Meet The MBA Class of 2025: Zane MacPhee, University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management

Zane MacPhee

Moneyball baseball nerd, interested in the  idiosyncrasies and  curios of the business and finance world”

Hometown: South Pasadena, California

Fun Fact About Yourself: I won the 2023 Carlson MBA Table Tennis Tournament.

Undergraduate School and Major: Whitman College-Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Coordinator, Player Personnel- Minnesota Twins Baseball Club

What has been your favorite part of the Twin Cities so far? What has made it such a great place to earn an MBA?

I’ve been a Socal transplant in the Twin Cities now for 8 years. What I’ve loved most about my time here is how accessible and active the metro is year-round. There is always something to do, and the people are invested in building the community. As far as Carlson goes, this program offers priority access to a thriving business community in the Twin Cities with minimal competition from other MBA programs.

Carlson MBA spend a year in hands-on Enterprise programs for Consulting, Branding, Ventures, and Funds. Which program do you intend to enroll in? What excites most about your Enterprise program?

The Funds Enterprise. I’ve spent most of my career evaluating underlying fundamentals, projections and performance of baseball players and Funds is a great application of that worldview to the financial markets. I’m excited to be fully immersed in the equities market and exposed to the full spectrum of the asset management world- from individual company analysis and research to portfolio management and client relations.

Aside from your classmates, experiential learning, and location, what was the key part of the Carlson MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? 

Coming from a family of entrepreneurs,  the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship really struck me as a unique and powerful hallmark of the Carlson School. Few, if any, MBA programs offer such great exposure to frameworks, networks, founders, and resources. If you are interested in the entrepreneurial space, whether that’s as a potential founder, funder or general supporter, the Holmes Center will provide you with a great launching pad.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far:

Building out key amateur and professional player evaluation and surplus value models for the first time in club history and contributing to notable player acquisitions such as Royce Lewis, Ryan Jeffers, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far:

My first semester has been better than I could have imagined. I’ve been particularly happy to learn a lot about the private markets through a PE internship with a local firm during the school year. I’ve also been privileged and challenged to create positive social impact through entrepreneurship via selection as a 2024 Sands Fellowship recipient.

What has been your best memory as an MBA so far?

Working with my core group during the first semester. Being back in an academic setting was jarring at first— having homework, studying and group projects took some re-adjusting to. Making real friendships with my core group, feeling their support, generosity and sharing  many laughs made the adjustment fun and memorable!

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into the Carlson MBA program?

Carlson is an intimate program that offers a rare opportunity for experiential projects with real world business problems. Showing a willingness to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, both academically and socially in the program will make you a prime candidate for the job market upon graduation and a friend and resource for life with your peers.