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Isaac Valentine ’20 EMBA, a program manager at , says he enjoys the opportunity to learn firsthand from successful business leaders. That’s why he made it a point to log into on a recent Friday afternoon to hear a presentation by JC Murphy, a successful and influential business leader, who "visited" the University as part of the University’s Executive MBA speaker series.

"It was a pleasure listening to JC share his business experiences as a senior leader," said Valentine. "He covered a great deal of insightful information around acquisitions and mergers, discussing many of the key challenges and how to work through them."

"Sharing my career experience around the importance of organizational dynamics was invigorating."JC Murphy

The president of Savant, a home automation company, Murphy’s lecture focused on organizational dynamics, and Murphy says he enjoyed sharing his expertise with the University community.

"The opportunity, in a small way, to contribute back into the program was very important to me," he said. "Sharing my career experience around the importance of organizational dynamics was invigorating, especially talking through the critical impact of organizational dynamics during mergers and acquisitions and how proper understanding, planning, and responding to these factors can determine the success or failure of the venture."

Current students and alumni joined the discussion remotely via Zoom, which enabled them to "raise their hands" and ask Murphy questions after the talk. Several faculty members, including Brian Kench, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business, who joined with the College of Business Orange campus entrance as his Zoom background, and Michael Davis, MBA, director of the University’s EMBA program, were also part of the discussion.

"Success breeds success," said Prof. Davis. "He shared his experience and wisdom regarding his successful integration of acquisitions, and that is something you can’t get from a textbook. Presentations such as his are just one of the reasons our program is so special.

"We are proud to have very successful leaders who want to share their wisdom with current program members," Davis continued. "This continues to contribute greatly to our program’s 45 years of success."

Students asked Murphy about how his company has been mitigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and how he prepared his team to respond to it. He discussed the importance of staying connected and supporting each other virtually.

Robert Albright, Ph.D., chair of the University’s management department, says Murphy’s insights were valuable to everyone in attendance.

"JC has exceled in his career, and he is now actively sharing his experience with our students," he said. "He delivered an excellent talk, expertly intertwining his ‘lessons of experience’ with the course subject matter. All the attendees, including me, came away with a fresh perspective, new ideas, and an enhanced appreciation for the topic."

Valentine, the program manager at Lockheed Martin, says Murphy’s talk and the chance to ask questions afterward was an important opportunity for current students to take part in.

"JC provided great insight into the process, as well as areas to look at and watch during a merger or acquisition within an organization," said Valentine. "He also provided valuable insight into culture, change management, team integration, and collaboration that we can draw from throughout our careers.".

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