Dean Zettler

Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business

“Genuinely curious and never satisfied with the status quo. Passionate about the power of teamwork.”

Hometown: Worthington, OH

Fun Fact About Yourself: Although I’ve never run a marathon, I have run over 500 miles underwater.

Undergraduate School and Major:
Undergrad – United States Naval Academy, B.S. in Political Science
Graduate – Old Dominion University, Master of Engineering Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: United States Navy, Submarine Officer. As a Submarine Officer, I held various management roles on nuclear ballistic missile submarines. I also taught Naval Science at the United States Naval Academy

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: On the day that I checked in to my second submarine, I was assigned as my boat’s project lead for the Navy’s largest material inspection, the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). While most boats have a year to plan this four-day inspection, I had three months. Compounding the already-challenging situation was the fact that I knew nobody on the boat, making this my first true leadership test in the Navy. I quickly built a rapport with the crew and built a team to assist me in planning. The inspection involved coordinating 150 people performing over 300 maintenance and operating procedures. My boat finished the inspection in 75% of the allotted time and received the highest grade possible. Although I was technically the INSURV Coordinator for only the three months leading up to the inspection, our success in the event resulted in the title sticking with me for my remaining three years on the boat!

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Genuine. An MBA program is an interesting place. A group of ambitious people are put into a building and must work closely together on classwork and projects while competing for grades and jobs at the same time. Going into the program I wondered how this dynamic would play out in the everyday interactions between classmates. I am so happy to find that the students at Fisher are truly genuine. From day one, everyone has been open, honest, and trustworthy and it’s made for an awesome experience.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? Location. After traveling the East Coast for six years in the Navy, my family and I were ready to come home to Ohio. I want to plant roots in Columbus, so it was important to me that I get plugged into local businesses and the community.  Already, Fisher has provided me the opportunity to consult for two local businesses, and I’ll be working with a third in the spring!

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Fisher Board Fellows, a program that allows second-year students to serve on the boards of local non-profits. While I don’t yet know what nonprofit I will serve, I’m excited to get involved and make a positive impact in the community. In addition, I’m excited to lead the Fisher MBA Council as Class President.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I’ve always found the infamous “Tell me about yourself” question the most challenging. It’s so open-ended. I lost sleep thinking about the perfect response during the MBA admissions process. At first, I was paralyzed by the thought of having to craft the perfect answer that I thought recruiters “wanted” to hear. What I found helped most choosing a handful of experiences and analyzing how I thought, felt, and acted in those moments. From those insights, I could start to craft a response. Now that I’m in the throes of the internship recruiting season, I feel like I finally have a satisfactory response to the question, but I would be lying if I said I haven’t spent a ton of time thinking about it.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I decided to pursue an MBA to build on my leadership experience and gain business acumen. The Navy provided me with excellent leadership experience. As a submarine officer, I worked alongside and led some of the Navy’s most capable sailors in tough environments. It was an experience that will serve me well in business. I could have transitioned out of the Navy into a corporate position and learned a good bit about the business. However, I knew that I wanted to not only learn vital business skills but also study how to use those skills to make complex, integrated business decisions. I saw an MBA as the quickest way to accomplish my goals.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I also applied to Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business and Indiana University, Kelley School of Business.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I spent a lot of time on Poets & Quants – a lot of time. At times, I got so wrapped up in the statistics and outcome data that I would begin to lose sight of the goals I wanted to accomplish using an MBA. The most important piece of advice I can give about selecting a school that “fits” you best is to have someone in your life who understands your aspirations. For me, that was my wife. She was able to listen to the attributes of different MBA programs and offer objective advice on how they would help or hurt my aspirations. Another great way to learn about the student experience is by using LinkedIn. I used it to locate veterans enrolled in my target MBA programs and reached out to them for perspective and guidance.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? The day before I started Plebe Summer (boot-camp) at the U.S. Naval Academy, I lost my best friend in a car accident. I was devastated and wanted to go home to Ohio to be with family and friends. Just before the swearing-in ceremony on the first day, I told my supervisor that I wanted to quit and go home. He sent me out to talk with my dad, who was in the audience waiting to watch the ceremony. I told my dad I didn’t think I could do it. Without saying a word, he called my girlfriend, Sarah, who is now my wife, and handed me the phone. I explained my reservations to Sarah. Confidently and calmly she reminded me why I was there and told me there was no way I could give up on my dream of attending the Naval Academy. I stayed and the rest was history. Had she not had the wisdom and foresight at such a young age to look beyond the present challenge, I would not be the person that I am today. I continue to look to her for guidance and wisdom daily.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? Ten years is a long way away! I have a passion for transforming organizations. Within the next ten years, I hope to work as a consultant guiding companies through their transformations. At the end of ten years, I hope to be a trusted leader in both business and the community.

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