When Israel Escamilla was young, he worked alongside his father after the family migrated from Mexico to Texas as farm workers. “Do you want to do this the rest of your life?” his father asked one day. When Israel replied “no,” his father advised: “Well, then you better stay in school.”
Now a strategic operator at Procter & Gamble with 13+ years of experience and a recent graduate of the McCombs School of Business Executive MBA program (Class of ’25, Magna Cum Laude), Israel reflects on that pivotal moment. While his father only attended school through the second grade, he understood the transformative power of education. “Education is our way to create options for the future,” Israel recalled his father teaching him.
That commitment to education has guided Israel’s career path, leading him to pursue a leadership development MBA designed for experienced professionals. After building extensive experience in operations, Israel wanted to make the pivot into sales and revenue generation. “I was thinking, what’s going to help me maximize this jump from operations into the commercial space? And that’s where the Executive MBA came to mind,” he explains. The program appealed to him not only for its academic rigor, but for its strategic focus on developing leaders ready for the C-suite. His ultimate goal? Moving into the senior level of executive leadership.
Work-Life Balance and Flexibility
Israel chose McCombs for reasons that went beyond academics. Living in Cincinnati, Ohio, while maintaining family ties in Dallas, he appreciated that the program’s location made commuting feasible. “All of my education has been in Texas,” he says. The direct flight from Cincinnati to Austin made the program format particularly attractive, allowing him to advance his education while staying connected to his Texas roots.
Israel was drawn to the program’s flexibility. The Executive MBA program format was essential for a working professional managing complex initiatives across sales, supply chain, and brand organizations. “The Executive MBA program was attractive because it was one weekend per month,” Israel explains. Attending in-person classes just one weekend per month – while completing their coursework remotely – has allowed him to keep his current job and maintain work-life balance.
Leadership Through Mentorship and Service
Israel didn’t just excel academically—earning Magna Cum Laude honors and spots on both the Dean’s Academic Excellence List and University Honors List—he also became a leader who lifts others. As Class Vice President of the Graduate Business Council and a member of the prestigious Hildebrand Leadership Fellows program, he recognized an opportunity to help his classmates succeed.
When he saw that many of his peers weren’t aware of the Fellows program requirements, Israel created simple, clear instructions and shared them through their class Slack channel. His initiative resulted in more Executive MBA students actively engaging in the Fellows program than ever before. “The people that achieve the highest levels, they do it together,” Israel explains. “How do we elevate each other, knowing that ultimately we’re here to accomplish the same thing?”
This approach reflects his broader philosophy about mentorship and community building. “I wouldn’t be where I am without my mentors,” Israel reflects, crediting individuals like David Northcutt, who “took me in in elementary school” and showed him “how we can work hard and smart.” Now, Israel dedicates himself to ensuring other immigrant students receive similar guidance and support.
Learning from Varied Perspectives
Israel was excited about his cohort, which averages 17 years of experience across multiple industries. “I wanted to be surrounded by top talent,” he said. “You’re working with people that have been there, done that. At the same time, they want more.”
The program’s real-time applicability has been transformative. “You have professors that are masters in their craft, speaking to you in a way where you can see what they’re saying and how this is tangible and directly correlated to what I’m dealing with on the work end,” Israel explains.
Embracing Vulnerability and Growth
One of Israel’s key takeaways has been learning to reframe challenges as opportunities. A classmate shared how his company positions obstacles not as problems, but as challenges. “It really is framing your mindset in that way,” Israel reflects. “Even though there’s a lot of uncertainty, how do I adapt? How can I be agile, and how can I always be elevating myself holistically to be as successful as I can?”
The program taught him the value of vulnerability in leadership. “It’s okay to come in and not know. It’s okay to ask questions,” he says. “That’s probably been one of the biggest learnings—being able to understand that I can take a step back and ask questions. It takes humility, takes vulnerability.”
This mindset shift has been profound. Unlike his undergraduate experience, Israel found the executive program fosters collaboration over competition. “A lot of us are in a great position from a career standpoint, and you’re coming at it from a wants base and not a needs base,” he explains. “When you come in with that energy that you want something, it makes it easier for you to take a step back and truly be yourself.”
Building Networks That Last
As a McCombs Ambassador and Texas Exes Network Member, Israel has experienced the MBA alumni network and mentorship opportunities that create lasting value. When professors don’t have specific examples, classmates step in with real-world experience. “Because our classmates have such diverse experiences, someone’s able to come in and share a real life example of how they work through it,” he says.
This peer learning environment has expanded his perspective dramatically. “I thought I knew there was a lot out there having classmates from the financial sector, from the nonprofit sector having oil and gas—having all these industries come together.”
The abundance mindset has become central to his leadership philosophy. As their negotiations professor Dr. Melissa Murphy taught them, “People come into discussions thinking that there’s 100 points when in reality it’s 130 points. Could be even more than that.”
Applying Learning to Real-World Impact
Through McCombs+ Projects and community involvement, Israel has demonstrated how business skills can drive meaningful change. With over 12 years of nonprofit board experience supporting underserved youth and military veterans, he brings a unique perspective to every project.
“How can y’all come together with your skill sets and strengths and really build the pie and grow the pie for the community in parallel to building it for yourself,” he explains, describing the program’s holistic approach to development.
Looking Toward the Future
Having graduated in 2025, Israel is focused on his goal of leading sales and marketing teams for a Fortune 50 company before eventually transitioning to Texas politics. His experience translating executive vision into enterprise-wide results, combined with his commitment to mentoring the next generation of leaders, positions him well for these ambitious goals.
“You’re going to get out of it what you put into it,” Israel reflects on his MBA journey. “What you find out is how much have you put into it. And you see those tangible results and relationships and opportunities.”
Now, when Israel speaks to prospective MBA candidates, he echoes that same spirit of possibility his father instilled in him. “Why not now? Why not you?” he asks, embodying the mindset that has carried him from migrant farm work to corporate leadership. For those considering the Executive MBA, he offers reassurance: “You’re not in it alone. The relationships that you build as you’re going through doing this hard thing together is awesome.”
For Israel, education has always been about creating options—not just for himself, but for the communities he serves and the fellow students he mentors along the way.
Start Your McCombs Journey
Ready to begin your MBA journey? Learn more about the Hildebrand MBA at Texas McCombs. For detailed information about application components and deadlines, check out our Application Process page.