2018 Best Online MBAs: Amanda Iverson, Wisconsin MBA Consortium by: Jeff Schmitt on June 06, 2018 | 407 Views June 6, 2018 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Amanda Iverson University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium “I am driven and passionate. I love to laugh, my family, friends, career, and community.” Age: 38 Hometown: Tucson, AZ (grew up in Tioga, ND) Fun fact about yourself: I grew up in one of the coldest states in the country and now live in one of the hottest. I guess you could say I like extremes! Undergraduate School and Degree: Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon – Bachelor of Arts Business Administration with Emphasis in Accounting, University Honors, Summa Cum Laude University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium – Master of Business Administration Where are you currently working? Pinnacle Plan Design, LLC Role: Chief Operating Officer What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I have two! In 2016, I was offered the opportunity to buy in and become an owner of our company. This opportunity came as a result of hard work, significant contributions, and many hours dedicated to my profession and I am honored to now be an owner of our firm. In 2018, I became a member of the Leadership Council (LC) for the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA). ASPPA is the premier professional association for retirement plan professionals and has contributed greatly to our industry. I am honored to be a member of the LC for this organization. Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium was a top online MBA program, which was important to me. Additionally, the program offers flexibility that is important to an online graduate student. Through its module classes, it also allows students to create connections with both students and professors that are invaluable to an online MBA student. Finally, the program offers a great variety of electives that allowed me to tailor my graduate school experience to best fit my education and professional needs. What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favorite part of the program was being exposed to new and interesting areas of business and technology that I did not previously have significant experience. I enjoyed the challenges (and rewards) that the MBA program provided. What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? I was surprised at how connected I felt to the program and my classmates, even though many of us were geographically very far from Wisconsin (where the program is physically headquartered). How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? I had an amazing undergraduate experience. I was surprised that my online graduate school experience was just as challenging as my in-classroom undergraduate education. I had to be more proactive as a graduate student, both because of the graduate level nature of the classes and also because I took the program online. Finally, because I was working full-time in a challenging profession while completing my MBA, I had to be much better with time management than I did when I was an undergraduate student. Both were great experiences. What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? As often the case with your professional career, your online MBA success will be dependent upon what you put into the program. Therefore, if you want to have a thriving MBA experience, make sure you are ready to make sacrifices to ensure you can dedicate the time required to have success within the program. If you put in your full effort, you will likely have a great educational experience. How has your online education helped you in your current job? The things I learned about operations and human capital have been imperative to recent success at my firm. Additionally, being exposed to new areas of technology and personal development theories have helped me work towards propelling our firm to the next level. Finally, the communication classes greatly helped me in writing and delivering public speaking sessions which has been beneficial for my professional career. If you had to do it all over again, would you? Why? I would do it all over again. I learned so much through the online MBA experience that I believe it has helped me grow in my professional life. (However, I am happy to have completed the experience as it was both rewarding and challenging.) What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to help create a successful, forward thinking business. I want to contribute to my professional organizations that help to protect our retirement system. I want to make a difference in my community as a strong business leader. DON’T MISS: THE COMPLETE 2018 LIST OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST ONLINE MBAS or OUR DEBUT 2018 RANKING OF THE BEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS IN THE U.S.