Club Members
Our Members:
Membership is open to all Ross students who are interested in LGBT issues. We count among our members BBAs, day MBAs, evening MBAs, MAccs and PhD students.
Leadership:
Lara Rogers | Co-President
Dante Mastri | Co-President
Jason Horner | VP, Admissions & Professional Development
Steven Gottlieb | VP, Events
Jennifer Rangel | VP, Marketing and Communications
Member Profiles
Get to know some of our current members. If you’d like to speak with any specific person, please contact us.
- Dante Mastri, MBA ‘10
- Lara Rogers, MBA ‘10
- Jason Horner, MBA ‘10
- Russ Baruffi, MBA/MS ‘10
- Richard Neely, MBA ‘11
- Brett Bridges, MBA ‘11
- Emmy Gladney, MBA ‘11
- David McCarty, MBA ‘11
Dante Mastri, MBA ‘10
Before Ross: Worked in digital marketing in New York City for companies that included Time Warner Inc., BMG Entertainment and New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Career Ambition: Work in digital strategy or online marketing.
Why Ross: Ultimately, the calibur of students at Ross was a large part of my decision. All of my target schools offered smart and accomplished students, but Ross students were notably personable, fun and not cut-throat. Ross students are interested in seeing one another succeed and are quick to offer support and resources when they can. In addition, one of the favorite Ross buzz phrases – ‘action-based learning’ – has emerged as a standout component of my Ross experience. Working in diverse student groups for classes and on real-world business challenges (MAP and independent study) created many opportunities to practice marketing, strategy, financial modeling and leadership skills required to successfully work with team members of various skill levels, cultural backgrounds and work styles.
Ross also enabled me to make travel a significant part of my MBA experience. In my time at Ross, I’ve visited international locations including Brazil (MAP), Thailand and Cambodia (MTrek), England and France (spring break) and Australia (study abroad). In the US, I participated in the West Coast High Tech Forum in San Francisco, the Entertainment & Media Forums in Los Angeles and New York City, and the New York Marketing Trek. For the annual Reaching Out MBA (www.reachingoutmba.org) conference, I visited Washington DC and Atlanta.
Lara Rogers, MBA ‘10
Before Ross: Worked in technology: first at a small market research company, then in online marketing, and lastly in business development at Amazon.com.
Career Ambition: To meld my love of sports and technology.
Why Ross: I decided to go to Ross because I liked the people here. I wanted to be in a challenging environment with smart, ambitious and down-to-earth students. Ross provided this more than any other school I visited. The University of Michigan also has more top-10 graduate schools than anywhere else in the country. I have loved taking classes at other schools and learning from all of the dual degree students at Ross.
Jason Horner, MBA ‘10
Before Ross: Worked in the airline industry in corporate sales and traveled the world.
Career Ambition: Return to the airline industry and decide where they fly.
Why Ross: I studied international relations and foreign languages for my undergrad. While this course of study gave me many great perspectives, I found that to progress to the top ranks in my industry I needed to speak the language of business. Ross was a great fit because it has allowed me to fill in my skill gaps in a fun, supportive, and collaborative community.
Russ Baruffi, MBA/MS ‘10
Before Ross: Strategy, planning and communications for the City of New York’s economic development programs
Career Ambition: Do marketing and business development for sustainable energy businesses, start my own business.
Why Ross: I loved the people at Ross- the students tend to be competent and accomplished, while at the same time fun and totally unpretentious. This culture resonated with me much more than other business schools. The new building is incredible, and the core faculty are not only tops in their field, but outstanding teachers. I came here to get a dual degree in Environmental Policy at the School of Natural Resources, and UMich has some of the world’s best resources for students interested in sustainable energy career paths.
Ross has a small and strong LGBT community, and access to active LGBT communities at the many graduate programs across this university – including the Law, Medical and Public Policy Schools. Ann Arbor overall is a small but progressive town. Moving from New York City, where the LGBT communities were big enough to create their own ghettos, I found Ann Arbor’s better integration of gay people into the broader community to be refreshing. If you do want a gay bar or a gay dance party, there are options for that too.
Richard Neely, MBA ‘11
Before Ross: Attorney in San Francisco.
Career Ambition: Start a business.
Why Ross: I was fortunate enough to luck into a terrific atmosphere for law school and wanted to ensure that I found the same in business school. While narrowing my search, I asked questions of students, faculty and staff I found randomly on each school’s website. I then only considered schools that enthusiastically answered my questions, offered to speak further and introduced me to other individuals who may have better answered my question. Folks at Ross want you to succeed, whether you choose to come here or not.
Brett Bridges, MBA ‘11
Before Ross: Project Director at a consumer marketing research firm in southeastern Michigan.
Career Ambition: Work as a product or brand manager.
Why Ross: I chose Ross for its friendly culture and the broad array of career opportunities it creates. I explored many schools across the United States, but at no other did I feel the same sense of community. Ross students are very down-to-earth and supportive, making the pursuit of an MBA a bit less challenging and a lot more fun. Those same qualities are attractive to companies as well, resulting in a vast amount of recruiters seeking out Ross MBAs. The diversity of opportunities across industries and job functions made Ross the ideal place for me to progress my career.
Emmy Gladney, MBA ‘11
Before Ross: Managed the accounting, administration, and operations for a small IT Consulting firm in San Francisco.
Career Ambition: General management in Small/Medium Business.
Why Ross: As a top business school, Ross has all the appeal of Wharton and Chicago, but still adheres to the collaborative culture of the greater University of Michigan. Instead of competing against my classmates, there is a sense of teamwork and camaraderie that is often missing in other top professional schools.
David McCarty, MBA ‘11
Before Ross: Worked for a real estate consulting firm in Washington, DC.
Career Ambition: Still figuring it out.
Why Ross: I loved the culture at Ross more than anything else. It’s a very welcoming, collaborative environment. Students are down-to-earth and come from really diverse backgrounds. I also love the diverse careers that people are hoping to get into (consulting, non-profit, banking, education, start-ups, etc). Ross is a truly unique place.
Ross is incredibly open to LGBT students. I had more than 20 straight friends friends from my section alone join us for a night out at Necto one Friday, and everyone had a blast!