‘Career Conversations’ Podcast: Camino de Paz, Assistant Dean of Global Network Programs

Season 3, Episode 22: Camino de Paz, Assistant Dean of Global Network Programs

Camino de Paz  is the Assistant Dean of Global Programs at the Yale School of Management. She is interviewed by Amy Kundrat ’21.

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Transcript

Camino de Paz: (00:04)
If you asked me, what makes me most proud, is actually when I can work with individual students to customize their experience in ways that we wouldn't be able to do without the network.

Amy Kundrat: (00:16)
Welcome to Career Conversations, a podcast from the Yale School of Management. Each episode of Career Conversations is a candid conversation between a student here at SOM, and a member of the Yale community who's doing something that we're curious about.

Amy Kundrat: (00:29)
Today I'm interviewing Camino de Paz, the Assistant Dean of Global Network Programs at the Yale School of Management.

Camino de Paz: (00:36)
My name is Camino de Paz. I am the Assistant Dean for Global Network Programs at the Yale School of Management. And currently, I'm at home in North Haven, Connecticut.

Amy Kundrat: (00:45)
Camino, you've been at Yale now for several years. What were you doing before Yale and what brought you to Yale SOM?

Camino de Paz: (00:51)
Before Yale, I was in my home country of Spain, working for another business school. IE business school, in Madrid. And there I was working for over 13 years, and it was my Alma mater.

Camino de Paz: (01:06)
I did my MBA there, and then I worked there for 13 years. Always in a student-facing roles, with all programs, MBA, part-time MBA, online programs, executive MBA, blended MBAs, and in different roles as well.

Camino de Paz: (01:25)
My career progressed. I was first [inaudible 00:01:29] Director of Programs and I ended up my tenure there being Assistant Dean. Second for MBA in the blended programs. That's what I did prior to coming to Yale.

Amy Kundrat: (01:38)
And what drew you to Yale?

Camino de Paz: (01:41)
My former boss at IE was hired by our former Dean, [Ted Snyder 00:01:46]. He [David Bach 00:01:47], and they were launching a network of schools back in 2012, and they needed somebody to run the network. Run the network as a back office of the network, but also helping SOM implement the different initiatives that the network board agreed on to advance in higher ed.

Camino de Paz: (02:11)
So, because my former boss knew me so well and knew that I had connections to many of these schools already, because of my job at IE, and I should say that IE Business School is one of the [growing 00:02:25] network schools.

Camino de Paz: (02:26)
He said that I would be a good person with an international profile to run this network. That's how I ended up in Yale. It was my dream job after being so many years a student-facing, I thought it made perfect sense for me to then work with the schools directly, with the deans and with other administrators at the schools, to see how we could work together on initiatives that we couldn't do alone, to advance higher education and benefit all of our stakeholders.

Camino de Paz: (02:47)
So it was just a perfect job that I could not say no to, at a perfect school. And also, personally, I was ready for a change. And I was also ready for a move outside of my home country. And so it was personal and professional, made perfect sense to me.

Amy Kundrat: (02:48)
Great. And you said the network and those of us at Yale and at other network schools know it as the Global Network for Advanced Management. It's a platform for innovation in business education. I believe there's 32 schools in 30 countries. Is that still correct?

Camino de Paz: (03:35)
That is correct. It changes because we keep adding schools. But as of now, yes, that is correct.

Amy Kundrat: (03:43)
And, the network is coming on a ten-year anniversary. I'm sure it's evolved quite a bit, and I'd love to talk about that. But before we get into that, I'd love to hear more about what you do at Yale SOM.

Amy Kundrat: (03:55)
Who do you most interact with in terms of students and programming? I know you also work in strategy. You do a lot of things at SOM, so I'd love for you to walk us through what that looks like.

Camino de Paz: (04:07)
I have a dual role as of now. On the one hand side, I still work with the Global Network for Advanced Management, as the back office of the network with my team and also with all the different departments within SOM to implement the initiatives that we have in place.

Camino de Paz: (04:24)
We touched several. I'm just going to mention the ones that are probably programmatic initiatives that, there are a lot of students that could benefit from.

Camino de Paz: (04:36)
So we organize Global Network weeks, which are one week modules for students in both, the residential programs, but also the MBA for executives where they can take a program at one of these other Global Network schools on a topic which they have expertise that we might not have.

Camino de Paz: (04:56)
And in the past, it used to be in person. Now we're running them virtually. But, hopefully, still we can return to have them in-person again.

Camino de Paz: (05:07)
We also offer online courses that are also called SNOCs, Small Network Online Courses. And those are online electives that we run every semester for our students to also take. They are taught by a faculty that are on network, to students that are on the network.

Camino de Paz: (05:26)
And then, we also have a very important program, which is called Global Virtual Teams, that all our MBA students and MBA for executive students take, and includes an assignment that is done by students globally in teams across the world with also students from the Global Network for Advanced Management.

Camino de Paz: (05:47)
So those are our main programmatic initiatives. And, to implement those, we work with those partner schools, with those other member schools. But we also work internally with our faculty, with the Office for Academic Affairs and the Student Life with our communications department to promote the programs with admissions as well, to educate them when they talk to prospective students about this opportunity is that, if they come to SOM they will benefit from ...

Camino de Paz: (06:16)
So it's actually part of the global strategy of the school. And we are in charge of implementing it, but also to educate and communicate internally what the benefits and the options for our students are.

Camino de Paz: (06:30)
If you ask me, what makes me most proud? It's actually when I can work with individual students to customize their experience in ways that we wouldn't be able to do without the network.

Camino de Paz: (06:42)
And just to name an example, I work with the students that would like to have, an exchange experience in a school that is part of the global network, but it is outside of our regular partners for exchange.

Camino de Paz: (06:56)
So we kind of negotiate with that other school. I'm working now with several students. One is going to go to UCD, in Smurfit, Ireland. Another one is going to go to INCAE, in Costa Rica. And two students are going to go to Hitotsubashi in Japan.

Camino de Paz: (07:11)
And that makes me really proud, because you can work at the individual level. You can provide opportunities that benefit just one student, and that is happening because we're part of this global network and we are doing so many other things together with them.

Camino de Paz: (07:26)
So that is, I could go on and on, but for the sake of time, I'm just going to leave there, what we do. But you were also asking about the 10th year anniversary that honestly, if I look back and I think of the first years of the network and kind of see where we are now, it's kind of like, quite impressive.

Camino de Paz: (07:50)
And the reason being that, at the beginning, we were moving so slowly, it took so much time for schools to actually see the potential of this global network, how the network would fit in their own strategies that were different.

Camino de Paz: (08:06)
And so the way we were approaching the schools had to be different as well. So we couldn't just kind of run our agenda and hope for the schools to follow. We actually had to see what the needs of each of the schools were, how the network could help them achieve their goals and then approach it, each of them differently to see the benefits. So, now fast forward, 10 years later, I think that everybody understands how they can benefit and contribute from the network.

Camino de Paz: (08:37)
We have built very solid relationships. And when I say that is not only at the Dean's level, it's also the different department level. I always say that my team is not just the people that work with me at SOM, but actually I do have my partners at each of these other 30 Governor schools that I also feel like my team, because we communicate almost on a daily basis on the different projects that we have in place. So it's a big network, a lot of moving pieces. It doesn't move as quickly as we would like to. I always describe, this is like a big elephant. We're pushing the elephant and it goes very slowly. But now if I look back and say, wait a minute, you know, 2012, and now 2022, we have made quite a progress. So yeah, you might be a big elephant, but it's moving. It is definitely moving.

Amy Kundrat: (09:29)
Yeah. I would say, while it might seem like it's slow to you, looking back on the inertia you've been able to generate, how many schools that have participated in global network weeks and how many global network courses and how many students have participated in those courses, it seems like those are really important expressions of what you set out to do, right. Be that vector for an innovative business platform. Are there other, other examples of how the network has surprised you over the years, things that have come, that you've been able to build to kind of support the mission of the network?

Camino de Paz: (10:07)
I think that what I was mentioning before the relationships. To be very honest, when the pandemic hit a year and a half ago, I was very worried about whether the global network would survive or not because schools and deans had to focus on dealing with the pandemic and dealing with all the crises that were going through in the homeschools. And I didn't know if they were going to be able to pay attention to the network and the different things that we had in place. And to my surprise, everybody has been even more invested. So we meet twice a year. Now we do it virtually and every, all 32 schools have participation in distance meetings. Everybody attends. And it has been very helpful to share the experiences of how each of us were coping with this crisis, which nobody had prepared for, because we couldn't be prepared.

Camino de Paz: (11:11)
And so, how, what things have worked, what things haven't worked in, kind of rely on each other and support each other at the strategy level, but also trying to join forces to see how we could help our students out, especially those that haven't been able to travel and be with us. So I can reach out to my partners and say, Hey, I have these students in China, they won't be able to make it to New Haven, can they take a few classes with you and earn academic credit with us. We're doing the same for other schools. So we are very strong community. I want to say, like extended family. And this is something, I'm sure there are other things that will come to mind, but how we have survived this crisis and not only that, but kind of bonded together to be stronger as individual schools and come out of this crisis together has been something that I am very proud and very impressed.

Amy Kundrat: (12:16)
Yeah. Great example of how we've been made more resilient through this last year. You know, we mentioned, you mentioned networked education and network learning, and I want to just call out the networked inquiry piece of the global network you've set out and conducted some really interesting surveys that have brought scholars across schools together to interrogate, important business insights. There's global network perspectives. And there's been collaborative cases developed with faculty members. Are there other ways that maybe SOM specifically has benefited from the network? I know the things that come to mind are certainly the programs that you've helped to build like the MAM program and the GBS program. Can you speak a little bit to those programs and, and what your role is and how they sit within the school?

Camino de Paz: (13:16)
Absolutely. I think I should have answered that in your previous question. I got so excited to talk about the network that I forgot about my other hat. So I apologize for that. So this is more recent about, since October of 2020, I also took over overseeing admissions for these two programs that you're mentioning, is the Master of Advanced Management and the Master in Management for Global Business and Society. So it is true that I have been part of these two programs since its inception, but I wasn't actually involved in running them or had anything to do with these programs until now. So the two programs, the Master of Advanced Management is targeted to MBA graduates from global network schools and the GBS, Global Business and Society is targeted to Masters in Management graduates in Masters in Management from a Global Network schools. So everybody, these programs come from a global network school, and then they come to us and they do these two programs that are very flexible.

Camino de Paz: (14:25)
So the core courses are minimum to be honest, and they can have a lot of freedom to decide on what curriculum they want to follow. And it's not a program for everybody, but it makes sense for those people that want to go deeper in a specific area because they come from general management programs and they haven't been able to focus on a specific area. And so it makes sense for them. And also if they want to go broader and explore areas within SOM or maybe outside of SOM as well in brother Yale, that would kind of compliment their education.

Camino de Paz: (15:05)
They're usually very attracted also to our mission statement. So they are people that care about society. So our mission is to educate leaders of business and society. And so there are people that are online and that really want to kind of make an impact in the world and and they come to us. So now, yes, I oversee admissions for these two programs. And there are a lot of synergies with my other role as well, because the way we recruit for these programs is through the global network schools. So I work closely with my colleagues to be able to present this opportunity to their students as well.

Amy Kundrat: (15:43)
So you mentioned working with students is one of your favorite roles. What are some of the other aspects of your role that are, that you enjoy as Assistant Dean of Global Network Programs?

Camino de Paz: (15:55)
I love working with the deans. I have a privileged position to actually work with 32 deans around the world and see how they think, see how they are trying to position their schools, how they build their strategies and how they work together. And that is something that unless I had a role like this, I don't think many people have access to 32 deans and see how they make decisions at the highest level of their business school. So that has been a privilege and something that I'm learning a lot from. I also get to work with faculty a lot. And that's also very rewarding because usually faculty that I work with are the innovative ones, the ones that want to do something different or try to collaborate with faculty from other school, or try this new course that has never been tested, or how can we do something that is partially in person, partially online?

Camino de Paz: (16:58)
So it's very dynamic and it's very kind of insightful and thought provoking, working with this faculty across the schools. So I would say that, yes, I love the students. I have a passion for higher ed. I think that all of us that work in this industry, we have to put our hundred percent, if not 150%, because we work with people and with people's lives. And this is a huge responsibility. So students first, no doubt about it, but I also like a lot working with faculty and then this privilege of working with the deans.

Amy Kundrat: (17:38)
And as you look ahead, both within your role at Yale SOM, and also with the global network, where do you see global programs going for a Yale SOM and where do you see the global network going in our next 10 years?

Camino de Paz: (17:52)
Wow. I wish I had a crystal ball, Amy. That's a very difficult question because it very much depends on the deans mission for the school. So we went through a transition of deans a couple years ago and I think that global initiative still very relevant to the school. I think that we are positioned as the most global US school. I think that we attract a number of international students and not only international students, we attract a number of global students because it doesn't mean that they have to be foreigners. They can be domestic students, that they have a global mindset that they have worked and lived in several countries. And they are looking for this type of opportunities when they come to business school and they want to kind of study with mind alike people that also have this kind of global vision of the world.

Camino de Paz: (18:51)
So hopefully we will advance in this goal and objective because that's how we're positioned. And that's I think part of this school now, and the progress that we've made, if you think of the student body today has nothing to do with the student body 10 years ago that were primarily domestic. Now we have a global, real global student population, and we have many of global opportunities that our students take advantage from. So hopefully we will advance in this. And if you ask me, what would I would like to see in the network 10 years from now, if anything, I would like to see more integration in terms of initiatives that we do. Like right now, it's like, one week a semester, half semester program, or this course, or a survey, an annual survey that we run. If we could do something a little bit more integrated where students could kind of combine an online course with a global network week and everything is just merged together in a broader course.

Camino de Paz: (19:59)
I think that would be super interesting. I would also love, I mentioned it before, but I want to highlight it again. I also love to have students coming up with ideas at the personal level and working with them on an individual basis to see how we can leverage the network more for allowing possibilities that wouldn't be possible if we were just alone as Yale SOM. It makes me want to go and do something in Ghana that I can work with you, the University of Ghana business school to make that possible, or whatever it needs to do for idea that you have in mind as a student, that we can tailor make something for you working with a global network school.

Amy Kundrat: (20:46)
Yeah. That's a great point. I think I'm astonished at how much the global network has, in a great way, right, how much the global network has infused itself throughout all of our programs that SOM. I think back to my global network week, it was virtual at ESMT Berlin. I had students on four continents, many different time zones, all working on the same project for one very focused week. And I gained so much from that experience. So I love that it's a required part of our experience, but that you're thinking also about what are some other flexible opportunities for students to go deeper. And then maybe just want to offer one quick anecdote, which is we previously interviewed Reeve Harde, who was our student government president last year. And he was on the podcast.

Amy Kundrat: (21:35)
And he said to me, I was interviewing him. He said, I came here in part and Yale SOM was my number one choice. I came to the full-time program in part, because I knew Yale SOM was the most global US business school. And he is a proof point in that not only he came here, he had a domestic internship, but he ended up going to Korea and working in corporate strategy for Samsung. So I just, I love that example because he's a full-time student, right? He's not in the MAM or the GBS program, but he came here in part because he knew what our reputation was and not only do we kind of act with purpose and business and society is at the core of our mission, but we do have this global mindset.

Amy Kundrat: (22:16)
And so that's, how much the school has changed over the last 10 years cannot be underscored in terms of that kind of global aspect. So thank you for sharing that. So, that was a tough question. So thank you for answering my crystal ball question, which I love to ask what do you look for in a GBS or MAM student? So these students have either graduated or are currently enrolled in another global network school. What kinds of characteristics do you look for in students? And how does that overlap with the other Yale SOM programs?

Camino de Paz: (22:50)
I love this question. Thank you. The first thing that I look for in a candidate is that they understand these programs and that they actually have put some thought on why they want to do any of these programs. As I was mentioning before, these programs are not for anybody, you can have an MBA and you can have a Master's in Management from a very prestigious school and then go back to the workforce. You don't need an MAM or a GBS. And so the first thing that I look at is okay, does this person really need the program? Have they put thought on why they want to do the program? Do they understand the program and how they plan to leverage it? That's the first thing. The second thing is, are they the right fit for the school? Are they aligned with our mission statement?

Camino de Paz: (23:44)
The worst answer that you can give to me in an interview is that you want to come to the GBS or the MAM because of Yale [distinction 00:23:52] because it's one of the top schools in the world. No, thank you. That is not the right answer. I want to understand why this program and how do you fit in the school? How are you going to be part of our community? How are you going to be an ambassador once you graduate from our school?

Camino de Paz: (24:08)
And then the third thing is I'm trying to build a class. So quality comes first. I'm looking for people that are clearly smart, but they are open-minded. They are kind of a nobody, they are adaptable. I'm looking for a very specific type of individual, but also to be able to build a diverse class, and I'm not only talking about having different nationalities in the class and different Governor schools represented, but also a community that will stick together beyond the one year program that they're enrolling, that they will be future ambassadors of the program and the school when they return to their country, some will stay in the US, but most of them go back to their home countries or to a third country.

Camino de Paz: (25:01)
And I feel a huge responsibility in building a class that is much longer than just the one year program. They are going to be Yale SOM MAM or DGS graduates for life. And that's something that I want to make sure that I choose the right people to kind of hold that distinction for the rest of their lives.

Amy Kundrat: (25:26)
Thank you. I think that's a really wonderful note to end on. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful insights on the global network, which is such a core part of our school and the programs that you help to recruit for and build here at SOM. I'm just thrilled to be able to sit with you and talk about you. I'm one of your biggest fans. So thanks again, Camino. I appreciate your time today.

Camino de Paz: (25:47)
Same here. You know, that I also really, really appreciate and admire you.

Amy Kundrat: (25:52)
You've been listening to Career Conversations, a podcast from the Yale School of Management. If you like what you heard today, please subscribe to this podcast. You can find Career Conversations on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or however you take your podcasts. You can also find the show on our website at som.yale.edu/careerconversations. Career Conversations is produced by Yale SOM. Our producers are Amy Kundrat and Emily Cling. Our theme music was arranged by Dakota Stip and Liam Bellman Sharp. For Career Conversations, I'm Amy Kundrat. Thank you for listening. And we hope you'll tune in again.

About Career Conversations

In this podcast series, SOM students sit down with alumni for a series of candid conversations about career paths, industries, opportunities for MBAs, and discussions on various career topics including work-life balance and creating a meaningful impact in business and society. This series is produced by and recorded at the Yale School of Management.