MBA Fellows Program

Education:
B.A. Fordham University

Professionally Speaking: “Receiving a degree from one of Loyola’s MBA programs brings credibility and opportunity that is unmatched in this area.”

Personally Speaking: “From improved time management and team building skills to a few logistical frustrations, the program is stretching and challenging me in ways that I did and didn’t expect.”

Spotlight
As St. Frances Academy’s Director of Advancement, Tom Nealis may not seem the archetypal Loyola MBA Fellow. A former member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, he continues to be committed to working with people who are marginalized by society. He is also responsible for managing St. Frances Academy’s efforts in fundraising, marketing and public relations, corporate and foundation relations, strategic planning, and government affairs. And he is married with three children.

Come to think of it, in many ways Nealis is a typical MBA Fellow – a busy working professional with a complex personal life who is striving to gain the broader business knowledge and deeper skill sets that will help him advance in his career, while bringing a unique perspective to his classes and his studies.

“My work experience is very different from most of the other students,” he says. “Even so, the program is designed to rely heavily on team work so it’s a good exercise in learning to work collaboratively with people who have a different focus.”

Nealis is impressed by the faculty’s commitment to Loyola’s vision and values, as well as how they treat their professional students. Equally appreciated is how the subject matter is coordinated from class to class, referencing similar case studies that reinforce new information as each class approaches the information from a different perspective.

“Loyola’s faculty walk the talk,” Nealis explains. “They collaborate with one another so that we’re presented with coordinated information and they embrace the Jesuit foundation of the college.”

It’s only natural for Nealis to bring a sense of community and appreciation of human dynamics into everything he does, including his MBA team projects. While some of his fellow students are surprised by this approach, others appreciate his unique point of view just as he is learning to appreciate theirs.

“I’m definitely getting a chance to see into the corporate world and understand how differently it approaches strategic management,” he says. “I’m also exposed to aspects of the program that work across industries and are immediately applicable to my job and my organization.”