Boards & Committees

Board Members

UNICON’s board members provide innovative insights to keep the organization at the forefront of industry trends. Through taking a comprehensive business approach, our board members equip UNICON’s member schools with the resources and initiatives they need to improve their performance globally. Thanks to their diverse backgrounds and experience in executive education, our board members create a community that is open to collaboration and supports the growth of all members.
Peter Methot
Rutgers University
UNICON Board Chair
2022-2023
Peter runs strategic and operational activities for corporate and professional education at Rutgers Business School. He covers the digitization and mobile deployment of all Executive Education programs as well as program development and business management.
Jean Choy
University of Washington
UNICON Board Vice-Chair
2022-2023
For more than 25 years, Jean has helped public and private organizations grow globally. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of Executive Education and International Initiatives at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, where she’s raised visibility and reputation thanks to her proficiency in English, Japanese, and Korean.
Eric Bergemann
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
Eric serves as a Senior Director of Executive Programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management and is capability development leader in Program & Instructional Design Methodology and Improvement
Shalini Bhatia
Stanford University
Shalini Bhatia is Director of Program and Business Development for Stanford Graduate School of Business. She leads the faculty engagement initiative and previously managed the Executive Education Financial Times Ranking process.
Devin Bigoness
University of Virginia Darden School of Business
Devin leads the Custom solutions team for organizational partners and clients as part of the Darden Executive Education and the Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning. Prior to Darden, Devin served as Director, Custom Live Programs at the integrated area of Cornell University in Cornell External Education.
Kan Cai
Tsinghua University
PBC School of Finance
Kan leads PBC School of Finance as the director of marketing for the new Center for Executive Education. He has extensive experience in consulting and developing new training programs in business model transition and innovation.
Jane Crombleholme
Alliance Manchester Business School
Jane joined the School in 2004 tasked with pulling together 12 different providers of open enrolment and customized executive education into one Executive Education Centre. She has now developed the Centre to deliver programmes across the UK, Europe the USA, Australia and the Middle East.
Aldemir Drummond
Fundação Dom Cabral
Aldemir teaches at Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC) as a Professor of Strategy and Organizations, leading the Executive MBA, open enrollment and customized programs. He’s taught middle-to-senior-level executives from reputable companies such as ABB, Novartis and Volkswagen.
Lisa Hughes
Harvard Business School
Since 2007, Lisa has thrived in the role of Portfolio Director, having led over 300 program iterations. Her career as a global executive includes strong business development, relationship management, and product innovation experience. Transitions and innovation are her particular interests, vocationally.
Katharina Lange
IMD – International Institute for Management Development
In her versatile Executive Education experience, Katharina has designed and delivered programs in Europe, greater APAC and the Middle East. She is currently an Affiliate Professor of Leadership at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Serge Lafrance

HEC Montréal
Serge Lafrance is Director of Executive Education and Associate Professor at HEC Montréal. He set up two world class artificial intelligence programs in Montreal (Creative Destruction Lab and Next AI) and launched the First Nations Executive Education (FNEE) in collaboration with Miꞌkmaq and Innu leaders in 2021.
Mark Lewis
Chicago Booth Executive Education
Mark Lewis has served a key role in the development of Executive Education programs for Fortune 100 and 500 corporations. Mark currently serves as the Executive Director of Executive Education at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, leading business administration and development.

Melanie Weaver Barnett

UNICON Executive Director, Secretary, Treasurer
Before joining UNICON, Melanie Weaver Barnett was chief executive education officer at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She has served as chair of the board of directors for UNICON and on the boards of the Alumni Association and the Advisory Board for Intercollegiate Athletics.
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Committees

There are several standing committees that are responsible for driving specific areas of the UNICON membership experience. The committees cover a wide range of areas from Finance to Marketing and Communications. Please click each committee link to learn more.

What We Do:

The Benchmarking Committee commissions periodic surveys of member schools. These surveys include metrics,
trends and strategic insights into the University-based Executive Education industry that can enable members to
improve the quality of their work in the field of non-degree executive education.

Goals and Objectives:

For the coming year:

• Publish the 2022 UNICON Membership Benchmark Survey
• Create several pulse surveys to track key trends in non degree executive education industry
• Continue collaborative efforts with partners to track trends in corporate learning

Benchmarking Committee Guidelines_12-5-18

Committee Members:

Mark Lewis (Co-chair, 2022-2023), Serge Lafrance (Off-board Co-chair, 2022-2023), Sheryl Axline, Luiz Buccos Silveira, Cüneyt Evirgen, Pamela Knight, Karen Tse, Terance Wolfe

What We Do:

The Communications Committee supports the internal and external communications priorities of the Organization, including web-based communications and public relations. 

Goals and Objectives:

Communications Committee Guidelines_11-19-18

Committee Members:

Aldemir Drummond (Co-chair 2022-2023), Katharina Lange, (Co-chair 2022-2023), Jon Kaupla, (Off-Board Co-Chair 2022-2023), Kate Feeney Anderson, Kat Shanahan 

What We Do:

The Conference Committee maintains a pipeline of potential host schools and supports them in the planning and execution of
relevant and high-quality conferences.

Goals and Objectives:

  • Share industry best practices.
  • Discuss current issues affecting the industry.
  • Build relationships to expand network and promote collaboration.

Conference Committee Guidelines

Committee Members:

Devin Bigoness (Co-chair, 2022-2023), Shalini Bhatia (Co-chair, 2022-2023), Nicholas Hamilton-Archer (Off-board Co-chair 2022-2023), Sharon Doopan, Keith Groya, Gene Mage

What We Do:

The Continuity Committee focuses upon strategies and processes for uninterrupted succession to the Board.

The Continuity Committee oversees the Leadership Academy for aspiring individuals at the director level.

Goals and Objectives:

Continuity Committee Guidelines_5_20_19

Committee Members:

Peter Methot, (Chair, 2022-2023), Mónica Sacristán Fanjul (Off-board Co-chair, 2022-2023), Jean Choy, Ex-officio, Gabriel Aramouni, Clark Callahan, Lise Hammergren, Peter Hirst, Tina Narron, Marco Serrato, Cathleen Shea, Della Wong

What We Do:

The Finance Committee provides budget oversight and direction, and oversees the organization’s financial and accounting practices. The committee is responsible for developing the financial strategy for UNICON, monitoring financial transactions, various financial reports and the annual audit.

The committee also monitors our investments and makes investment recommendations to the board.

Goals and Objectives:

Finance Committee Guidelines_11-19-18

Committee Members:

Peter Methot, (Co-Chair 2022-2023), Jean Choy, (Co-Chair 2022-2023)

What We Do:

We aim at representing the multiple facets and different perspectives of global university-based executive education
through our membership base. As the membership committee, we seek to enrich the existing community with new
active members and advise the UNICON board on membership strategy, cultivate the pipeline of new member
schools and make recommendations regarding new and ongoing membership.

Goals and Objectives:

For the coming year we want to particularly strengthen our membership base in Asia and Africa. At the same
time, we want to nurture the relations to our existing members’ schools and keep engagement level high.
We will review applications for membership and make recommendations to the board according to our guidelines

Membership Committee Guidelines_11-17-18

Committee Members:

Kan Cai, (Co-chair 2022-2023), Jane Crombleholme, (Co-chair 2022-2023), Della Wong, (Off-board Co-chair 2022-2023),  Katarzyna Kozicz Fonseca, Luigi Pecoraro, Shaun Rozyn, Patricia Trevino, Ariel Urcola

What We Do:

Cutting-edge research is one of UNICON’s cornerstone activities, guided and coordinated by the Research
Committee. UNICON-sponsored research seeks to deepen the understanding of the role of executive education,
while generating practical knowledge for members and other practitioners.

Members benefit from UNICON research, as it can expand their knowledge of the field, while keeping them informed
of recent developments. 

Goals and Objectives: 

Research Committee Guidelines_11-19-18

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Eric Bergemann, (Co-chair 2022-2023), Lisa Hughes, (Co-chair 2022-2023), Alan Chen, Ani Kharajian, Andreas Löhmer, Meg Regan, Monica Sacristan, Aileen Zhang 

Interested in Joining or Contacting a Committee?
Contact UNICON and learn more about the work committees do and how to contribute.

Join UNICON

Does your business school have a serious commitment to quality executive education and development and is interested in joining UNICON? Learn more about our application process, including membership criteria, policies, guidelines, and more.