Washington, D.C., Trip Gives Executive MBA Students Inside Look at Intersection of Policymaking and Business

A group of University of New Haven Executive MBA students spent a few days in the nation’s capital taking part in a program though The Washington Campus that examined managing business, government, and public policy.

June 19, 2018

By Dave Cranshaw, Office of Marketing & Communications

In a recent blog post, Steve Hams, an executive with 30 years of corporate experience who is now active with the advocacy group Business Climate Leaders, discussed why politicians could be more apt to listen to business leaders.

"Business people are also powerful problem solvers," he said. "When a business brings a concern to a member of Congress, the legislator knows the company has thought long and hard about the issue being discussed."

This paradigm is why Michael Davis ’86 MBA, director of University of New Haven’s Executive MBA, says an annual trip he plans to Washington, D.C., to interact with current and former politicians and policymakers has become a seminal part of the program.

"What takes place in Washington obviously impacts our businesses. The more literacy you have regarding how Washington, D.C., works and the impact that is has on all of us, the more informed and influential you will be as a leader." Michael Davis ’86 MBA, director of University of New Haven’s Executive MBA

The experience is organized in collaboration with The Washington Campus a nonprofit that works to ensure executives and students are given the opportunity to better understand the interactions of business, government, and public policy and to enhance their effectiveness as organizational leaders.

During the trip, the students met former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean and former Senate majority leader Trent Lott. They also heard, among others, from the former director of congressional relations for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, who examined the intersection between Capitol Hill and the Trump Administration, while the manager of the tax policy group at Deloitte discussed the prospects for tax reform.

During his three decade career at Nestle, a Fortune 100 company, in which he rose to be vice president of tax and officer of the company, Davis experienced firsthand how what was happening in Washington could impact business.

"I love the opportunity to share my knowledge, and I love to see progression and growth," he said. "Having very talented people who are very successful already come into our program and achieve more is exciting for me."