User:Mdobashi

Mohamed Dobashi - An American currently working for Carnegie Mellon Qatar Campus. Mr. Dobashi is currently the Associate Dean for management and operations. Mr. Dobashi has an MBA from Thunderbird University and a law degree from Northwestern University.

Mohamed Dobashi Associate Dean & COO, Carnegie Mellon University, Qatar

Despite already having a law degree from Northwestern University, an MBA from Thunderbird, two bachelor’s degrees in business and economics, as well as financial consulting experience in the Middle East, Mohamed Dobashi knew that global business skills would be an asset to the educational institution he was helping found in Qatar.

Mohamed Dobashi lives by the principle that bigger risks offer bigger rewards. And his professional and personal choices in life are proof that the mantra can pay big dividends.

“To be successful in life and in international business, you have to take chances,” says the Tacoma, Wash.-native, whose work has placed him in Yemen during a civil war and in Algeria during periods of compromised national security.

In 2004, the Arabic-American Dobashi accepted a challenge of a different sort: establishing a new campus in Doha, Qatar, for Pennsylvania-based Carnegie Mellon University.

“I needed to learn from those who have had hands-on experience in the business world,” explains Dobashi of his decision to attend Thunderbird’s Prague-based EMBA program. “The majority of schools have people with just academic experience, and what I believe I received from Thunderbird is an education based on facts – not theory.”

As associate dean and chief operations officer, Dobashi is responsible for daily business operations of the Qatar campus, ranging from HR, finance and administrative leadership functions to planning and operations responsibilities. Today, the campus is home to 130 students and continues to grow.

“Carnegie Mellon is just now learning what it means to be international, and I think that gaining the knowledge I have from Thunderbird will align very well with the university’s goals in the future,” adds Dobashi. “I believe I can play a significant role in helping the university develop the global mindset that is required to succeed in the international arena.”

Despite the relatively small size of the Qatar campus at present, Dobashi is immersed in a global environment. His staff represents 23 different nationalities, while students represent 18 countries. Although he travels across the globe, in coming years he expects to focus his recruiting efforts in the Middle East, North America and Asia, using his English, Arabic and French-speaking skills.

Aside from developing a new perspective about employees and really valuing their cultural and professional experiences, Dobashi says his Thunderbird education has already helped him with his latest venture. He is currently establishing a Sylvan Learning Center branch office in Qatar, introducing the Middle East to the concept of supplemental education and pre-college testing preparation for K-12 students.

“I don't believe that starting this business would have been possible without the knowledge gained from Thunderbird,” says Dobashi, whose resume includes financial systems management teaching positions at both Harvard and Stanford.

No newcomer to the international arena, Dobashi’s career has also included stints in Algeria, Tunisia, Dubai and Yemen. An expatriate assignment for Yemen-based oil and gas producer, ARCO, was actually the catalyst for his enrollment at Thunderbird.

“I met an alumnus, Robert Newport ’91, in Yemen, who told me about Thunderbird,” explains Dobashi. “And I learned there were a number of alumni in the country. That really sold me on Thunderbird – to be in a country such as Yemen and to know that there were at least 20 close-knit alumni in the country was a great selling point for me.”

Although he admits it is a standard answer from many Thunderbird students, Dobashi says the truly international aspect of Thunderbird is one of its most unique aspects. “I had heard Thunderbird was international but I did not know how much until entering the program,” says Dobashi. “I don't believe that you can get a more global experience from any other school in the world.”