues and problems that they learn to solve in a way that draws on their natural curiosity about business and the world around them using the materials and concepts I provide,” she said. “I have to create an incremental process where they can build on their prior learning in a consistent way. Learning, by definition, requires failing from time to time, so creating a space where they know that it is OK to take risks and we all support each other is really important.”
She noted that teaching this group of EMBA students was one of the highlights of her academic year.
“They are so committed to learning and applying what they learn to their professional lives,” Marsh explained.
While Marsh’s dedication to advancing the realms of strategic management have allowed her to shine for over two decades in the college, our other new EMBA fellow, Mahesh Subramony, has a different but equally impressive academic and professional path.
Mahesh Subramony (Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology, Central Michigan University) has been a professor of management for our NIU MBA program since 2009 and began teaching EMBA students in 2020 through his course MGMT 655 – Change Leadership. His passion for teaching and enthusiasm for developing the unique talents of all leaders makes him a very successful professor in our EMBA program, as exemplified by multiple teaching awards. As part of his change leadership course, students engage in case analyses and learn to apply various change-models and frameworks to pertinent organizational challenges.
In addition to teaching MBA students, Subramony conducts research related to strategic human resource management and the transformation of frontline work. His research has been published in reputed academic publications, and he is a winner of the prestigious NIU Presidential Research Professorship for his work bridging rigorous scholarship with application/consulting in business settings. He brings both experiences to the classroom and his role as an EMBA fellow.
“Every single interaction that I have with my students is rooted in an intention to have a positive impact on their lives,” Subramony said. “I use the term ‘moments of truth’ to signify key touchpoints between those who serve and the recipients of their service. Each of these moments is an opportunity to make a difference, and I deeply believe that I must create positive and impactful moments of truth in my interaction with others.”
Subramony and Marsh will continue to work together in their roles as EMBA fellows to help EMBA students get the most from their experiences.
Applications for our Executive MBA program are now being accepted for fall 2025. For more information about our EMBA program, visit go.niu.edu/EMBA.
