He’s ‘Father Frank’ to the Younger Students

Frank Galindo ’20 hadn’t set foot in a classroom in 20 years when he enrolled in the Feliciano School of Business’ MBA program in 2018 at age 43. “They called me ‘Father Frank,’ a term of endearment because of my age,” he says. “It was a culture shock but not unexpected.” 

As assistant vice president for public relations and stakeholder engagement at Lincoln Tech, Galindo engages with legislative staffers, many of whom are his junior. Being part of a cohort comprising younger individuals provided him access to a range of perspectives and insight into managing personalities and improved his communication skills with this generation. “It really opened my eyes. We’re talking about a bunch of different personalities, much younger than myself, who are more attuned to the modern-day working world. Learning to communicate with those folks has really helped me,” says Galindo.  

While still a student, Galindo was invited to share his experience at both the MBA and graduate school open houses. As an alumnus, he was invited with a handful of other alumni for dinner with President Koppell to share his experience while at Montclair and provide feedback that could benefit future cohorts. Now, Galindo mentors MBA students one-on-one in the Accelerated MBA program, dispensing career advice and insight. “My experience at MSU helped me and inspired me to do this volunteer work because I had to take myself, personally and professionally, to the next level to do all these other things. Montclair State University was a great springboard for me,” says Galindo.

Galindo feels compelled to give back to the university that gave him his professional life back. “It’s a wonderful experience to pass on a lot of the knowledge that I had learned and the tools, tips and tricks that I’d picked up over the years,” says Galindo. “I didn’t have that growing up. I didn’t have that guidance.”

 In addition to his duties at Lincoln Tech, throughout 2022 and 2023, Galindo was the executive vice president of partner relations for the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America, offering professional development programs that connect Latinx students with American corporations, like Moody’s, Bank of America, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb. “The goal is to help the next generation of Latinx students make their way as quickly as possible to roles in corporate America and upper management through upskilling and networking,” says Galindo.