01-30-2026
For more than 50 years, the Executive Forum at Purdue’s Mitch Daniels School of Business has connected students with accomplished business leaders, creating a space where classroom learning meets lived experience. While the forum has evolved in format over the decades, its remains grounded in a single mission: helping students learn directly from alumni and executives who have navigated the same questions, setbacks and opportunities they now face.
Each week, a new guest speaker visits campus to share their professional journey, industry insights and hard-earned lessons. These conversations are facilitated by Strategic Management Department Lecturer Dave Randich, a former business leader who draws on his own executive experience to guide discussions that are candid, practical and accessible.
“I encourage students to take the Executive Forum class because it gives them an opportunity to learn from, and network with, real-world business leaders and entrepreneurs," Randich says. Those leaders, he added, bring “very specific ideas about the experiences and skills students need in order to successfully launch their careers."
Beyond the main Friday session, speakers often spend the day meeting with faculty, staff and small groups of students, deepening the impact of their visit and strengthening ties between the school and industry partners, adds Jess Franta, director of the Office of Business Partnerships. “This allows us to build industry collaboration at Purdue to solve current and future complex business problems," she says.
For students, the forum often becomes a gateway to networking and mentorship. Chloe Jones, a recent Daniels School alumna, experienced that firsthand when she served as a student host for Executive Forum speaker Jack Ulrich, a Purdue alumnus and vice president of strategy at Cart.com.
Hosting a speaker, Jones says, fundamentally changes the experience. “Being an Executive Forum host gave me the opportunity to build a truly meaningful and impactful networking connection with someone who had once walked the same path I was on at Purdue. Because I was able to spend dedicated time with the speaker, I could ask thoughtful questions and build a genuine connection rather than a brief introduction."
Jones intentionally selected a speaker whose career aligned with her interests in marketing, which led her to host Ulrich. After the forum, she made a point to stay in touch, maintaining the relationship through LinkedIn and periodic check-ins. During her senior year, Jones reached out again to share updates on her job search and career goals.
Ulrich says the relationship developed naturally. “Throughout the day of the Executive Forum, she stood out as engaged, professional and genuinely curious," he says. When Jones later reconnected, Ulrich saw an opportunity to help. “Small actions compound. A 30-minute conversation can help a student sharpen their direction, build confidence or see paths they hadn’t considered."
That ongoing connection opened an unexpected door: Ulrich introduced Jones to his wife, Allysa Zych, a fellow Purdue alumna and an experienced fashion buyer — exactly the role Jones hoped to pursue. “Jack referred Chloe to me because of my 15 years of experience in corporate retail," says Zych, vice president of the beauty division at Burlington Stores. “This background allows me to provide practical context on how degrees, internships and early career roles align with the realities of the corporate retail environment and how those experiences can be shaped into meaningful, long-term career paths."
Stories like Jones’ reflect a broader culture of alumni engagement at Purdue. “I’ve yet to meet a Purdue alum who hasn’t been excited to help a current student, whether through providing professional connections or sharing advice they wish they had when they were in school," says Andrea Hatch, director of alumni relations for the Daniels School. Many alumni, she notes, are motivated to give back because someone once did the same for them, creating a powerful cycle of mentorship and support.
Now in the Buyer Development Program at Burlington Stores, Jones sees her experience as a blueprint for staying connected. “As a young alumna, I can give back to the Daniels School of Business by being actively engaged with students the same way alumni supported me," she says. “Maintaining strong alumni connections helps strengthen the Daniels community and ensures future students have access to the same support and opportunities that made such a difference in my own experience."
Alumni can sign up for Daniels School volunteer programs, offered each semester, on the volunteer webpage. Alumni can also let the school know how they want to support students by filling out the Alumni Engagement Survey.
