UVU MBA alumni launched a new chapter and annual celebration to reconnect graduates, build professional relationships, and support lifelong learning.
Earning an MBA is a milestone. The relationships built along the way can last much longer.
That idea brought Utah Valley University MBA alumni together on Oct. 16, 2026, for the inaugural UVU MBA Alumni Celebration. Held in the Keller Building, the nautical-themed evening welcomed new graduates, reconnected former classmates, and launched the UVU MBA Alumni Chapter.
The gathering also began a new annual tradition, one designed to help alumni stay involved, find inspiration, and experience the value of their MBA network as their careers evolve.
The evening gave graduates a chance to catch up and meet alumni from other graduating classes. An alumni chapter induction ceremony, the presentation of alumni leadership, and an introduction to MBA Communities helped set the direction for what comes next.
For new alumni, the chapter offers a way to stay connected as they take their next professional steps. For those further into their careers, it creates opportunities to share what they have learned, build new relationships, and reconnect with the program.
That connection can take many forms: finding a mentor, talking through a career change, sharing an opportunity, or helping a current student prepare for life after graduation. The chapter aims to make those exchanges a lasting part of the UVU MBA experience.
The evening’s State of the MBA address offered a look at how far the program has come and where it is headed.
UVU’s MBA program began in 2010 with approximately 30 students. Today, enrollment consistently exceeds 200 students, and the program recently welcomed its largest enrolled class.
As the program has grown, it has also adapted to the needs of working professionals. More flexible degree options, graduate certificates, and stackable credentials are opening additional paths for continued learning. The curriculum is also incorporating artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to help students use these tools strategically and responsibly.
Hands-on experience remains a key part of the program. According to the address, international engagement projects have taken students to 27 countries, while students have completed thousands of consulting projects with businesses throughout Utah and the Intermountain region.
For alumni, these developments offer new reasons to stay involved, whether by returning to build a skill, sharing industry experience, or helping students tackle a business challenge.
The address also highlighted a few of the people putting their UVU MBA experience to work.
Sydney King, a 2026 graduate, recently secured an opportunity working with the Barbie brand. Diane Acevedo, a 2018 graduate and Utah Business 40 Under 40 honoree, serves as a vice president at Trucordia. Josh Bird, a 2022 graduate, leads transportation operations across the eastern United States for TCI Transportation. Katie Zimmerman, a 2023 graduate, brings her business expertise to public service with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
Their careers have taken different directions, but each brings experience and perspective that can benefit fellow alumni. The new chapter creates more opportunities for graduates to learn from those experiences and share their own.
The UVU MBA Alumni Celebration will return each year to welcome new alumni, bring familiar faces back together, and help graduates build relationships across the MBA community.
The chapter builds on the work of alumni, faculty, and program leaders who have kept graduates connected over the years. Now, it offers a shared place to carry that work forward.
Whether someone graduated this year or more than a decade ago, the invitation is the same: stay connected, get involved, and help shape what comes next.
