Leadership in the Business World

Program Leader: Flavio Serapiao

Flavio Serapiao is a post-doctoral fellow and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) working with Prof. Mike Nakkula at the Penn GSE Project for Mental Health and Optimal Development (PMHOD). He has masters’ and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Organizational Learning & Leadership and he is now specializing in Mental Health and Counseling (LPC). Flavio is currently co-teaching EDUC 617 - Counseling for School to Career Transitions, and has been serving as a Lecturer at the Penn CLO Doctoral Program for the Business Block.

He coordinates the Penn GSE Global Possibility Network, a global network to enhance youth development using Possibility Development Counselling. He also serves as a Liaison and Research associate at the Penn GSE Consortium for Mental health and Optimal Development.

Previous to joining Penn GSE, Flavio served as the Chief Human Resources officer at Lojas Americanas/B2W, the largest multichannel retail group in Latin America, which is controlled by 3G capital’s partners. With more than 25 years of executive experience, including the C-suite, he worked in several different areas such as: Management for Result & Leadership, Human Resources, Supply Chain & Operations, Sales & Marketing, Strategy & Planning, M&A integration and Innovation & Technology.

Co-program Leader: Keith Ellison

Keith D. Ellison teaches management communication at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His corporate background includes positions at IBM, Proctor & Gamble and Manor Care, Inc.

He currently runs the Ellison Group, Inc., a leadership development and management consulting firm, with an emphasis on improving managerial and communication skills and cycle times of operational processes. He has worked with such clients as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Lockheed Martin, Novo Nordisk and CIGNA.

Ellison also facilitates a six-month leadership development course for the Martin Luther King Development Institute. He also serves as the program director for the Urban League of Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Center, which leads a team of consultants in providing business advisory services and training to entrepreneurs in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Ellison earned an MBA from the Wharton School and a B.S. in electrical engineering and mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Instructor: Sharina Woo

Sharina Woo is a current MBA candidate at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Honors Business Administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University.   

Prior to Wharton, Sharina worked in management consulting at Bain & Company where she helped startups and Fortune 500 companies develop international expansion and product strategies and performed due diligence for private and growth equity firms. Driven by her passion for education, Sharina also took on a role at KIPP DC Public Schools as a Strategic Projects Leader where she helped to develop the network's first virtual learning program.   

At Wharton, Sharina continues to be highly engaged in the academic environment and serves as a teaching assistant for various upper level courses, including: MGMT 6100: Foundations of Teamwork and Leadership; LGST 6130: Business, Social Responsibility, and the Environment; and WHCP: Communications. 

Instructor: Emmanuella Nwabufo

Emmanuella is an educator with a decade of teaching experience and school leadership. Originally from Nigeria, Emmanuella kicked off her career as an elementary school teacher and gradually rose to the position of Head of School. She is passionate about mentoring high school students to achieve their best possible.  Through her mentorship, she propelled her students to astounding heights, leading them to become two-time national champions of the Junior Achievement National competition.

A recent graduate of Penn’s Graduate School of Education, She is excited to hone her recently acquired skills and knowledge to make a lasting impact on students and educational institutions.

Emmanuella currently calls Philadelphia home, where she resides with her husband and two energetic boys. When not working or doing homework with the boys, she enjoys listening to Latina music and watching K-dramas!

Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, lead small-group lab work, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions.