Success Stories

Senior Product Line Specialist, Corning
Charlotte, N.C.

After serving as a captain in the U.S. Army, Michael Richardson (MBA ’24) transitioned from military life to the corporate world with a job at Corning. To succeed in his new role, he tapped both the chemical engineering degree he had earned at West Point and the operational skills gained during his time in the military. However, he soon realized that to reach his full potential in the business world, he needed more than just these past experiences. He needed an MBA.

Michael found the perfect opportunity when UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School launched its Charlotte Executive MBA Program in 2022.

“When I saw that they had announced the opening of the Charlotte campus, I ran into the other room to tell my wife — it was a game-changer for me,” Michael recalls. “The program’s weekly, in-person classes offered the perfect blend of convenience and flexibility, allowing me to continue working full time while pursing a master’s degree from a world-class program.”

As part of the Business School’s inaugural cohort in Charlotte, Michael forged strong connections with his classmates while gaining the business acumen required for his desired career path. His decision to pursue an MBA quickly paid off when the knowledge he acquired from a course on strategic cost analysis helped him ace a job interview and secure a promotion at Corning.

“The timing was perfect,” Michael says. “The focus of the class — things like contribution margin and available capacity — was fresh in my mind, and it directly contributed to my success in the interview.”

For Richardson, pursuing an MBA wasn’t just about advancing his career — it was about taking another big jump and betting on himself to succeed. The Charlotte Executive MBA Program equipped him with the tools, confidence and expertise to excel on his career journey.

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District Sales Manager, Dell Technologies
Charlotte, N.C.

For Madison Marsteller (MBA ’24), the Executive MBA Program in Charlotte was more than a smart career move — it was a journey of personal and professional transformation.

After earning her degree from Elon University in 2015, Madison quickly climbed the ranks at Dell Technologies. As a district sales manager, she now plays a crucial role in guiding major corporate clients in the Carolinas through their digital transformations. Despite her success, she recognized the need to further invest in herself to fully realize her potential.

When UNC Kenan-Flagler announced the launch of its Executive MBA Program in Charlotte in 2022, Madison seized the opportunity. The program’s location and high-caliber education made it an ideal match for her goals.

Being part of the inaugural cohort and the camaraderie among her peers provided vital support throughout the two-year program. “Earning an MBA is like taking on a second job,” Madison reflects. “But the relationships and mutual support with classmates made the experience invaluable.”

The Global Entrepreneurship Lab was a standout experience for Madison. There, she collaborated with a European startup, providing valuable go-to-market strategy suggestions for them while gaining her own perspective on international business.

Looking back, Madison sees the Charlotte Executive MBA Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler as one of the best decisions she could have made for her future. “The knowledge and skills I’ve gained are already making a tangible difference in my work,” she says. “This was an investment that will continue to pay off for the rest of my career.”

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Senior Associate, Dimensional Fund Advisors
Charlotte, N.C.

For Sidney Kawanguzi (MBA ’24), the decision to pursue an MBA was about more than just career advancement — it was an investment in his family’s future. After moving from Uganda to the U.S. in 2012, he faced the challenge of building a career in a new country. Determined to elevate his prospects and create lasting security for his wife and children, Sidney enrolled in UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Charlotte Executive MBA Program.

“Life is full of challenges, and to grow, you have to push through the hard things,” he says. “I want to show my children that when something is difficult, you run toward it. You can achieve your goals if you advocate for yourself and work hard.”

Balancing work, fatherhood and his studies was no small task — especially when his wife gave birth to their third child just days before orientation. “Her sacrifice and support made it possible for me to pursue this degree,” Sidney says. “Although it’s only my name on the diploma, she put a lot of work into earning this MBA too.”

Sidney’s time in the program introduced him to a cohort of diverse professionals and gave him invaluable real-world experience through the STAR program, where students tackle real business challenges and present to company stakeholders, similar to a real consulting project.

“You’re learning alongside people from all walks of life, across industries with so many different perspectives,” he says. “It opens your mind to new ways of thinking and solving problems and pushes you to be better.”

With refined leadership skills, a clearer value proposition and the confidence to communicate complex ideas with clarity, Sidney is now pursuing a career in corporate strategy in the financial sector, knowing the sacrifices he made laid the foundation for his family’s future.

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Capture Director, ICF
Charlotte, N.C.

The flexibility of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Charlotte Executive MBA Program allowed Brittany Goble (MBA ’24) to balance her career and her responsibilities as a mother of two, all while pursuing her dream of reaching the C-suite by age 40.

To accelerate her career toward this lofty goal, Brittany knew she needed an MBA. UNC Kenan-Flagler’s new Charlotte Executive MBA Program allowed her to continue working full time and remain close to her husband and children.

“Balancing work, family and the MBA was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Brittany says. “The level of time management and discipline required to manage all of that teaches you a lot about yourself and helps crystallize what is most important to your goals for the future.”

One of her favorite experiences was the UNC Kenan-Flagler STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) Program, where MBA students apply the knowledge they’ve gained from their coursework to solve real-world business challenges.

“With the STAR Program, we got to live the case study,” Brittany says. “We worked on forecasting for a material manufacturer, offering ideas on how to modernize their process for both the near and long term. It was rewarding to apply everything we’d been learning to a real business problem.”

Although her decision to pursue an executive MBA was drive by her long-term goals, it impacted her career much faster than she anticipated.

“While I was still working toward my degree, I landed my current role as capture director at ICF,” Brittany says. “I know that being in the MBA program helped me stand out in the interview process. It also gave me the confidence that I was prepared for this new role.”

Today, with her MBA in hand, Brittany’s goal of reaching the C-suite feels closer than ever. “UNC Kenan-Flagler gave me the tools, network and confidence to make it happen,” she says. “It’s more than a degree — it’s a community that supports you.”

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Head of Global Counterparty Risk Management
Barings

Spending part of his youth in Charlotte, NC, Matt Wentzel (MBA ’24) was introduced by friends, elementary school classmates and family to the University of North Carolina early on. “Chapel Hill was always THE University,” he says.

But a family move took him to Kansas when he was still young. In 2010, he earned a BSBA in Finance at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business and launched his career in finance. He began as a Senior Commercial Credit Analyst for First Citizens Bank, then held roles in Counterparty Credit Risk Management for Credit Suisse and as part of the FSO Advisory – Financial Services Risk Management (FSRM) group for EY.

In 2021, he returned to Charlotte and joined Barings as Head of Global Counterparty Risk Management, tasked with establishing the counterparty risk management function. “Building a function from the ground up relied on all aspects of my prior professional experiences, from technical skills and knowledge to team building and leadership,” he notes.

With the announcement that UNC Kenan-Flagler was bringing their Executive MBA program to Charlotte, Matt realized the program was the ideal opportunity to pursue his MBA, offering the rigor and flexibility he needed to increase his impact as a leader. “Given my affinity for UNC, which had only grown over the last couple of decades, it was an easy decision to apply and pursue my Executive MBA with UNC Kenan-Flagler over other programs in the area,” he said.

Matt thrived in the in-person environment with a cohort he describes as “talented and accomplished individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives differing from my own.”

He also sharpened his leadership skills, which he quickly put to use. “Learning about power and influence during our elective course, ‘Leading in the Middle,’ was a very real-world lesson I could apply to my day-to-day in my current role,” says Matt.

“Understanding how my current role and organization fit within the broader firm in terms of power and influence helped me to realize how I can better affect change at my company,” he explains. “The ability to identify those with formal or informal power and how to best partner with them to achieve success was incredibly relevant for me. It has helped me push my initiatives forward and reach a desirable outcome for all involved.”

Matt’s experience has been gratifying and he is already well on his way to achieving his long-term professional goal of continuing to develop and empower the next generation of leaders within the financial services industry. “It was literally a dream come true to become a Tar Heel,” he says. “I have become a more well-rounded individual, both professionally and personally.”

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