Curtis W. Lloyd

Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business

“Dynamic accumulator of human experience, high mileage wayfinder, good stories, bad jokes.”

Hometown: Santa Clara, UT

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am the only Nuclear Power School trained, US Naval Academy graduate, Navy SEAL in history.

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Naval Academy, B.S. in Arabic

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Thumbtack, Lead Business Operations Program Manager/Chief of Staff to the CPO and CTO

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Carnegie Mellon’s MBA curriculum and programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I have had the distinct privilege to work with several Carnegie Mellon University alums through the years, as well as at a startup which had its genesis there – proving to me the value of Carnegie Mellon’s core commitment to innovation. I was attracted to the strong analytics base of the curriculum and numerous tracks and specializations offered within the Tepper School and partner schools at the University. Further reinforcing my interest was the smaller class size and counseling designed to ensure that learning and conversations with peers and professionals would be frequent and far more personalized. I have seen the proof of Carnegie Mellon graduates’ success first-hand, making the decision a relatively easy one.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Carnegie Mellon? My curriculum interests skew heavily into the energy track and entrepreneurship courses the Tepper School offers in partnership with other schools within Carnegie Mellon University. I also plan to be engaged with the Tepper Veteran’s Association and will explore the Golf Club for social and sporting opportunities.

The Tepper MBA is known for intensive one-on-one coaching and personal development. What area do you hope to strengthen during your two years in business school and why? After nearly 12 years of military service, moving every few years and constantly travelling, I found it difficult to integrate into a community and make lasting connections. I am very much looking forward to working with the counselors and coaches to complete my transition to a post-military lifestyle, develop my local connections, expand my network in the Pittsburgh area, and find my next mission with expert guidance.

The Tepper MBA is also known for being highly data-driven. Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How have you been able to leverage this approach in your career so far? I have learned that instinct can take you far, but proof can take you farther, with increased conviction. I am largely self-taught in my current, minimal analytics skills. However, I have found even a conversational knowledge of data, and the ability to form clear problem statements and requests to be a strong differentiator throughout my career, to-date. I believe firmly that bolstering these analytical skills, coupled with expanded finance and business knowledge, will set my career on a new trajectory.

Looking at your recruitment, what was the moment when you realized Tepper was the right program for you? Why? My recruitment began when a good friend of mine asked me to join him in a course he teaches at the Tepper School. Through this engagement, I got to meet with the program coordinator, students and support staff, all of whom in various ways planted the seed to pursue admission. There is no greater endorsement than from those already ‘doing the thing.’

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I was incredibly well-positioned to see many early milestones of autonomous vehicles development, a technology with strong roots at Carnegie Mellon University. I remember one moment especially, in the backseat of a vehicle at 2 am in San Francisco, with no one behind the wheel in the vehicle. The car wound itself through the hills and narrow roads, navigating lanes with shared traffic and pedestrians smoothly and efficiently along a route that we had loaded to explore the extents of the operational domain. This was the culmination of years of work of brilliant people, in multiple locations, and I was able to be one of the first to experience it before the CEO’s demonstration ride and announcement the following day. The late nights, the long days, the difficult regulatory and public information campaigns all fade away in the moment when science borders on magic in a way that was specifically designed to be…boring. To be unremarkable and indistinguishable from an excellent, if slightly cautious, human driver. I remember the look I got from a pedestrian on a quiet road as he glanced, then glanced again at the apparently empty vehicle that pulled to a smooth stop at the intersection. He hesitated just for a moment before crossing, haltingly, in front of the vacant car. Eyes never leaving the windshield, he went on his way, I hope sharing in my wonder or at least bewilderment.

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