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Katie Buford
MBA Class of 2011
kbuford@uci.edu
Katie Buford is a first year Full-Time MBA student at The Paul Merage School of Business. She is focusing on Marketing, with a particular interest in the area of consumer behavior and the interplay between the disciplines of sociology and business. Katie received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prior to coming to Merage, Katie spent four-and-a-half years in the non-profit and hospitality industry as the Assistant Director of Marketing at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Her work at the Zoo focused on growing the Zoo’s private and public event programs, with particular attention on branding the Zoo’s wedding program. During her last year at the Zoo, Katie was responsible for launching the Zoo’s new catering partnership, overseeing the project from the creation of the operating plan, through to the public launch of the program.
Katie chose The Paul Merage School for two primary reasons: (1) the program’s academic focus on collaboration, innovation, and strategic decision making and (2) the culture, community, networking opportunities and social outlets offered by Merage. In addition, she feels that students further benefit from the “just right” size of the program: not so large that a student feels lost among many, but not so small that diversity and opportunity are sacrificed. The size of the class, coupled with Merage’s culture of collaboration and team-learning, allows her to have an impact on the program and to utilize leadership opportunities within the school, while still benefiting from the enrichment that comes from a class as diverse and experienced as the Merage Class of 2011.
Katie is a Merage Fellow. In addition to being a Student Ambassador, Katie is involved with the Marketing Association and Challenge for Charity. Outside of school, Katie enjoys food and wine, traveling and exploring new places, and spending time with her family and friends.
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