Tom Spiers (MBA ’01), president of TABA
As we begin a new year, I’d like to take this opportunity to look back on what was clearly a very productive year for TABA. Most notably, after many years of preparation and planning, we are in the process of establishing TABA chapters in five U.S. cities. Our inaugural chapter cities are Houston, the greater Miami area, Nashville, New York and Washington D.C. Volunteer leadership initiated by alumni was a major factor in beginning with these cities. There is interest in other cities as well, and we hope to work with alumni to further expand and enhance the chapter city initiative. If you are interested in starting a TABA chapter in your city, please contact Rhonda Brown (rhondab@tulane.edu or 504-862-8470).
We also partnered with the Idea Village for the first time, sponsoring the Tulane Challenge as part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW). This event awarded a cash prize of $50,000 to the most promising startup company with ties to Tulane University. We hope to continue our participation in NOEW in 2013, and we encourage everyone in New Orleans to attend. It is a great way to plug in to the entrepreneurial vibe that has hit the Crescent City and Tulane, and Freeman alumni are at the forefront of it. TABA continued its sponsorship of a number of other high-profile events, including the Tulane Business Forum, the annual Rock ’n’ Bowl party for alumni and graduate students (which in 2012 drew its largest attendance ever), and Freeman Days events in New York, Chicago, Houston and New Orleans. If you haven’t been to a TABA-sponsored event recently, I encourage you to attend one. They’re a great way to reconnect with the school, fellow alumni and the business community.
The Tulane Business Forum, which this year will be held on Sept. 27, is TABA’s biggest annual event.
In 2013, TABA will continue to develop and grow the programs we have supported for many years, and we will search for new initiatives to participate in that serve the interests of Freeman alumni, such as our involvement with New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. We will also continue to grow TABA by establishing new chapters in cities with sizeable Freeman alumni bases, and we will begin discussions on how to involve our international alumni in much the same manner. Through these efforts, we hope to continue to fulfill our mission as an organization and maintain our support of the various other academic programs we are involved with throughout the year.
In closing, I am energized and extremely optimistic about the future of Freeman and TABA. Please join me in supporting your school and being an active participant in the various events and programs that TABA sponsors throughout the year.
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