Carolyn Ballinger

Boston College, Carroll School of Management

“Marine veteran, entrepreneur, business owner, weeknight amateur chef, weekend adventurer, outdoor enthusiast, aspiring philanthropist.”

Hometown: South San Francisco, CA

Fun fact about yourself: I sang on the David Letterman Show as part of the “Stump the Band” segment during Fleet Week 2007.

Undergraduate School and Degree: United States Naval Academy, B.S., International Relations

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Joint Cyberspace Operations Group, Director of Offensive Cyberspace Operations

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA

Where will you be working after graduation? Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Senior IT Auditor; Northern Pines Canines, Co-Founder & Co-Owner

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: McMullen Fellowship Award Recipient; Boston College Student Veteran Association Member; Boston College MBA Ambassador; Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) Graduate; Travis Manion Foundation Donor and Volunteer; Folds of Honor Donor

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? As a new entrepreneur, I am most proud of the first client we attracted to our company through the marketing principles and digital marketing strategies I learned from the remarkable professors at Boston College. It was an amazing sense of accomplishment to take lessons from the classroom, successfully implement them in my company, and realize the benefits of my education, all within my time in the MBA program.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career?  I am most proud of the inspiration and sense of camaraderie I was able to impart on Marines and the joint servicemembers I had the pleasure of serving with throughout my active-duty Marine Corps career. Over the course of nearly two decades, I found that numbers and stats quickly fade, but genuine connections make for lasting memories.

Why did you choose this business school? The culture at Boston College was the determining factor in my decision to choose the MBA program at the Carroll School over many other fantastic programs. First and foremost, everyone I interacted with at Boston College carried themselves as consummate professionals who take pride in being part of the BC community. Secondly, they were equally as personable as they were professional. The quality of education and character of the school radiates through a refreshing sense of realism and humble confidence.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I enjoyed the course material and life lessons shared by Professor John Neeson so much that I took two of his courses during my MBA program: Digital Marketing Analytics and Entrepreneurial Marketing. Professor Neeson’s experience as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist inspires me as a new entrepreneur who aspires to be able to pay forward my success through philanthropy in the future. He generously set aside time to act as a sounding board as I thought through digital marketing strategies and tactics for my company. The guidance and mentorship Professor Neeson provided directly contributed to the success of my company’s marketing.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? I genuinely enjoyed the homework and classwork of my elective course Intro to Programming Using Swift for iOS App Development. While my work experience has been in a highly technical field, including the supervision of developers, I did not study computer science as an undergraduate. I was excited and surprised by the opportunity to take a programming class as part of my MBA program. To my knowledge, the course is the first and only of its kind to achieve “zero to full-stack” programming in one semester. Aside from the sense of fulfillment from building custom applications from scratch, the knowledge and experience from the course enriches my perspective as an IT auditor in the financial sector and expands my opportunities for entrepreneurial endeavors.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The Dale Carnegie Public Speaking Course during orientation week set the bar and the tone of the program. I was impressed by the school’s resource commitment to execute the program; the opportunity provided to students to improve communication skills; and the inoculation against discomfort to foster strength in the face of adversity. It made lasting impressions on me and my classmates.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? Prior to starting my MBA experience, I was selected for command of a Marine Corps Reserve unit. I served in command throughout the first semester of my MBA program, in addition to building my first business, working part-time, and commuting to campus from my home over an hour-and-a-half away. In retrospect, I should have relinquished command upon my acceptance to the MBA program to provide myself the space to focus on my transition to my civilian career.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I love that Boston has a distinct culture that is reflective of the long history that the city has held in American history. From the Freedom Trail to Fenway Park, the opportunity to make new memories in a city with such storied history is special.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? Although dramatized, Shark Tank provides the most realistic peek into the world of entrepreneurship. The questions that investors, like Kevin O’Leary and Mark Cuban, ask of entrepreneurs offers invaluable insight into the way successful entrepreneurs think about risk, opportunity, and financial decision-making. I have applied an array of lessons from Shark Tank into my own business, most notably the appreciation for prioritizing resources to portions of the business that generate profit.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? We received a leadership development course on generative AI capabilities that included a practical application exercise to provide a common understanding of the developing technology. Since that development course, professors, to varying degrees, have introduced lectures on generative AI and implemented the use of generative AI tools in class assignments. In the process, they have kept students abreast of the capabilities and limitations of the technology. Based on the experience I gained using generative AI during the MBA program, I have a deeper appreciation for real-world business use cases where AI can offer efficiency gains, as well as a healthy skepticism of AI without transparency into models used to generate its output.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? My classmate Corey Jones continues to serve in the Army National Guard, commuting to Maine every other weekend to drill with his unit. His ability to maintain an unflappable upbeat attitude is truly admirable.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Become a full-time entrepreneur and business owner.
2. Become an effective philanthropist who can support causes that promote fellow veterans and their families.

What made Carolyn such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Carolyn arrived at BC with a lifelong dedication to service, a commitment exemplified by her years spent in the Marine Corps as an active-duty servicemember and special operations forces officer. From our initial meeting, she shared her story of how a pivotal middle school recruiting day ignited her desire to serve the nation by joining the armed forces. After a distinguished military career, Carolyn sought out a program where she could not only gain technical skills, but also become part of a vibrant community. She found the BC MBA’s generalist curriculum particularly appealing, as it aligned with her and her husband’s business venture, Northern Pines Canines, dedicated to breeding and training service dogs, while BC itself provided the close-knit community that she sought, whether in the classroom or through the University’s Veterans Association.

Throughout Carolyn’s time at BC, whether it is how she is meticulously building her business, diligently tackling her studies, or regularly supporting her fellow students and veterans, her commitment to excellence has been consistently evident. She’s always been willing to connect with veterans interested in our programs and despite her many commitments has made it point to engage in multiple community service activities. Carolyn’s genuine concern for her peers is a testament to her character that truly embodies the spirit of “men and women for others”—a core Jesuit tenet that resonates deeply within BC. I am confident that Carolyn’s dedication, leadership, and selfless spirit will continue to make a profound impact in all her future endeavors.”

Marilyn Eckelman
Associate Dean, Graduate Programs
Boston College Carroll School of Management

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