Kyle Schembechler

The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

“Just enough intelligence and humor to solve whatever you throw at me.”

Hometown: Dunstable, Massachusetts

Fun fact about yourself: Yes, a Schembechler is going to Ohio State (If you know, you know).

Undergraduate School and Degree: Boston University, History

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Cannon Department Branch Chief, United States Army Field Artillery School

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? Scotts Miracle Gro. Marysville, OH.

Where will you be working after graduation? Cognizant, Associate Relationship Manager. Dublin, OH office.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

President, Fisher Graduate Veterans Association

President, Fisher Graduate Networking Association

Board Member, Fisher Serves

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I had the opportunity, through a guest speaker in one of my classes, to attend a social-impact focused startup hackathon called GiveBackHack. I had the opportunity to form a team with a local entrepreneur who was using a simple GPS beacon to enable people experiencing homelessness to broadcast their location during freezing weather so that they could get a ride to a warming shelter. It was a great opportunity to put what I had learned in class into action by crafting a 5-minute pitch, with a compelling narrative, to win a grant to produce the beacons.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I directed, and oversaw the development and implementation of, a long-overdue complete overhaul of the training programs at The Field Artillery School. The world, and relations among the nations within it, are rapidly changing. It is imperative that we, as leaders, prepare the next generation to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and not necessarily the same ones that we faced.

Why did you choose this business school? Fisher’s small class size and strong regional network really spoke to me. By the end of the first week of pre-term, I knew the first and last names of each of my classmates, where they were from, and what industries that they came from.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I think Dan Oglevee does the best job preparing students for the culture of the corporate world. He expects directness, brevity, and fact-based work products and teaches from personal experience.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Strategic Global Sourcing with Dr. John Gray. I thought this course did a great job of breaking from the traditional MBA mindset and focusing on the stereotype that we sometimes have in the workplace. It really underscored the importance of thinking about the big picture and how myopically pursuing the lowest possible cost can have huge consequences in the long term.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? I absolutely adore watching American students introduce the international students to the basically-religion of Big-10 College football, and its most critical sacrament, tailgating. It is one of the greatest instances, that I have witnessed, of people from all corners of the world coming together to get hyped up and have a great time.

What is the biggest myth about your school? I take pride in crushing the myth that Fisher is a purely regional institution. I have witnessed classmates accept offers from both MBB and Big 4 consulting firms, and break into both financial institutions in Manhattan and big tech on the west coast. We combine that bona fide roll-up-your-sleeves Midwest work-ethic with the humility and candor to succeed wherever we want to.

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? Don’t laugh, but Dumb Money. It taught me, from Melvin Capital and Gabe Plotkin’s perspective, to never be complacent. Even more, be comfortable with success and not expecting others to react is a recipe for disaster. I can sum it up with two wildly different quotes: John Manard Keynes, “The markets can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent,” and Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Although I did not have the opportunity to take it, there is an entire course titled Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Additionally, I appreciate that many professors are encouraging their students to use Gen AI as a research tool, to generate imagery and other work products, and to perform large, simple, repetitive tasks. Personally, I have found it to be an excellent starting point to find specific details and their primary sources.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Doug Strange – somehow, he managed to interview for one internship, accept it, and land in a great first post-MBA job (all before pre-term even began).

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

1. Own and operate my own small business.
2. Teach, coach, and mentor someone to greater success than I will achieve.

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

“Kyle’s academic excellence and commitment to building and fostering a strong community, both within Fisher and beyond, makes him one of Fisher’s Best & Brightest MBAs within the Class of 2025. When core faculty were asked what makes Kyle such an invaluable addition to the class, Dr. Roger Bailey shared, “Kyle is a high performer, across subjects, but what makes him stand out is that he might be the most engaged student I have ever had in the Fisher Full-Time MBA program. Kyle is always willing to jump in and participate.” Kyle is a highly collaborative colleague and an invaluable team member. It was said, “Seriously, if I was working on a project with this cohort, I would insist on having Kyle as part of my team.”

Beyond the classroom, Kyle is an engaged student leader. He is known for organizing fun get togethers – from hiking trips to golf outings – and has helped peers to prepare for presentations. Kyle is a servant leader and has been an active volunteer with community-based organizations throughout his time at Fisher. For example, Kyle worked with a local nonprofit serving unhoused youth to create and deliver a professional development series aimed at inspiring self-confidence and empowering participants who were seeking new opportunities and employment.

Kyle exemplifies what it means to be a principled leader. He acts with integrity and personal accountability, practices empathy and compassion, and has fostered openness and trust within our MBA community.”

Leanda Rix
Managing Director, FTMBA Program

DON’T MISS: THE 100 BEST & BRIGHTEST MBAS: CLASS OF 2025