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Kenneth Rife is originally from Temecula, CA. After high school, he ventured into entrepreneurship, co-
founding successful valet parking and sports memorabilia companies. When the pandemic disrupted the
status quo, Kenneth seized the opportunity to return to UCSB, earning dual bachelor’s degrees in
Communication and Sociology. Embracing his new journey, he applied to UCSB’s MTM program, inspired by the program’s structure, incredible faculty and staff, and post-graduate opportunities.

Learn more about Kareena Patel, MTM alumna from the Class of 2024! She is from the Bay Area in Northern California and graduated from UCSB with a Bachelor’s in Economics. When asked about why she wanted to join the program, she said that she was looking for a business degree, and that "the closest thing UCSB had was Economics. I then learned about the TMP Certificate Program in the Technology Management department, which allowed me to get a business background during my undergrad degree."

Learn more about Noah Kastenbaum, from the MTM Class of 2022! Noah is originally from Los Angeles. He studied Communication at UCSB, where he also completed the Certificate in Technology Management as an undergraduate. Since completing the MTM graduate program, he has been working at Feedly, an AI cybersecurity startup. The following comments are excerpted from an alumni panel event that took place in April 2024.

Learn more about Natalie Jordan, an MTM student from the Class of 2019. Natalie is originally from New Jersey and has an undergraduate degree from UCSB in political science and history of public policy. She currently works at Motive, an integrated fleet operations platform. When asked how MTM prepared her for her career, she stated, "You're given the right tools to be able to go into any scenario and start to have a process of how to think through problems, communicate with leadership, and have those executive communication skills and basic business acumen."

Learn more about Nupur Koirola, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2024. Nupur is originally from Washington State and completed her undergraduate degree in business management information systems at Western Washington University before joining MTM. When asked why she wanted an MTM grad degree, she answered, "The program’s focus on technology management offered a chance to deepen my technical knowledge while also gaining practical leadership skills."

Learn more about Aamir Rehman, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2024. Aamir is originally from Santa Monica and was a Mechanical Engineering major at UCSB prior to joining MTM. When asked about his favorite aspects of the program, he stated, "The cohort experience. I really like how everyone gets to know each other, because we are in the same classroom everyday with the same people. I really enjoy coming to class every day and getting to see everyone, and talk about the material for the class."

Pamela Hinds, Professor of Management, Science & Engineering, Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University

Learn more about Sabrina Chisholm, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2024. Sabrina is originally from Southern California and completed her BA in English at UCSB before joining MTM. When asked what she would tell prospective students of the program, she said, "I think for anyone looking at the program, a Master's in Technology Management is equivalent to a modern-day MBA. It's going to continue to be a super important program as we keep evolving as a society with new technologies such generative AI."

UCSB assistant professor Matt Beane writes a book on how to protect skills in a world filled with AI and robots.  Researcher and technologist Matt Beane, an assistant professor in the Technology Management Department at UC Santa Barbara, is calling attention to an immediate and hidden concern in the modern workplace — and offering a surprising path forward.

Learn more about Shabarita Sivashanmugam, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2024! Shabarita is originally from India, and prior to joining MTM, she worked as a business systems analysis specialist in Edmonton, Canada. She has a Bachelor’s of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Amrita University and an MBA from the PSG Institute of Management.

Learn more about Micah Gifford, one of our MTM students from the Class of 2024! Micah graduated from Southern New Hampshire University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He joined the U.S. Army back in 2014 and has worked in Operations Management, Intelligence Analysis, and Language Translation. After graduating, he is looking forward to working in a project management role at a technology company. 

Sameer Srivastava, Professor of Business Administration & Public Policy, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley