Marshall Moten

MIT, Sloan School of Management

“Former Green Beret and husband/father trying my best to keep up with a 1-year-old.”

Hometown: Austin, TX

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a former college rugby player.

Undergraduate School and Major: U.S. Military Academy, English

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: U.S. Army Special Operations Command; Special Operations Team Trainer at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of MIT Sloan’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? What stands out to me about MIT Sloan is the degree to which it is integrated with MIT and its larger ecosystem. This university is the premier academic institution for revolutionary technological development, and MIT Sloan’s role within that is to help turn cutting edge R&D into something that people can benefit from.

Action Learning labs are one of MIT Sloan’s biggest attractions. Which lab interests you most? How does it fit with your interests?  The Product Management Lab interests me, especially as someone from a non-technical background who has led teams of experts. I enjoy taking ambiguous problems from ideas to solutions, and figuring out how best to turn the talent and resources on a team into something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

When you think of MIT, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Sloan program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? What stands out to me about Sloan so far is the collaborative way in which everyone approaches one another. It is a group of people who are genuinely interested in helping one another out. The experience that stands out to me was attending a newly-admitted students get-together with the Student Life office. I talked to someone about my 9-month-old son, and two days later I received a package for him that contained an MIT beaver stuffed animal (TIM, MIT’s mascot) that is now his favorite toy. I certainly wasn’t expecting it but that action made it clear to me that Sloan is invested in me and my family as members of the community.

What excites you about earning an MBA in the Boston area? Boston is such a vibrant city for so many different industries and MIT is at the heart of it because of its reputation for excellence. It’s an opportunity to get exposure to advanced technology research, healthcare, security, and myriad other industries that simply aren’t available anywhere else.

On a personal level, it’s a big city that, in many ways, feels like a small town. Whether it’s at Sloan, the other universities in the area, or just our neighbors, people are welcoming and want to make you feel at home. It’s a perfect place for me to raise young children. It’s also easy to get around, and there is never a shortage of things to do regardless of what stage of life you’re in.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: The best part of my career, thus far, has been the opportunity to serve on a team of Special Forces Soldiers. They represent the best of what America has to offer–a diverse array of highly capable people who are interested in finding ways of making the world better. In whatever situation they find themselves, they can assess the situation, adapt, and find ways of making positive change in their environment. I learned more from that team in my time there than I have at any other point in my life.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into MIT Sloan’s MBA program? MIT Sloan admissions prioritize people who are genuine, curious, and work well as members of teams. The process is not so much about having high test scores or the best grades as it is about what you as a unique individual can contribute to your classmates. Be your authentic self, and the results will follow.

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