Future Business Leaders of America continues Dining with the Distinguished tradition

Nearly 200 people attended the 2023 award-winning Dining with the Distinguished event hosted by Rutgers Future Business Leaders of America at the College Avenue Student Center. The turnout included current students, alumni, faculty, and industry professionals.

The annual dinner celebrates professionals, many of whom are Rutgers alumni, and provides students with an opportunity to network in a real-world, formal dinner setting. After networking during a happy hour, students were paired with current and emerging industry leaders who shared their insights and experiences during dinner. The invited professionals represented a wide range of fields, from accounting and finance to supply chain management and computer science.   

“I am glad to keep up the tradition of hosting one of Rutgers Business School’s most prestigious events,” Rutgers FBLA Chapter President Michael Shalonov said. “Dining with the Distinguished allows students to formally dine with individuals representing the most notable companies in the industry.”

“I am truly grateful to Divya Pendyala, FBLA’s director of events, and the members of her committee who put in the hard work that made this event a profound success,” Shalonov said.

More than 150 Rutgers Business School students attended the dinner. Faculty from Rutgers Business School and 40 industry professionals also attended.

FBLA’s Dining with the Distinguished is Rutgers Business School’s largest student-run event. It was awarded a Scarlet Award for Outstanding Annual Program in 2014. It has also been recognized as the Best Networking Event by Rutgers Business School.

Future Business Leaders of America has been hosting Dining with the Distinguished since 2011. This year, the crowd also marked the anniversary of the founding of Rutgers University 257 years ago.    

About Rutgers Future Business Leaders of America

Rutgers Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a professional development organization belonging to the Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick. The organization empowers students in their early career process by hosting workshops, speaker series, and formal networking events. With a particular focus on leadership in business, Future Business Leaders of America strives to build exposure to high-ranking industry leaders while working with students to grow into responsible leaders.