{"id":11144,"date":"2021-03-01T19:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T03:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/?p=11144"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:59:50","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:59:50","slug":"mba-program-serves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/2021\/03\/01\/mba-program-serves\/","title":{"rendered":"MBA Programs Serve Those Who Serve Our Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Capt.
Active-duty Capt. Vladi Ivanova, a WSU online MBA student, displays a Cougar flag.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Serving those who serve their country is a pledge the WSU Online MBA programs<\/a> make to their military-affiliated students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether we are supporting students as they advance in their military careers or as they transition to civilian roles, our mission and honor is to serve those who serve and their families,\u201d says Cheryl Oliver<\/a>, associate dean for professional programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the services offered by the WSU Office of Veterans Affairs<\/a>, the Online MBA programs hired Air Force veteran Matt Beer<\/a> in 2018. In his job as military and veteran affairs manager, Beer works with military-affiliated students to ensure the Online MBA programs are responsive to their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWSU and the Carson College of Business remain committed to investing in military-affiliated students,\u201d Beer says. \u201cThrough academic excellence, professional development, and building a strong community among veterans, we continue our commitment to support those who serve as they reach for their professional goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The college\u2019s Online MBA<\/a> programs have graduated over 275 military-affiliated students including active-duty service members, veterans, spouses, and child dependents since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are stories of students currently in the programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vladi Ivanova, Army<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Active-Duty Capt. Vladi Ivanova<\/a>, who is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, was born in Bulgaria, and when she was nine years old, her family immigrated to Georgia. Over time, she answered the call to serve her country and joined the Army after college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurrently, I work in healthcare administration, and I wanted to make myself more marketable to civilian employers before I separate from the Army,\u201d Ivanova says. \u201cMy MBA will allow me to pursue positions with greater responsibility and impact, especially when transitioning from healthcare into another field, such as marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivanova says a big draw to WSU\u2019s Online MBA programs were the flexibility of the courses, and she attributes her success as a student to WSU\u2019s understanding and support of the military experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was notified three times that I would be deploying to Guam to provide COVID relief, but each deployment was cancelled. Yet my academic advisor, Meghan Steinbeiss, provided excellent advice and understanding regarding my need for flexibility and my graduation date, which made me feel valued,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, \u201ctaking one class at a time allows me to immerse myself completely in the subject instead of forcing me to attempt juggling multiple subjects, work, and my Army duties,\u201d Ivanova says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best part of the programs, according to Ivanova, has been the support of the WSU Office of Veterans Affairs and specifically, Matt Beer, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMatt is helpful, professional, and really wants us to do well, similar to a commander who cares about his troops and is willing to do anything to help,\u201d Ivanova says. \u201cI have not heard of any other programs who have a dedicated individual like him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Leland
Leland Johnson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
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Leland Johnson, Navy<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born and raised in Texas, Leland Johnson<\/a> joined the Navy with the goal of serving his country and going to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was influenced by the thought of serving my country for four years and having my college tuition paid for in full,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cHowever, I was able to see a few places on my first deployment on the USS Curts<\/em> and decided to extend my time with the Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson decided to pursue an MBA to expand his post-military career options. He eventually plans to work in operations management for a major global company, such as Amazon, FedEx, or UPS, and says his MBA from WSU will help make his goals a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see my MBA positioning me to be competitive both within the military and after I retire and enter the civilian workforce,\u201d he says. \u201cThis has been quite the experience, and if I had to do this all over again, I would choose WSU. I am a Coug through-and-through and would have it no other way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe academic and professional support WSU provides for their military-affiliated students made this program the ideal fit for me,\u201d Johnson adds. \u201cMatt Beer and WSU have provided professional coaching, r\u00e9sum\u00e9 writing support, and LinkedIn profile enhancement which has been second to none.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson also thanks and gives credit to his wife, mother, and his two sons for their understanding and support over the course of the past two years while he continues to serve his country and pursue his MBA.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\"Lindsey
Lindsey Bennett<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
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Lindsey Bennett, Air Force<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the spouse of an active-duty Air Force technical sergeant, Lindsey Bennett<\/a> says she faced an extremely competitive job market in her local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter some serious reevaluation and conversations, my husband and I agreed I should consider additional education to make myself more competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bennett now works as a multifunctional fiscal analyst for Lockheed Martin. She was previously unable to land an interview with the company but was hired after she started her MBA. Lockheed Martin values the investment she is making to develop leadership and additional business skills, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was no way I would be able to commit to an on-campus scenario, and I wanted to ensure I chose a reputable program with a great online presence,\u201d Bennett says. \u201cI credit pursuing my MBA to landing me a position with the company I had been hoping to work for!\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\"Esteban
Esteban Martinez<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
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Esteban Martinez, Marine Corps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Esteban Martinez<\/a> immigrated to the United States with his family at a very young age from Peru. Growing up in the Puget Sound area, he saw a lot of pride for Washington\u2019s universities, specifically WSU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez knew he wanted to join the service early on and chose the Marine Corps because he figured it would challenge him the most. After leaving the Marines as a corporal, this same drive led him to pursue an MBA. He says WSU\u2019s program flexibility and the ability to take a single class at a time appealed to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is unpredictable, and you cannot always be present for class. Luckily, I can always go back and watch lectures on my own time,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, do not think that the workload is lighter because of it. It will still demand your time, energy, and the support of those close to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pursuing his MBA has opened the doors to new opportunities for growth and leadership, it has also helped him extend his network of other professionals. WSU\u2019s investment in military student support also gave Martinez the confidence to pursue his degree.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\"Headshot
Matt MacKillop<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n
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Matt MacKillop, Coast Guard<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Matt MacKillop<\/a> will be retiring from the Coast Guard in May 2021 and moving to St. Louis, Missouri, after 21 years in the service. The current active-duty lieutenant says he is looking forward to his retirement and is excited about what the future holds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI plan to pursue a career in corporate America,\u201d MacKillop says. \u201cI am learning foundational business principles I\u2019ll need to be successful in my next venture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MacKillop\u2019s military career also benefited from his MBA studies as part of his work includes compliance inspections and investigations on commercial cargo ships, passenger ships, and towing vessels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been really impressed with how passionate the WSU Online MBA program instructors have been,\u201d MacKillop says. \u201cThe weekly live sessions are interactive, and it almost feels like you are attending in person. I really feel like I am a part of the WSU student community even though I live in the Midwest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\tLearn more about the WSU Carson College\u2019s\u00a0Online MBA programs\t\t\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Serving those who served their country is a pledge the WSU Online MBA program makes its military-affiliated students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[639],"featured_media":16492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[425,595,625],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/639"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11144"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18781,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11144\/revisions\/18781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11144"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=11144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}