Alumni Spotlight: Walter Pinson, George Mason EMBA ‘10

George Mason School of Business profiled a recent graduate of their EMBA program, Walter Pinson. The profile highlighted Pinson’s “never give up: attitude and dedication to perseverance” which “allowed him to fulfill his childhood dreams.”

Pinson initially came to Mason because he was looking into Executive MBA programs with a global residency program. Pinson commented on the great value offered in the program:

“The infrastructure, resources, and professors are second to none at Mason. There are many exceptional programs across schools and departments. Hands down, the global residency program sets Mason apart from other business schools.”

Pinson went on to become the CEO of Alekto Corporation, which he and his colleague Tiffany Smith co-founded in 2012. Their company creates industry and personal solutions to assist consumers with their credit scores.

According to Pinson, the Federal Trade Commission estimates that 1 in 20 Americans have serious errors on their credit reports. Pinson created Alekto to align the interests of consumers, businesses and credit bureaus in a way that creates a win-win-win outcome for all parties.

Alekto is the only company currently offering an online credit escrow platform, which is a method of protecting the credit of debtors who are paying back their debts.

The Mason connection doesn’t start and end with Pinson: Alekto’s new chief operating officer, Darren C. Lyons, is also a Mason alum, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor’s in history. Along with creating jobs for fellow alumni, Pinson has given back to his alma mater as well. This year, Alekto was the sole sponsor for the 2nd annual George Mason University Black Alumni Chapter Scholarship golf tournament.

The 18-month George Mason Executive MBA program offers executives and working professionals a world-class business education, without the career interruption of a traditional graduate business degree. Like the MBA, the George Mason Executive MBA numbers 48 credit hours in total. Students can choose between the Global or National Defense track.

Global students must complete one 2-week residency in either Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, or South America. Defense students, on the other hand, must complete a residency in the Washington, D.C. metro area, visiting with members of Capital Hill, the Department of Defense, and Defense Contractors to learn about doing business with the defense industry.

During the second year, students embark on an integrative learning project, called the capstone project, in which they apply classroom studies to a current business challenge. A recent class, for example, was responsible for generating a concept proposal in response to an RFP, negotiating a contract with the client, and producing deliverables. A faculty member oversees and provides feedback to each student team.

“It’s an international school with international flavor. You will hear many languages spoken on campus, and if you are a world traveler, you will feel very much at home,” Pinson said.

regions: Washington, DC

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