Vice President Coulbourne Instruments EMTM 10 - Class of 2002

What was the nature of your job before you decided to join the EMTM program?

Prior to joining the EMTM program at Stevens, I was basic middle management, involving some resources and budget management, primarily along the lines of software package implementation and regulatory compliance, with little no strategic input on company objectives on budget allocation.

What made you decide to go back to grad school? Why the EMTM program at Stevens?

The deciding factor in pushing me towards graduate school was the recognition that a bachelor's degree was the new "minimum entry" fee for entering the world of business, and was no longer sufficient either in prestige value or educational experience to prepare professionals for a world of technology, the complexity of which was increasing exponentially.

Though not familiar with the particulars of the EMTM program itself, I was certainly aware of the reputation of Stevens. Given the school's reputation for engineering and technology, studying TM there seemed like a foregone conclusion. Having compared the Stevens EMTM against a similar program at NJIT, the Stevens program offered more in terms of accessibility, instructor reputation, and breadth of study.

What value did you derive from the program?

The value derived from the program was immeasurable: Beyond exposure to the means and methods of managing technological ventures, the EMTM provided exposure to real-world questions in a risk-free environment, allowing me to recognize that I did, indeed, have the talent and knowledge to compete and win at any level. I was immediately able to take that confidence, and armed with the skills and knowledge of the EMTM arsenal, go beat the hell out of the business world in an arena where I now knew I had every right to compete.

What changes have occurred in your professional life since taking the program?

Where do I start? Departing the large company business world, I teamed up with two partners, and put together a successfully funded start-up plan which now positions the us as the owners of a multi-million dollar high-tech instrumentation company which is making quite a name for itself in our geographical and market space. It's possible that I may have come up with this business concept having never participated in EMTM, but I surely would not have had the wherewithal or the confidence to pursue it, nor the tools to make and follow a watertight plan. I am not overstating my case when I call the EMTM experience life-changing. Going through the program while maintaining a career, raising three children under age five, and funding and starting a new technology venture have allowed me to recognize within myself a capability that I never recognized nor called upon previously. The world can throw almost anything at me now; I'm not impressed.