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Hunt Insights · EMBA Student Profile
The Ross Optical operations leader is pairing engineering depth with a broader view of strategy, finance, analytics, and executive decision-making.
Erika Salayandia is operations manager at Ross Optical Industries, where she draws on more than 15 years of experience in optical manufacturing and operational leadership.
With a background in industrial and manufacturing engineering, Salayandia specializes in process optimization, quality systems, and operational efficiency. She works across teams and with vendors and customers to improve reliability, streamline operations, and maintain customer satisfaction.
The through line
Salayandia understands how to improve the system on the production floor. The EMBA is expanding that view to the financial, market, and strategic forces that shape the entire business.
Her engineering background brings discipline to quality systems, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.
She works across internal teams and with vendors and customers to strengthen reliability and performance.
The EMBA connects operational results to finance, marketing, analytics, strategy, and long-term growth.
Why UTEP EMBA
Salayandia chose the UTEP Executive MBA to complement her technical expertise with advanced knowledge in finance, marketing, strategy, and business analytics. The program is helping her connect engineering performance with the broader considerations that shape executive decisions, organizational priorities, and long-term business growth.
The goal is not to move away from engineering. It is to carry its discipline into the larger set of decisions that shape an organization.
Salayandia plans to use that expanded perspective to lead strategic initiatives and evaluate executive and entrepreneurial opportunities.
For her, the EMBA represents a deliberate investment in moving beyond operational leadership and building the cross-functional perspective needed to create long-term impact.
Salayandia is preparing to bring an engineer's discipline to broader strategic initiatives while evaluating executive and entrepreneurial paths beyond her current operational scope.
UTEP Executive MBA
Explore a 16-month Executive MBA built around experienced professionals, a close-knit cohort, executive coaching, and a wider view of business leadership.
The University of Texas at El Paso
Woody L. Hunt College of Business
Business Administration Building
500 W University
El Paso, Texas 79968
E: .
P: (915) 747-5174
F: (915) 747-5147
