By Shalini Bhatia – Board Chair 2025-26
Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Executive Education
Empowering UNICON for a Bright, Strong, and Sustainable Future
I am excited and honored to be the FY26, UNICON Chair. I am humbled to fill the shoes of those that came before me. I want to thank Eric Bergemann, MIT Sloan School of Management, as the past chair for all his efforts; it was a great honor to serve with you. We had a successful FY25 with strong membership engagement throughout our variety of activities and strong financial success to build for the future. We say a fond farewell to Jean Choy, University of Washington Foster School of Business, who has shown a beacon of commitment and service to our UNICON community. I would like to welcome Aldemir Drummond as the FY26 Vice-Chair and look forward to working with him in this capacity and our dedicated UNICON Staff, Melanie Weaver Barnett, Executive Director, Taryn Streed, Operations Director, and Danielle Macedo, Marketing and Member Engagement Director.
My journey with UNICON began at the TDC hosted by UBC in 2012. Immediately, I felt the warmth of this remarkable community, and my passion for UNICON has only deepened since then. I'm proud to be the first alumna of the UNICON Leadership Academy to serve as chair.
Looking ahead: FY26
As we step into FY26, despite living in a VUCA world, at the heart of UNICON lies a powerful global community of 123 member schools from 32 countries, built on inspiration, knowledge sharing, and collaboration. Together, we can navigate challenges and seize opportunities, fostering a brighter and more inclusive future for all.
Our Focus Moving Forward
Moreover, our focus on member engagement is twofold. We prioritize maximizing the value our current members receive while aiming to grow our community. This includes creating an education plan to support the professional development of the various levels and functions through virtual and in-person programming, ensuring that every voice within our member schools has an opportunity to learn and grow.
Our continued commitment to strong financial management ensures the sustainability and growth of our mission, enabling us to support our members effectively. By executing our newly created sponsorship model, we are not just safeguarding our future but also paving the way for innovative initiatives that will benefit all.
Please don't hesitate to reach out anytime. I'm committed to working together towards a bright, strong, sustainable future.
About Shalini
Shalini Bhatia is currently the Director of Program and Business Development at Stanford University Graduate School of Business (GSB) Executive Education where she leads the Program Development team, handles Business Development for Australia, India, and New Zealand and manages a couple programs in the custom and open enrollment portfolios across modalities, allowing her to see our work from end to end.
Shalini joined the UNICON Board of Directors in 2020 and served as co-chair of the UNICON Conference Committee. Prior to the board, she was a committee member on the Research Committee. She is the first UNICON Leadership Academy Graduate (2017) to be elected to the board and serve as vice-chair.
Prior to a career in University-based Executive Education, she has had careers in marketing and consulting across various industries and locations across the United States. She holds a M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a B.A. in Economics and Community Health Certificate from Tufts University.
