Once Olin, always Olin: Jim Holbrook benefits from a program years after graduating

WashU Olin alumni have continued to benefit from their membership in the community many years after leaving campus.

This is part of an occasional series of vignettes about the alumni experience. Today, we hear from Jim Holbrook, EMBA ’96, adviser, Advantage Solutions: Sales Marketing, Technology.

Last spring, when Olin’s Executive MBA candidates traveled to Washington, DC, for a residency at the Brookings Institution, they had a special guest tag along. Jim Holbrook, who got his EMBA 23 years ago, accepted an invitation to participate in the residency —an option that didn’t exist when he graduated.

Olin opened the opportunity to EMBA alums so they could benefit from today’s experience, allowing them to participate for the cost of airfare.

I got the invitation from Olin saying it was a four-day program focused on healthcare. Literally, I responded in four seconds.  

Jim Holbrook

For Holbrook, the experience was enlightening, to say the least. It’s given him an enriched outlook on how to provide more health benefits to employees, yet control costs—especially rising drug costs. While he calls his participation in the Brookings residency serendipitous, Holbrook is also an advocate of finding a self-curated way to take advantage of Olin’s programs and resources.

“I’ve gone back and done a guest lecture or two. And, along the way, I’ve kept in touch with some of my classmates, from an alumni standpoint, so my relationship with the school has continued. I also recommend joining the Eliot Society, which provides tremendous access.”

Stay in touch.

Center for Experiential Learning

• Clare Nowogrocki, associate director 314-935-2050 | cnowogrocki@wustl.edu

Business Development

• Dorothy Kittner, MBA ’94, associate dean and director of business development and corporate relations 314-935-6365 | kittner@wustl.edu

Alumni & Development

• Sean Martin, director of development 314-935-3687 | sean_martin@wustl.edu

Weston Career Center

• Jen Whitten, associate dean and director 314-935-8970 | jwhitten@wustl.edu

Executive Education

• Kelly Bean, senior associate dean and professor of practice in leadership 202-797-6000 | beank@wustl.edu