Alumni Profile: Donna Gilbert '93

Education prior to MMM:
BSc, in Mechanical Engineering, with distinction, Stanford University '88; Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MSE) degree, Stanford University '89; J.L. Kellogg Graduate School Of Management, Northwestern University, Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, Manufacturing concentration, with distinction, '95. Finance, Marketing, and International Business majors.

Employment prior to MMM:
The General Motors Corporation, Delco Chassis Division , Damper Valving Engineer (1991-1993); Andersen Consulting, Information Systems Consultant, (1989-1991); Arco Oil and Gas Company, Summer 1988; BP Advanced Fuels Technology Company, Summer 1987; The General Motors Corporation, Summer 1986.

Positions after MMM:

Deloitte & Touche Management Consulting Senior Consultant Intern, (Summer 1994); Hoffman Engineering Company, Business Unit Manager, Large Enclosures (1995-1997); Fleck Controls, INC., Director of Process Improvement (1997-1999);
Pentair Water Treatment (provider of water treatment components), Director of Business Development & Product Management (1999-2001);
Pentair Water Treatment, Vice President of Operations (2002-present);
Pentair Corporation, a $3B industrial conglomerate focused on power tools & equipment, water technologies, and electrical & electronic enclosures (1995-present)

Why I chose MMM:
I chose MMM because I sought the combination of an MBA with a focus on manufacturing businesses; I also sought a program offering more technical rigor than a 'standard' MBA program. The MBA offered as part of the MMM program from Kellogg is obviously a fantastic opportunity! I was so excited to learn more about strategy, marketing, finance, international business, economics, and all the other topics that Kellogg offers. I also knew that the professors and fellow students would provide intangible learning. Having professors like Bala Balachandran, Dipak Jain, Mohan Sawhney, and Michael Moskow (now President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago) was a blast. My classmates are people who challenged me daily and with whom I enjoy staying in contact. They are now entrepreneurs, partners in consulting firms, executives, and perhaps more importantly parents, leaders in nonprofit areas, and leaders with strong ethics in whatever they do. On the McCormick side, exposure to people like Wally Hopp dramatically helped me to apply more quantitative approaches (Factory Physics is a great name!) to any process and dramatically augmented the Lean knowledge I already had before I entered the program.

How has MMM benefitted my career so far?
First and foremost, it was via MMM contacts that I found the company I took my first job with out of the program, Pentair; I am very proud to say I am still with Pentair 8 years later. The teaming skills stressed and honed in the MMM program have been invaluable. Precious little is one in the business world in a vacuum, and I was able to jump right in and contribute as part of teams at work delivering real results. The business and technical education enabled me to quickly grasp the issues I faced, and craft approaches for solutions and improvements. I started in an operational role, and was quickly given line leadership of a very significant portion of our business. As part of career development, I was able to rotate from there to other positions such as one with Marketing leadership--again, the MMM program helped prepare me for this role.

Finally, my knowledge of the program has enabled me to recruit fine talent from the program, which is adding strength to our company going forward.

Last updated on October 25, 2004 9:04 AM

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