Four Mendoza College of Business students joined global leaders for the Reimagining Business Excellence (RBE) program, adding their voices to a dialogue that bridged cultures, industries, and perspectives. Their participation underscored how Mendoza students are not only learning in the classroom but also engaging on a global stage where the future of business and ethical leadership is being shaped.
Notre Dame welcomed leaders from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the program, a weeklong opportunity to explore innovative approaches to global challenges. Participants collaborated on a case study set in the region prompting them to rethink how businesses can balance profitability with social good, all while engaging across cultures and industries.
Notre Dame Jerusalem, an academic center of ND Global, presented the program alongside faculty from the Mendoza College of Business and Keough School of Global Affairs, with partial support from the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership (NDDCEL). Notre Dame Jerusalem executive director Daniel Schwake and director of undergraduate studies Gabriel (Gabi) Mitchell traveled to the South Bend campus to lead the program in partnership with Kristen Collett-Schmitt (Department of Finance and associate dean for Mendoza) and Jessica McManus Warnell (Department of Management & Organization and faculty director of the NDDCEL), and Melissa Paulsen from the Keough School. The faculty were joined by NDDCEL program manager Jessica Parsons who worked closely with the ND Global team to host the event.
“RBE allows participants the opportunity to learn from one another, and explore how shared goals of well-being and prosperity are furthered by ethical leaders who engage collaboratively,” Jessica McManus Warnell noted.
Faculty and participants worked together to create an environment that combined academic rigor, intercultural dialogue, and practical problem-solving. Participants contributed their regional insights and expertise to a convening that offered leadership lessons for all involved. Instrumental to the experience was analysis and strategy formulation exercise with a live case study. Participants also visited sites including Notre Dame’s IDEA Center and heard from practitioner and faculty experts.
For participants, the conference was an opportunity to challenge conventional models of business.
Notre Dame students and faculty participate in RBE 2025
Prince Abbey, a student in Notre Dame’s MBA program, shared:
“I like the angle of looking at both for-profit and non-profit enterprises and seeing how they could be merged into one company plan. The hybrid model really made a lot of sense.”
Prince Abbey, MBA '26
He explained that the program shifted his perspective from a purely profit-driven mindset toward a more holistic one:
“You can make an impact with a hybrid model. Businesses are not just shareholder-focused; you can also do good. Going forward, I would like to dive more into how I can both make profit and do good in that which I’m involved in.”
Prince also noted how the experience added a unique dimension to his MBA coursework:
“Much of what we do in the program is hard numbers and profits. This introduces a new aspect of business which complements what we talk about in class.… This program is something that probably should be a standard across the various master’s programs.”
For Gary Hewitt, who is pursuing the Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration (EMNA), the conference offered a chance to deepen his global perspective:
“I wanted to gain a better understanding of the cultures and beliefs in the Middle East. It has so far exceeded my expectations. It fueled my desire to further embrace how business is done and how people interact within the MENA region.”
Gary Hewett, EMNA '26
Gary highlighted how specific sessions left an impression:
“The international grid conversation was fascinating. Gabi’s presentation and Omar’s were incredibly valuable—helping me better understand both the challenges and the opportunities that exist.”
His recommendation was emphatic:
“I would so strongly recommend anyone considering this to do it — you will find it incredibly rich and rewarding.”
Jason Stoker, another EMNA student, saw the conference as a chance to expand beyond the U.S.-centric mindset:
“I saw an email this summer and it felt like a great opportunity to take my U.S. business background and figure out a way to understand the global economy in a much more tangible way. The fact that it was about making real sustainable change at the heart of everything we did was what drew me in.”
Jason Stoker, EMNA '26
His biggest takeaway was the reframing of his worldview:
“The participants this week have allowed me to reshape and challenge how I view the world and how all that we do can have a global impact versus just local.”
Reflecting on the impact, he added:
“RBE immerses you in a global setting that will stretch you to address human issues in the MENA region through social entrepreneurial solutions that, if left unsolved, will impact us all.”
For Dr. Fouad Assaf, program partner and Managing Director of Nucleus Ventures, the conference underscored the human side of leadership:
“I [made] good new friends from places I would have never imagined I would. I was humbled by the sharing of the attendees’ experiences, which highlighted that leadership is much more than the textbook definition—it’s about the heavy baggage each of them is carrying and still making sure that their leadership style inspires others and takes them to the right destination. For me, that is really impactful.”
Dr. Fouad Assaf, Managing Director, Nucleus Ventures
By the end of the week, the Reimagining Business Excellence program had provided more than just solutions to a case study. It gave participants a renewed sense of purpose and an expanded vision for what business can be when profit and social impact are pursued together.
Daniel Schwake and Gabriel Mitchell, long-time catalysts of engagement and impact in the region, share a commitment to global collaboration and ethical leadership. The voices of participants made it clear that re-imagining business is not simply an academic exercise, but a call to action for shaping the future of global enterprise.
Additional Resources
Read more and view video resources on NDDCEL partnerships in the MENA region including insights from business leaders.
Notre Dame Global presents key takeaways from Reimagining Business Excellence here.