“Being at Booth gave us this shared educational framework and vocabulary—which means that even now, years later, we'll refer to a given case or course when working through situations. Recently I referenced one of Nick Epley's classes while we were driving home,” Lauren said. “On a lighter note, Booth also gave us some of the dearest friends we have."
Mike and Lauren both work at Amazon, Lauren as a principal HR business partner in Amazon’s Web Services, and Mike as a manager of vendor management running the Exercise and Fitness team on the retail side.
They support the school by being actively involved with the admissions team through both alumni interviews and admissions event panels in the Seattle area. Mike is serving on his reunion committee, and both are active donors and members of the Maroon Loyalty Society.
Andy and Kate Ebbott met while living in Laughlin Hall—a small building, now demolished—which housed business school students. Their favorite date spots included Giordano's Pizza, Gertie’s Ice Cream, R.J. Grunts, and the Lodge.
Their favorite Booth memories were running for the Business Students Association and the Student Council simultaneously, late night stops at Häagen Dazs, and a crazy night skiing at Wilmot Mountain.
“We actually didn’t have too many common experiences at the Graduate School of Business, since I was in the health care administration program,” Kate said. “It set the tone for a very independent marriage with shared values, but a wide range of interests and activities pursued separately by both of us.”
The couple is currently retired, but Kate worked for Kidder Peabody, followed by Harvard Community Healthcare Plan. Andy started at Coopers & Lybrand and then moved on to Cabot Properties, where he worked for 29 years.
The couple has remained involved with the school throughout the years, with Andy having served on their 35th and 40th reunion committees. Their firstborn son, Scott Ebbott, ’16, also received his MBA from Booth.
Eric and Kristin met on the first day of their first jobs after college at AT&T in New Jersey. They were part of a rotational program which had all of the participants training closely together for the first month. Their careers then followed a very parallel path for several years including applying, and then enrolling, in Chicago Booth together.
Their favorite date spot was meeting other Booth couples for wings and beer at Yak-Zies and their best shared memory was a Cubs rooftop experience hosted by professors Anil Kashyap and Ann McGill as part of the Giving Something Back Charity Auction.
“Booth professors made themselves accessible socially through that event, as well as being accessible on campus. That’s one of the reasons we loved going to Booth,” Kristin said.