NYU Stern Fertitta Veterans MBA Program Celebrates its 10th Cohort

NYU Stern’s community of support for military veteran students offers dedicated programs to help bridge the gap between their service and the business world.

Stern offers access to a range of programs to support veterans, such as the Yellow Ribbon Program, the Military Veterans MBA Club, and the one-of-a-kind Fertitta Veterans MBA Program, which welcomed students from the 10th cohort of the program to campus this fall.

How the Fertitta Program Supports Veterans

In a Clear Admit feature, Stern Full-time MBA alumnus Beau Gresham (MBA ’20) noted, “For veterans, transitioning from military hierarchy to civilian networking can cause serious whiplash. The Fertitta Veterans MBA Program eases this transition by bringing a cohort of veterans to campus two months before fall semester starts.”

“We bonded over late-night accounting study sessions, early morning statistics exams, and the occasional happy hour,” he said. “Every Friday, the program organized corporate treks around the city. I still remember the culture shock of walking into a large tech company’s office, feeling the electric buzz of an environment that didn’t require a uniform. By fall, I had a massive head start.”

Beau earned his airborne wings in Fort Benning, GA after graduating from the US Army Airborne school, where he learned to jump out of planes

The Fertitta program is cohort based and supports U.S. military veterans and active duty-students in the two-year Full-time MBA Program in their transition to business school. Students can earn potential scholarship support and can take part in the Fertitta Summer Program, which allows them to get an early start in core academic courses, exploring different career paths, corporate visits, and networking events to jumpstart their transition.

This program is made possible thanks to a generous gift from alumnus Lorenzo Fertitta (MBA ’93) and brother Frank J. Fertitta III.

Since the first cohort of Fertitta Veteran MBAs in 2017, more than 200 military veterans have joined Stern’s full-time MBA. After graduating from Stern, many veterans have secured jobs at some of the most prestigious companies in the United States, including Deloitte, Barclays Capital Group, J.P. Morgan, Bank of America, and Credit Suisse.

Across the Fertitta classes of 2019-2025, 84% accepted a job in one of their top target industries.

Watch the video: Fertitta alumni in the news share their stories

A Robust Community of Veterans across Stern

For many, Stern’s strong community of veterans is part of the draw that brings them to the School. That was the case for Langone Part-time MBA student Gonzalo Smith (MBA ’28), who said that during his Marine Corps career, “several fellow officers transitioned from military service to pursue their MBAs at NYU Stern.”

Their “overwhelmingly positive experiences.” he said, is what made him want to apply initially.

“What ultimately drew me to Stern's part-time MBA was the opportunity to continue moving forward without putting my career on hold,” he said. “As I transition from active-duty service at U.S. Cyber Command into the private sector, I wanted to pursue my MBA alongside my professional career, applying what I learn in the classroom directly to real-world challenges.”

Smith said he is excited to begin this new chapter with a technology startup.

Gonzalo Smith is pictured on his wedding day in 2022 with his Officer and Enlisted Marines, who he said have been the foundation of who he is today

NYU Stern Executive MBA student Kelly Nobles (MBA ’27) said she has traditionally evaluated opportunities by focusing on technical feasibility and mission impact due to her career background in science and national security, but that the EMBA program expanded her view.

“The EMBA program has broadened that perspective by emphasizing financial performance, competitive positioning, and long-term value creation,” she said. “Integrating technical expertise with financial and strategic considerations has been the most valuable takeaway to ensure solutions are not only scientifically sound, but also commercially viable and aligned with organizational priorities.”

In Stern’s Executive MBA Program, the percentage of students who are military veterans has significantly increased over the years, in both EMBA DC — where more than half of the class of 2028 are veterans — and EMBA NY, where the percent has nearly quadrupled since the class of 2022. 

Kelly Nobles (MBA ’27)