Francisco Estrada (MBA ’11) shares how he turned his personal experience into a career devoted to talent acquisition, his passion for working in media, entertainment, and sports industries, and how he reconnected with Stern’s alumni community during a recent career pivot.  

Francisco Estrada (MBA ’11), a proud alumnus of NYU Stern’s Langone Part-time MBA Program, embodies resilience and adaptability. Born and raised in New York City as the child of immigrant parents, Francisco’s journey has been shaped by the values instilled by his family—hard work, education, and the pursuit of the American Dream. 

Francisco’s professional journey began with a solid foundation in financial services, an industry he entered through leadership development organizations like Prep for Prep and INROADS NYC. These programs opened the door to summer internships at JPMorgan Chase. After graduating from Yale, he secured a place in JPMorgan Chase’s Global Services Associate Program, an 18-month rotational training initiative that included a stint in London during the 1998 World Cup.

While Francisco thrived at JPMorgan Chase, “the debt services business where I started my career wasn’t where I wanted to be long-term,” he reflects. This realization led him to a pivot into diversity recruiting with the University Relations team, a move that leveraged his personal experiences as a product of the bank’s diversity recruitment pipeline. His pitch was compelling.  “I explained to them that I know the process end-to-end and bring business acumen to the table,” said Francisco. This decision marked the beginning of his passion for Talent Acquisition and DEI and set the trajectory for his career. 

A dynamic career takes him from finance to media, sports and entertainment
Francisco’s career journey took another exciting turn when he landed a role as Director of Talent Acquisition at Major League Baseball (MLB) just as he was about to apply to the full-time MBA program through the Management Leadership for Tomorrow MBA Prep Program. He was planning to use the MBA to pivot to a new sector such as media and entertainment. Despite having no internal connections and limited exposure to the sports industry (aside from being a Mets fan), he impressed MLB with his financial services best practices and his innovative approach to recruiting. Reflecting on his time at MLB, Francisco characterized it as six memorable “seasons” which also included marriage, starting a family, first home purchase, and finally starting his MBA through Stern’s Langone program.

The Stern experience and lasting impact
Choosing Stern was a deliberate and strategic decision. “The flexibility, reputation, and connection to New York City made Stern the top choice,” he shares. “It allowed me to balance a demanding career at MLB and grow my family.” His son was born when he began the program and his wife was pregnant with his daughter when he graduated. 

Francisco with his baby daughter

Reflecting on his time at Stern, Francisco particularly valued team projects, working collaboratively, and being able to choose from an array of courses with top-rated professors. “Not always easy because there were so many great courses offered,” recalled Francisco. He also cherished building relationships with students from diverse professions and life stages, “occasionally” fitting in a beer blast and social event, and being part of student organizations such as the Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students (AHBBS), Media Entertainment and Sports Association (MESA), Latin American Business Association (LABA), and Technology and New Media Group (TANG). 

“Earning my MBA was a personal goal that I couldn’t have achieved without my wife and support network of family, close friends, and mentors”, said Francisco. He recalled his wife picking him up after class once she had finished her nursing shift and collected their infant son from his grandmother’s house so they could all return home together. Seeing his son asleep in the back seat reminded him of the bigger purpose for his MBA: gaining the skills and confidence for leadership roles at iconic organizations like American Express, Univision, Major League Soccer and Nike. 

Francisco with his grown children in front of Stern 

Francisco credits Stern with turbo-charging his career journey. As an executive in the HR/Talent space, his MBA allows him to engage in strategic dialogues with his business partners. “Stern’s curriculum, location, and network were invaluable,” he says. Looking back on his career, he says, “I love connecting the right talent with the right opportunity and creating win-win scenarios that benefit individuals, teams and organizations.” He also takes pride in seeing the lasting impact of his work that comes from being a trusted advisor, a culture and community builder, a connector, and an opportunity catalyst.   

Although it’s been a while since he was in the classroom, he likes to follow Professor Scott Galloway’s podcast and Professor Suzy Welch’s content on social media. During his most recent career pivot he re-engaged with the Stern community and has become involved in the Stern Black and Latino Alumni (BALA) Association and the NYU Latinx Alumni Association. “It’s wonderful to be connecting with the School again in such a meaningful way,” shares Francisco. 

Stern Black and Latino Alumni (BALA) Association