Meet Diana Mejía, the 2025 Spring Global Engagement Fellow

Each semester, the Broad College welcomes an international alum to Michigan State University’s campus for a week of events centered on global outreach and impact. During their visit, these Global Engagement Fellows share their business expertise and provide mentorship to students, engage with faculty and staff and highlight the college’s global initiatives. The program was started in 2023 and most recently hosted Keiichi Higuchi in Fall 2024. Diana Mejía (MBA ’00) visited Broad last week as the 2025 Spring Global Engagement Fellow, participating in Ethics Week events, attending employee coffee hours and meeting with Broad leadership.

Mejía is the CEO and founder of Entirety LLC, a leading global market access consultancy specializing in information and communication technology. Originally from Colombia, Mejía has lived in the United States for more than 25 years. In that time, she has grown Entirety from a one-person operation into a global leader with more than 40 team members across six countries.

During her visit, Mejía attended the KPMG Ethics of AI and Accounting Panel event, visited the International Center to hear about the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies program, hosted a Lunch and Learn session focused on exploring global ethics, and more. She shared some insights about how her time at MSU changed the course of her professional and personal life, as well as some advice for Spartans just entering the workforce.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

My plan to study at MSU was not my plan in the beginning. But I had the opportunity to learn more about what happens when a customer has a specific need or you have adifferent way to provide what the customer is requesting. That’s when I decided to join the supply chain management program. I could see a little bit of the marketing, a little bit of the finance, the logistics, the production and so on. It allowed me to see the full picture of the business. At that time, I was not planning on owning my own business, but in hindsight, it allowed me to see all the little intersections of a company, which has helped me in my day to day.

The best suppliers are those that can be an extension of the client. In some cases, you have a need, you get someone that can fulfill that need, the need is fulfilled, and that’s the end of the story. But if you’re really capable of becoming not just a supplier but also a strategic partner, and then become a part of the team, you can sit down at the table and be part of the client’s team. You can talk the same language, be on the same team and work toward each other’s benefit. That was one of the biggest things I learned at MSU — the importance of being an extension of your customer’s team rather than just a supplier.

Yes! I was a graduate assistant for the Executive MBA program, so I was here talking with faculty, helping the professors and helping to administer the program. For me, being an international student, everything was new, so doing that really provided value to me. Also, during my time here, lots of companies were coming to interview us for positions. I learned about so many companies that I had never heard of before, which for me, was a surprise. In Colombia, I was trying to find someone to help me get my resume to companies to get hired. Here, we were being asked for our resumes! I also learned that there was an association for Hispanic MBAs that hosted meetings where you could get to know companies and other fellows who are in the same phase you are.

We tend to think only of academics, and while that is very important, soft skills are the ones that are going to differentiate you from other individuals. So, going to different engagements, participating in associations and interacting with others will be beneficial. I have a fantastic network of friendships from the program that have helped us to get jobs. Don’t take those friendships for granted or think that you’re wasting time just chatting for 15 minutes with new people — those relationships are so important. Sometimes, they are even more important than the academic part.

I feel very proud that I am part of Michigan State! Walking around in an airport or in a coffee shop or something, when I see the little Spartan head, I get excited! For our family, Michigan State has become something so important. My daughter, who is currently at UC Davis, wears her favorite Michigan State sweatshirt in downtown Davis all the time, and she loves to tell the story about her parents coming to Michigan State. Being a Spartan is a milestone in our lives, the place that allows us to open our horizons and provide a future that we are now providing to our kids. Go Green!