For Jose Salvatierra, leadership is about more than running a business. It’s about perseverance, empathy, and community—values that first took shape at the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School.
“Miami Herbert helped me think strategically,” said Salvatierra, who earned his degree in business administration with a minor in kinesiology in 2018. “It taught me how to make decisions based on data and human understanding, something that’s been essential in leading a business in Bolivia’s fast-changing market.”
Today, Salvatierra is a director at Industrias Luri, one of Bolivia’s leading consumer goods companies known for its innovation and social responsibility. Under his guidance, Luri has grown its portfolio while maintaining a strong focus on people — from consumers to employees.
"Understanding markets and people is something I learned at Miami Herbert,” he said. “That perspective continues to guide how I lead every day.”
He fondly remembers professors who left a lasting impression, including Joseph Ganitsky, whose course on operations in Latin America taught him to look at regional challenges through a social and economic lens.
"He showed us how to think critically about the world around us,” Salvatierra said. He also credits professor Wesley Smith’s exercise physiology class with reinforcing the importance of balance and discipline in leadership.
That mindset has carried him across the Ironman finish line in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland.
“Ironman taught me discipline and consistency,” he said. “It’s the same mindset I bring to growing a business and leading a team.”
As part of Miami Herbert’s global alumni ambassador program, Salvatierra will join a founding group of graduates who will help expand the school’s global footprint. The initiative will build a worldwide network of alumni leaders who will represent the business school, promote its values, and support its mission on a global scale. Ambassadors will serve as key connectors for alumni, prospective students, and business partners, strengthening engagement and elevating Miami Herbert’s presence around the world.
For Salvatierra, being an alumnus comes with a sense of purpose.
