Meet Ohio State’s MBA Class of 2018

Mireille Hartley

 Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

 Hometown: Woodbury, CT

Education: University of New Hampshire, Major: Psychology, Minor: French and Justice Studies

Employment: Teach for America, Memphis, Chief of Staff to Executive Director

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: ENFJ, Northeasterner, and Memphian. Amateur cook, cat lover, coffee drinker. Barre, books, and Broadway enthusiast.

 Fun fact about yourself: I lived in Philadelphia until I was seven, but have carried my love for the Philadelphia Eagles to everywhere that I’ve lived since, including my new home, Columbus!

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I spent the past five years working at Teach For America. In this time, I took on a number of brand new, innovative projects spanning a variety of functional areas. That said, despite my individual contributions to the organization, my personal biggest accomplishment was becoming a successful manager. I was first presented with the opportunity to manage others on my team three years ago.

This opportunity, of course, came with its fair share of difficulties. Over the years, I slowly transitioned from focusing solely on my individual contributions to incorporating the work of my direct reports into my daily priorities. In my most recent role, I was able to lead my own team and this specific experience is what I feel most proud of. By working with my manager and my mentor closely as I began to hire and manage new direct reports, I was able to refine my skills as a team leader so that my direct reports were able to be successful. Instead of setting goals for myself, I was setting goals for a team; I had to learn how to coach, develop, and delegate to others. My time with my team was not perfect and there are a number of things I wish I could have done better, but I ultimately feel that I was able to achieve what I set out to do in my role: lead a team of high performers who felt supported and valued by me and, because of this, were able to meet their goals. Their feedback for me, both directly and via my manager, is a testament to the fact that this was true for them. Having the chance to make such an incredible impact on others and to help them realize success and achievement is absolutely my biggest accomplishment as it extends far beyond anything I was able to do individually at Teach For America.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?  I would advise all future applicants to simply be aware of the sheer volume of information available to you throughout the application process. Undoubtedly, so much of this information is incredibly valuable, but at the same time, it’s very easy to get caught up in the details and essentially drink directly from the fire hydrant with no plan for how to digest things after the fact.

The best way to navigate the complexities of knowing which resources to use, as well as when and how to use them, is to have a clear vision for why exactly you want to apply to business school. I am by no means the first person to share this advice. In my opinion, it is incredibly difficult to know how to proceed in the process without having this clearly defined for yourself. Knowing what you’re looking to get out of an MBA program and what you in turn can bring will help you immensely. That’s because very little of the information that exists out there to help you is ever going to be one-size-fits-all. Helpful tips or insights that work for one applicant might not actually work for you if you come from a different industry, have a different degree, or are simply looking at different schools. Knowing this ahead of time would have helped me a lot because I was constantly consuming anything and everything I could find. This process sometimes made me second-guess myself instead of what I should have been doing, which would have been refining my own narrative (and of course, sharpening my GMAT test taking skills!).

At the end of the day, you have to know yourself: your experiences, motivations, aspirations, and strengths. Once you have a clear picture of these things, you’ll be much more prepared to start sifting through the resources at your disposal to help bolster the areas in which you might need some more support as an applicant.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? I would say that the very first thing that drew me to Fisher was the small class size. One of the things that matters most to me professionally is having a network of peers that I can trust and with whom I feel valued. I knew immediately that a class size that fosters an intimate environment would be perfect for me – large enough to still maintain diversity, but small enough to build deep, meaningful relationships from the get-go.

This also speaks to another aspect of choosing a business school that was important to me – a strong career management office. Fisher felt like the right place for me from the moment I arrived at my admission interview for this very reason. I was able to meet someone from the Office of Career Management on my visit who not only asked me questions about my own personal motivations, but who could also give me an explicit description of what I could expect as a student. This type of personal attention is exactly what I was looking for. I was so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of support I received, both as an applicant and accepted student, that I just knew that Fisher was the program for me.

That said, while I will be a part of a small group as a student, I will be a part of a very large group when I graduate. Knowing that I will be welcomed into the huge alumni community of both Ohio State and Fisher is also something that really motivated me because a large alumni base will be very helpful to me later on in my career. Fisher is also known for offering students quite a bit of autonomy when it comes to choosing classes beyond the requirements in year one. Given my personal preferences, having this choice is monumental for me. I know what I want to focus on and I appreciate the ability to chart my own course, even though I am still a bit far from being able to select my own classes!

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? My experience working for Teach For America in Memphis has made me determined be an influencer in the lives of countless underrepresented individuals who need an advocate. I regularly witnessed the negative societal effects of a lifetime of poverty and economic turmoil throughout my time there. Communities like those of Memphis need to develop their own resources, one of which is human capital.

While Teach For America is what exposed me to this reality, I also witnessed a very different reality within the walls of my office. As a Human Resources manager, I was a part of an organization that excelled in its human capital practices, including highly effective hiring and employee training, as well as comprehensive benefits for all employees. The stark difference between these two realities has dramatically influenced my own career aspirations at this point in my life. Ultimately, I aspire to effect large-scale change that will help correct the systemic problems seen in communities like Memphis.

In the meantime, I have set my sights on consulting, as this industry will offer excellent preparation for my future career goals and also is a good fit for me given my preferences, strengths, and past experiences. I see so much potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals, as well as the corporations and organizations that they work for. Ideally, I want to take on an opportunity that would allow me to support companies in their own human capital development – spanning everything from talent acquisition to team restructuring to change management. My people-centered approach stems from my work in human resources and my undergraduate studies in Psychology; my desire for a fast-paced and ever-changing work environment that was fostered during my time in the non-profit sector; as well as my relentless pursuit when it comes to problem solving that is simply a part of who I am as a person all align well with the demands of a consulting job, as well as the work environment that comes with the territory.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  I would absolutely describe Mireille as reliable. She was constantly someone I could depend on – be it for help with a specific assignment for class, preparation for an interview, or simply someone to talk to about the daunting job search process. I always felt like she was truly listening to me and supporting me, regardless of what she had going on. Mireille also stood out as a leader in our class. She was involved in so many organizations and consistently volunteered to take on more responsibility whenever it was needed. I really feel like she was committed to making Fisher a better place, not just for our class, but for future classes. Mireille also brought a lot of excitement and plain and simple fun to our class. It was so obvious that she loved being here and her genuine enthusiasm led others to feel the same way.